Ogier
Dispute resolution lawyer Rachael Reynolds has been appointed global senior partner at Ogier.
Rachael has led the Cayman litigation team on some of the largest and highest profile cases in the Cayman Islands over the last decade, including acting for investors in respect of the collapsed Abraaj Group (previously the largest Private Equity structure in the Middle East), acting for the provisional liquidators in the Ocean Rig restructuring (one of the largest contested schemes of arrangement in the world), and she was also the advocate in several of the leading cases considering the meaning and effect of the Cayman 'firewall' legislation.
She was named Advisor of the Year in the Wealthbriefing European Awards 2020 and Litigator of the Year at the Citywealth IFC Awards 2020.
Rachael regularly speaks at international conferences and events representing women in industry, and is a member of IWIRC (the International Women's Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation) 100 Women in Finance, 100 Women in Hedge Funds and Ladies in Trusts. She also co-chairs the annual ConTrA Trusts in Litigation conference.
In her previous role as global head of dispute resolution and head of trusts disputes at Ogier, Rachael oversaw exponential growth, with the Cayman team tripling in size in response to client demand.
Hawksford
Thirty six employees at Hawksford have recently been promoted to new roles across the corporate, funds and private client company's global offices. Sixteen of the promotions are based in the Jersey head office, nine in China, five in Hong Kong, four in London and two in Singapore.
Within these appointments, four employees have been appointed to associate director roles, strengthening the company's senior team.
These promotions include Ian Vieira as associate director of the Private Client Team, Alex Ogilvie as associate director - Finance, Sue McMonagle as associate director - Head of People, Europe and Stephanie Yan to Associate Director of Corporate Services and Legal Counsel. Vieira, Ogilvie and McMonagle are based in Hawksford's Jersey office while Yan is based in China.
Michel van Leeuwen, Hawksford's group chief executive, said: ‘2020 was a very positive year for Hawksford and I am extremely proud of the entire team for the commitment, flexibility and resilience they have shown in such a challenging time. Ian, Alex, Sue and Stephanie all thoroughly deserve these promotions, as do the wider team who have progressed in their roles.
"As a business we have continued to deliver excellent results on behalf of clients and the entire team's commitment to making sure we are able to support clients has been exceptional. As a company in 2021 we will be putting a strong emphasis on creating a smart working culture where flexibilty is fundamental and personal growth is supported, whilst of course doubling down on our global client activity. I am looking ahead to another positive year for Hawksford."
GAM Investments
GAM Investments has appointed Sebastian Maciocia as client director to boost its UK wholesale team.
Maciocia was previously senior vice president at Winton Capital for five years, where he launched, led and managed the firm's business unit focused on the distribution of UCITS strategies to financial institutions and intermediaries in the UK.
GAM said that his appointment will "deepen relationships" with financial institutions, family offices, private banks, wealth managers, discretionary fund managers and advisers.
He will report to Rob Bailey, head of UK distribution. Bailey said: "At GAM, we have a strong client offering with a number of our strategies among the top performers in their peer groups over three and five years."
"We believe Sebastian will be a valuable addition to the team as we continue to harness our capabilities to provide the investment leadership, innovation and sustainable thinking to protect our clients' financial futures."
VG
Jersey-based VG has appointed Sheena Huggett as senior manager to further support the expansion of VG's private client team.
Huggett has more than 15 years' experience in managing a large and complex portfolio of clients, including international ultra-high net worth individuals and well-respected corporate clients.
She has administered a wide range of entities holding global assets such as high-end real estate, large investment portfolios and art collections within trust, company, limited partnership, employee benefit and charitable structures.
Huggett brings extensive experience in risk management having managed complex litigation held in the High Court in London, the British Virgin Islands court and the Jersey Royal Court.
She commented, "Managing litigation across multiple jurisdictions has highlighted the risk areas currently faced by Trustees and firms in the offshore industry and has provided me with the practical knowledge and experience to counteract these risks."
