Guernsey Annual Conference 2019

Building Board Resilience

The Guernsey Annual Conference took place on 1 May 2019 at St Pierre Park Hotel in St. Peter Port.

Designed specifically for company secretaries and governance leaders, this year’s conference had a theme of ‘building board resilience’. It highlighted the importance of effective boards that are fit for the future and can champion good governance practices, not just among the Crown Dependencies, but on the global stage.

The event offered a mix of practical workshops and expert input on a number of topics including: anti-money laundering, ESG investing, board dynamics and emerging technology.

You can find the conference presentation slides here:

Here is a link to the TISE GREEN flyer as referred to in Fiona Le Poidevin's presentation. 

You can view the photos from the conference here: 

ICSA Guernsey Annual Conference 2019

Programme

TimeProgramme
09.00

Registration, tea/coffee
09.25

Chair’s opening remarks

Paul Smith FCIS, Branch Chair, ICSA Guernsey
09.30

ESG Investing

Last year The International Stock Exchange (TISE) launched its green market segment, TISE GREEN, to enhance the visibility of investments which make a positive environmental impact. Here, we look at the green segment, and examine how, along with the Guernsey Financial Services Commission’s Green Fund, it forms part of the island’s offering for socially conscious investment. We will also explore the relationship between investor demand for measurement and evaluation of the ethical nature of their investments and good governance.

Fiona Le Poidevin, CEO, The International Stock Exchange
10.00

Financial crime update

Guernsey is recognised as a jurisdiction which meets international standards relating to anti-money laundering (AML) and combatting financial terrorism (CFT). Here, we will discuss how the revised standards issued by the Financial Action Task Force and the recommendations made by MONEYVAL and the IMF have influenced the development of the updated AML/CFT Handbook, which comes into force on 31 March 2019. We will also look at the role of boards in ensuring that money laundering and terrorist financing risks are identified and mitigated.

Nick Herquin, Deputy Director, Financial Crime Supervision and Policy Division, Guernsey Financial Services Commission
10.30

The road ahead for ICSA

In this session, we will look at the latest developments from ICSA and recap the influential work that the Institute has carried out in its support of governance professionals.

Simon Osborne FCIS, Chief Executive, ICSA
10.45

Networking break
11.15

Board evaluation

Last year the UK Government invited ICSA to research and recommend ways of improving the quality of board evaluations. One aspect of this will be the development of a code of practice for external board evaluation. Here, we will receive an update on ICSA’s work and delegates will have the opportunity to share their own thoughts on a new code of practice.

Peter Swabey FCIS, Policy & Research Director, ICSA
11.45

Board dynamics

Conflict in the boardroom does not necessarily result in bad decisions being made, nor does a harmonious boardroom always equate to good decision making. Maintaining a workable dynamic that balances individual personalities, and allows for challenge and healthy tension is key to having an effective board. Here, we will look at the characteristics that make for a healthy board and what needs to considered when trying to improve board dynamics.

Dr Jeremy Cross, Director, Bailiwick Consulting
12.30

Networking lunch
13.30

Family office governance

Family offices have gained a much higher profile in in recent years, yet there is still confusion as to what they are and how they operate. There is no ‘one size fits all’ governance for family offices, with each having their own unique governance arrangements and challenges. Here, we will explore the variety and complexity of issues that working with a family office can present.

Heath Martorella ACIS, Head of Family Office, Bellerive Trust
14.00

An introduction to coaching for company secretaries

Coaching methodologies can be used to develop a high-performing Company Secretariat team, to set and achieve personal work goals, or to structure difficult conversations with colleagues and managers. In this practical workshop, we discuss the benefits of coaching techniques and explore how governance professionals can apply these in their personal lives and in their interactions with the board.

Lesley Ward FCIS, Branch Liaison and Mentoring Manager, ICSA
14.45

Emerging technology and the role of the governance professional

Technology is reshaping sectors and transforming how businesses operate. It is important that boards are not just embracing change, but are acquiring the expertise to lead it, enabling themselves to create strategies that will ensure long-term business success. Here, we will consider the risks and opportunities presented by emerging technologies and their impact on the role of governance professionals.

Duncan Smith, Director, iCompli
15.30

Chair’s closing remarks and close of conference

*This is a draft programme and may be subject to change


Speakers

Nick Herquin, Deputy Director, Financial Crime Supervision and Policy Division, Guernsey Financial Services Commission

Nick Herquin is the Deputy Director of the Financial Crime Division and has been a financial services regulator for more than 15 years. The Financial Crime Division of the Guernsey Financial Services Commission is responsible for AML/CFT supervision for all financial services and prescribed business sectors (lawyers, accountants and estate agents) and policy initiatives such as the updated AML/CFT Handbook.

Nick is a Fellow of International Compliance Association and Chartered Fellow of the Securities Institute and also a trained MONEYVAL/FATF assessor. He is presently taking part in an evaluation of a MONEYVAL member country.

Fiona Le Poidevin, CEO, The International Stock Exchange Group

Fiona Le Poidevin is Chief Executive Officer and a Director of The International Stock Exchange Group Limited, positions which she has held since January 2015. Her role includes strategy formulation, providing leadership and direction to the team and focusing on opportunities to grow the business, both from existing streams and through the introduction of new products and service offerings.

