Attended by Crestbridge Family Office Services (CFOS) CEO Heather Tibbo, the event, held last month (12 November) at the Address Sky View in Dubai, was entitled “Forging Strategic Alliances” and attracted an audience of senior professionals from across the region as well as global family office and private wealth leaders.

In particular, the Conference highlighted the importance that families of wealth attach to connectivity amongst across their professional service provider and advisory network. Speakers explored how families are increasingly looking to access specialist skills and knowledge to enable them to put in place future-proof strategies as they prepare for mass wealth transfer against a complex regulatory and geopolitical backdrop – something that frequently demands collaboration from their strategic partners.

The Conference formed part of a busy period for Crestbridge in the Middle East, with the team attending a number of flagship events in the region over the past month, including Jersey Finance’s ‘Perspectives: Women in Leadership’ series in October, and STEP Arabia in Abu Dhabi in early November, as well as the WealthBriefing MENA Awards last month – at which Crestbridge CEO Heather Tibbo was presented with the ‘Leading Chief Executive’ Award.

Commenting on the evolving Middle East family office landscape, Heather Tibbo said:

Showcasing ‘best of breed’ in the Channel Islands region, the awards have been designed to recognise outstanding organisations grouped by specialism and geography which the prestigious panel of independent judges deemed to have ‘demonstrated innovation and excellence during the last year’.

Each of these categories is highly contested and is subject to a rigorous process before the ultimate winner is selected by the judges. It is this process that makes WealthBriefing Channel Islands awards so prized amongst winners.

The WealthBriefing Channel Islands Awards are part of a global programme run by WealthBriefing and its sister publications WealthBriefingAsia and Family Wealth Report, encompassing all the world’s major wealth management centers.

Participants around the world recognise that winning awards is particularly important in these challenging times as it provides clients with reassurance in the solidity and sustainability of the winner’s business and operating model.

Commenting on her award, Heather said: “Successful leadership is wholly dependent on a talented, collaborative, empathetic and committed team, supporting one another in the pursuit of shared goals. Day after day our team exemplifies that ethos in the service of our clients, and it is a genuine privilege to work alongside them. This is an award in which we all share equally.”

Stephen Harris, ClearView Financial Media’s CEO, and publisher of WealthBriefing, was first to extend his congratulations to all the winners “Every category winner and highly commended firm has been subjected to rigorous and independent judging process and be rightly proud of the success they have achieved this year.

“We have seen a marked increase in entrants and interest in all our global awards programmes and WealthBriefing Channel Islands is no exception. These awards are so beneficial as they give organisations and individuals the opportunity to clarify their strategic thinking, have it independently validated, be recognized internally and externally and to celebrate in style with their peers.

I offer my congratulations and best wishes for the future to all winners and highly commended firms – they are all worthy recipients who join the elite list of wealth management professionals who form the global elite of WealthBriefing Channel Islands winners”.

Winners and highly commended companies were announced on 3rd December 2025 at The Royal Yacht Hotel.

Speaking in a highly interactive session, Steve and Dean explored how the US trust sector has evolved from a primarily domestic focus to a global player over the last 25 years, within a framework that showed such development running largely in parallel to established offshore trust centres (using Jersey as a prime example), each shaped by similar and different evolutionary triggers. The discussion covered broader trends such as shifting wealth dynamics and macros, regulatory and compliance changes, global taxation trends, and the evolving nature and role of trustees. A prevailing view emerged indicating that these trust sectors have indeed shared many attributes in their journeys over the last 25 years. Today there is more competition, providing global UHNW families with not only more choice, but also with more aligned and complementary options to meet their bespoke, complex and multi-jurisdictional needs, particularly (but not only) those families with US connections.

Taking place between 13 and 15 November, the event – ‘The Erosion of Trust: the new normal?’ – was facilitated by Beatrice Puoti of Stephenson Harwood LLP in London and Jonathan Speck of Mourants in Jersey, and attended by other leading lawyers and trustees who came together to explore the key issues affecting and shaping the modern cross-border private wealth sector. Crestbridge Family Office Services’ Jersey Managing Director, Steve Le Seelleur also attended the conference and provided valuable contributions to the many discussions and debates within the ‘new normal’ theme of the conference.

Elsewhere at the Forum, other speakers and panellists focused on the impact of political instability when it comes to giving private client advice, effective protection of property assets in succession planning, and preparing the next generation for an imminent and unprecedented mass wealth transfer.

Following the recent announcement about the arrival of new Client Director Ashley Hickman, Crestbridge FOS has appointed a further eight people across its client and business services teams.

Within the client administration team, they include Shelley Parker as Senior Manager, alongside Senior Administrators Anna Costard, Paula Griffiths, Wendy Jackson and Administrators Zac Cloete and Josh Cullinan.

