At Crestbridge Family Office Services (FOS), we invest in programmes that will build practical skills, deepen leadership confidence and deliver lasting value for our people in every stage of their professional and personal growth.

Momentum was created with this in mind. We wanted a leadership programme that moved beyond the conventional, one that genuinely aligned with our ambitions for growth, service excellence and a high-performance culture. Working in close partnership with Royston Guest, a globally recognized business growth strategist, consultant, and author, Momentum was designed specifically for Crestbridge FOS, reflecting the priorities of our business and the aspirations of our people.

Over the course of last year, a group of current and future managers explored themes that define effective modern leadership: commercial mindset, personal brand, meaningful communication, influencing with purpose, and the dynamics of high-performing teams.

Guided by Royston and equipped with a comprehensive leadership toolkit, participants have strengthened their strategic thinking, enhanced their ability to influence and communicate, and gained greater clarity in how they lead.

The programme has already prompted new habits, fresh perspectives and a more intentional approach to leadership across the group.

Christine Clark, Manager – Client Operations, remarked, “I have thoroughly enjoyed the programme as Royston is very engaging. All the sessions concentrated on the practical as well as the theoretical.”

For Pauline Ramskill, Business Development Support Manager, the programme has been “hugely impactful on both a personal and professional level,” noting she “really appreciated the chance to take time away from the day-to-day job each month to think about the bigger picture and my purpose.”

Reflecting on her experience, Tallie Renouf, Manager – Client Services, highlighted that the programme was “bespoke and mindfully tailored to Crestbridge as a business.”

Sarah Eden, HR Business Partner, described Momentum as “engaging, practical and genuinely valuable,” adding that Royston “delivered a well-rounded programme with a strong balance of theory, self-reflection and practical application.”

Momentum stands apart from traditional development programmes. It inspires ambition and reinforces the values and standards that define Crestbridge FOS.

Why do you specialise in this area?

I have dedicated my career to supporting Jersey’s financial services sector. I worked for a Jersey money broking organisation, dealing in the sterling money markets. However, I realised that I wanted to broaden my career and professional experience, so began exploring new opportunities within finance.

The trust/private client sector immediately intrigued me. Helping high net worth individuals and their families address their complex wealth planning needs seemed an attractive next step due to the diverse technical and interpersonal skills the role demanded.

It may sound cliched to say that no two days are ever the same, but that really is the case. Pursuing this path has allowed me to meet and build strong, trusted relationships with a fascinating breadth of individuals and families, and to travel widely. Helping families navigate the complex issues of inter-generational wealth planning and assist in providing the certainty and peace of mind that we all crave, has been extremely rewarding.

What are the key trends shaping family office services at the moment?

Between rapidly shifting geopolitics and an accelerating technology landscape which is increasingly AI-focused, family office services are certainly being impacted. We are constantly looking at solutions to further enhance operational efficiency such as automated reporting, research, forecasting, and data security.

Cybersecurity is a growing concern. Recent high-profile cyber events show the disruption and costs associated with a hack, and more family offices are investing in more robust security infrastructure.

Selection of favourable and multiple jurisdictions are important trends, to optimise for tax, reporting and regulation.

Sustainable and impact investing is becoming more important in investment strategies, in particular with younger, nextgen family members, and as families consider their lasting legacies.

Family offices are also looking at outsourcing to manage costs and drive efficiencies, seeking service providers who can deliver administration, governance, secretarial, reporting and investment support.

What most excites you about family office services at the moment? 

In such a swiftly evolving landscape, there are many opportunities for businesses such as ours to provide family offices with additional services and support. Some of the key areas are governance advisory, helping families professionalise
and plan for succession, secretarial and administration support, and cross border structuring.

Our clients rightly expect us to be forward thinking, creative and solutions-driven. Technology is a powerful enabler of this and harnessing it to continue delivering ever more useful and value-adding services is a very exciting prospect.

What are your favourite ways to relax/switch off from work? 

I have always loved running, completing my first half marathon in my mid-twenties. I find it very therapeutic and a good way to switch off after a long day in the office. Running promotes clarity of thinking, and there have been many occasions when, during a long run, an idea or solution has come to me.

A few years ago, I trained for the Jersey marathon, which required similar traits to those needed for professional success, such as resilience, commitment and determination. Completing my first marathon in 3 hours 23 minutes showed what’s possible when an ambitious goal is approached with a clear focus and drive. Ever in pursuit of a balanced lifestyle, I also find a glass of good Bordeaux helps me to unwind!

Do you have a pet?

I have always had a cat in the house and presently have a six-year-old Bengal called Benji. Bengals are a hybrid breed created by crossing the Asian Leopard cat with domestic short haired breeds. I had thought with my two sons having left home our house might seem quiet, but Benji has ensured that is most definitely not the case. Bengals are characteristically active, curious and dog-like, and will play for hours if you are willing, and even if you aren’t! They are also reputed to be very noisy, with a loud and strident cry when things aren’t going their way, or if they want attention or feeding. I can personally confirm all of the above to be true!

What’s one book you think everyone should read?

One novel that has stuck with me is the Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. It is of course a very well-known and read novel, but I think its relevance and themes continue to resonate in today’s world.