Fiona is a Chartered Accountant (FCA) and holds the Institute of Directors (IoD) Diploma in Company Direction. She is also a member of the IoD Guernsey Committee, the IoD Guernsey Tax and Regulatory Committee and the AIC Channel Islands Committee. Prior to joining the Company, Fiona was Chief Executive of Guernsey Finance. Previously a senior tax manager with a Big 4 accountancy firm, she has more than 20 years’ experience working in financial services in both London and the Channel Islands.

Heath Martorella ACIS,  Head of Family Office,Bellerive Trust

Heath is the Head of Family Office at Bellerive Trust, and works closely with a number of family offices and their advisers to design, establish and administer UHNW structures for long term asset protection and succession planning.

Heath joined the firm’s predecessor company in 2015 and assisted with the establishment of Bellerive Trust in 2016. With experience spanning across 25 years, Heath’s roles have included recruiting and training dedicated teams to service UHNW Middle Eastern client structures, marketing/business development and dealing with investments ranging from hedge funds to artwork.

Heath is an Associate of ICSA and a personally Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI). In 2014, he completed the Professional Diploma with the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Heath also undertakes occasional freelance consulting and is a trustee of a local orchestra.

Simon Osborne FCIS, Chief Executive, ICSA

Simon Osborne is Chief Executive and a Fellow of ICSA. He qualified first as a solicitor in 1973.Before taking up his current role, Simon was a freelance governance consultant. In that capacity he acted as the Joint Head of ICSA Board Evaluation, working with companies, UK regulators and other organisations.

Until April 2003 Simon’s career was in the British railway industry as general counsel, company secretary and latterly as main board executive director. Simon is a past chairman of ICSA’s Company Secretaries Forum, which comprises mainly company secretaries from mainly FTSE 350 companies. He is a member of the International Corporate Governance Network and chairs its Bylaws & Procedures Committee. He is a NED of two small media companies and deputy chair of a charity.

 

Duncan Smith, Director, iCompli

Duncan Smith is the founder and CEO of specialist compliance consultancy iCompli®, advising clients across Europe and the US. An industry expert in information law and privacy, he has been ensuring organisations have the skill, knowledge and foresight to build compliance strategies since 2004. The ‘go to’ person for developing many of the UK’s industry lead-body training courses, he has guided SMEs, PLCs and multi-nationals on both the strategic and tactical requirements for GDPR, ePrivacy, Financial Services and consumer protection compliance. A recent panellist and speaker in Riga with the Latvian Government, Duncan is an engaging and forward-thinking speaker who will help us to look ‘over the horizon’ at the risks and opportunities ahead.

 

Peter Swabey FCIS, Policy & Research Director, ICSA

Peter Swabey is Policy and Research Director at ICSA. He is responsible for developing ICSA’s profile to members, regulators, policymakers, employers and other stakeholders by delivering thought leadership and lobbying campaigns aligned to ICSA strategy and promoting strong governance as the vital ingredient for success in organisations.

Peter joined ICSA in 2013 and has almost 30 years’ industry experience. Prior to ICSA, Peter was at Equiniti where he was Company Secretary and Industry Leadership Director; he was also a Director of Equiniti David Venus, Equiniti’s Company Secretarial Services provider.

Peter is a member of the ICSA Company Secretary’s Forum, the CBI Companies Committee, the QCA Corporate Governance Expert Group and the Shareholder Voting Working Group, as well as being an Alternate Member of the Takeover Panel and a past Chairman of the ICSA Registrars Group.

A history graduate, and Fellow of ICSA, Peter is a regular speaker at industry conferences and events, with an industry-wide reputation as an expert on shareholder and corporate governance matters.

Lesley Ward FCIS, Branch Liaison and Mentoring Manager, ICSA

Lesley has recently joined ICSA as Branch Liaison and Mentoring Manager. In this role she is the key contact for ICSA’s UK Branches and leads the ICSA mentoring programme. She is a Chartered Company Secretary with over 15 years’ experience as well as an accredited coach, specialising in working with Governance Professionals. Through the ICSA mentoring programme and her coaching she is passionate in helping governance professionals to thrive and excel in their roles.

Dr Jeremy Cross, Director at Bailiwick Consulting

Jeremy is the syllabus creator and course textbook author of new ICSA ‘Boardroom Dynamics’ Chartered qualification module. He is a board team coach and director of Bailiwick Consulting, a Jersey-based leadership consultancy. Over the past 20 years, he has worked globally with over 75 organisations, including Sainsbury’s, RBS, Nike, Lego, the NHS and the Government of Jersey, and has personally coached hundreds of senior leaders. He is a regular speaker on board and leadership topics, having delivered a TED talk in 2014 in addition to a variety of ICSA national and regional conferences. He is a former visiting Faculty Member of Henley Business School, from where he also has a MBA and where he previously researched Board Evaluation. Jeremy has a sporting background, having competed at Wimbledon qualifying, represented England at age group level and having won 21 Island Games medals. In 2009, he worked with the GB Men’s Hockey Team during the team’s first ever win at the European Championships.

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