Jordon Scott has also joined as Senior IT Support Technician while Giorgina Lister has been appointed Marketing Manager.

The raft of new starters reflects Crestbridge FOS’ sustained growth trajectory this year, building on a number of senior appointments in 2025. It also underlines the firm’s commitment to providing high-quality services, to support its client base of top-end global families.

The winners were selected by an independent panel of judges, with Heather awarded the top prize for leadership, in recognition of her commitment to delivering innovative solutions to clients in the region and championing service excellence.

Commenting on the award win, Heather said: “The Middle East remains an absolutely critical strategic market for Crestbridge, with our team having built exceptional knowledge and deep relationships in the region over the years. It is a market I have become particularly close to and I am therefore delighted and honoured to accept this Award. I am, however, also proud to lead such a highly skilled team that understands the nuances of the market and is committed to supporting the increasingly complex and sophisticated ambitions of families in this dynamic region.”

Stephen Harris, CEO of ClearView Financial Media’s and publisher of WealthBriefing, added:

“Every category winner has undergone a rigorous and independent judging process and should be rightly proud of their achievements this year. I extend my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to all winners and highly commended firms. They are all worthy recipients and now join an elite group of wealth management professionals who represent the very best of the industry across MENA and beyond.”

Read WealthBriefing MENA Awards 2025 Acclaim.

In his role, Jersey-based Ashley will take a lead on client service delivery, with a particular focus on the firm’s Ultra High Net Worth (UHNW) clients across the UK, Ireland, the Middle East and Africa. He will also oversee the management of a broad range of trust and corporate structures holding a wide range of assets.

With more than 25 years’ experience in the finance industry supporting the specialist needs of multi-jurisdictional clients, Ashley joins Crestbridge having previously worked for more than two decades at a major global bank. In a number of senior level roles, he has built considerable expertise in the private client sector, providing specialist support in the management of various asset classes including discretionary and advisory managed portfolios, private equity investments, gold and commercial property.

He is a member of STEP and holds the STEP Diploma in International Trust Management.

Ashley’s appointment maintains Crestbridge’s growth trajectory this year, which has seen the addition of significant senior industry expertise to the privately-owned firm’s team, to support its client base of top-end global families.

We were delighted to welcome Amy Hall, Children, Young Persons and Families Service Manager at Mind Jersey, along with volunteers from Youthful Minds to our office.

They shared their experiences and insights into the challenges faced by young people today — it was both inspiring and thought-provoking.

Hearing directly about the work they do was a powerful reminder of the meaningful impact we can make together.

We look forward to continuing to support the Youthful Minds programme in 2026.

The events in Riyadh, Doha and Dubai – attended by Crestbridge Family Office Services CEO Heather Tibbo – attracted a high-calibre audience of current and future female leaders, and featured a number of keynote talks, discussion sessions and networking opportunities to create a platform for sharing insights and championing the importance of female advocacy.

Reinforcing the strategic importance of the region to Jersey as an international finance centre, the events were also attended by senior representatives from the Government of Jersey, including Minister for Treasury and Resources Deputy Elaine Millar and Helen De La Cour, Director of Financial and Professional Services, as well as key representatives from the Jersey Financial Services Commission, Director General Jill Britton and Kerry Petulla, Executive Director of Enforcement, Intelligence and Financial Crime.

Key themes discussed at the events, which were hosted by Jersey Finance Director – GCC, An Kelles, included:

• How women are an important force when it comes to wealth management and leading global business ventures
• How the future of family business is increasingly being influenced by women who have earned their seat at the top table
• The importance of advocacy, and of current female – and male – leaders providing clear pathways and opportunities for leaders of the future
• How advisers, partners, and jurisdictions need to be alive to this shifting trend and be adaptable to the ambitions of successful female leaders

Heather Tibbo said: “Through the families we work with, we have seen women taking an increasingly significant stake in family business and wealth management planning over recent years, and that theme came across strongly at Jersey Finance’s Perspectives events in the region. It was notable through the various speakers, however, how the dial has shifted – from women talking about taking a seat at the top table, to actually now owning that seat and advocating for the next generation of female leaders too. This was a really positive showcase for female leadership.

“The events were also important in helping to strengthen the vital relationships Jersey has with stakeholders in the Middle East – a key market where we also have significant experience as a firm and with London as a centre of excellence. We are pleased to be able to support Jersey Finance’s considerable ongoing strategic focus in the region, underlining the high-quality proposition Jersey offers Middle Eastern families of wealth.”

As part of the New York programme, Steve Sokić and Darrell King joined Jersey Finance to discuss “US and Offshore Trust Sectors: A Story of Mutual Evolution”, exploring how Jersey trusts can support US clients and the ongoing collaboration between the two jurisdictions.

It was a pleasure to contribute to this event and to continue strengthening connections across our industry.

Read the full article and series highlights here.