This was first published by ePrivateclient in November 2025

One of four promotions within the client services team, Charlotte Williamson has been made an Associate Director. With over 15 years’ experience in private client and family office services, she has worked across multiple jurisdictions, administering a wide range of asset classes. Her current focus is on UK commercial and residential real estate, and working with Middle Eastern families.

Tallie Renouf has been promoted to Manager. Working across three large group structures for Middle Eastern family offices, Tallie acts as the primary contact point for family representatives. She was recognised as a NextGen Leader by eprivateclient in 2025.

Siobhán Troy becomes an Assistant Manager. Her role focuses on supporting Middle Eastern clients across a broad range of administrative and client-facing matters. Siobhán recently attained her Islamic Finance Qualification, further strengthening her technical expertise in this area.

Roxana Dumitrache is promoted to Administrator. She completed the Chartered Governance Institute (CGI) IFA Level 4 qualification.

Within the FOS client operations team, Georgiana Lombada also earns promotion to Administrator, having passed her CGI Level 4 Certificate last year.

These promotions recognise the individuals’ achievements and contribution over the past year, and reflect Crestbridge FOS’ ongoing commitment to nurturing talent and supporting professional development.

Extending his congratulations, Steve Le Seelleur, Managing Director, Crestbridge Family Office Services, said: “Delivering the highest possible levels of service demands the industry’s best people. This requires a firm commitment to supporting our team’s professional ambitions, and providing an environment in which colleagues can thrive. We are pleased to announce these latest promotions, which reinforce our growth ambitions as we enter 2026 with confidence and momentum.”

In this interview Heather Tibbo discusses her recent award win and gives insight into what it takes to build and sustain a high-performing team.

What was the way your colleagues made a difference?

Recruiting the right colleagues, from technical skillset and industry experience to attitude and cultural fit, has always been a foundational priority for our firm.

Independent and privately-owned, we are in the enviable position to ensure we take on new business only when we are fully and correctly resourced to deliver the high service levels our clients expect.

Leveraging our collective strengths and our shared service culture has helped us thrive in the Middle East. By providing considered, high-quality, flexible solutions to our clients across the region, our colleagues have consistently delivered against our commitment to service excellence.

Investing in our people has demonstrably paid dividends, both in the stability of our Middle East client base and our strong organic revenue growth.

How do you intend to remain on the front foot and continue to set a high standard?

Over the last year we have significantly strengthened our executive leadership team. We have also invested heavily in bespoke technology to support every stage of the client journey, as well as enhance our internal operations. These statements of purpose represent a commitment to our future, in which we believe certainty and peace of mind will be increasingly sought after by leading global families.

In a sector that grows ever more competitive and complex, our independence and privately-owned status, coupled with our cultural agility and flexibility, place us strongly in a position to meet clients’ emerging needs. In highly active and dynamic markets such as the Middle East, this differentiation will enable us to continue setting the industry benchmark.

In what ways were you able to deal with challenges and problems this time around? What lessons have you learned?

Our team have the experience to recognise that, whatever our commitment to preparation, process, and foresight, unforeseen challenges can occasionally emerge. However, when client relationships are built on authentic, long-standing trust, the process of openly and honestly addressing challenging situations becomes immeasurably easier.

Our growth has been driven by constantly nurturing these strong, long-term client relationships. In the Middle East, this approach reflects the region’s values, as families appreciate our understanding of local markets, their unique needs, and our international outlook.

An additional strategic priority that we believe has helped reinforce the strength of our client relationships is proactive investment in new systems, processes and platforms. This dynamic approach to delivering a well-executed and streamlined experience has further built client confidence.

Where do you see the wider wealth management sector going in the next five years?

Over the next five years, reputation and proven expertise will remain central as global uncertainty grows. The rise of intergenerational wealth transfer will shift decision-making to next-gen clients, whose global mobility and multi-jurisdictional outlook are reshaping expectations.

AI will further transform the sector through more intuitive, secure and digitised services, easing administrative demands but exceptional in-person service will continue to be the key differentiator.

This article was published on 9 December 2025 in Acclaim magazine – The WealthBriefing MENA Awards 2025.

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: “Throughout the events we have attended and actively participated in across the Middle East region recently, there has been a clear theme – this is a market where the family office landscape continues to evolve at pace. Trust professionals and the advisory community need to respond to this by understanding the complexity of the environment families operate in, adapting to ensure they have access to the right expertise and skill set, and being open to collaboration across their networks, so that they can instill resilience in their client strategies and enable them to navigate a safe course.

“I am pleased that Crestbridge has over a long period of time developed strong and lasting relationships with Middle East stakeholders and is fully engaged in these dynamics. We remain absolutely committed to enhancing our proposition for this strategically important market in the coming years.”

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.

Commenting on the event, Steve Sokić said: “Once again, this event brought together a world class line-up of private client legal and other advisors from around the world to reflect on the key drivers shaping the cross-border wealth landscape. It was a pleasure to hear from top-level speakers throughout the Forum, whilst I was also delighted to contribute to a session with Dean looking specifically at how the trust sectors in the US and offshore, including Jersey, have evolved over the past 25 years to offer today a good blend of optionality when it comes to international planning.”

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.

Commenting on the team expansion, Heather Tibbo, CEO, Crestbridge FOS, said: “2025 has been another busy year for us as a firm, during which we have focused on enhancing our service proposition for our global client base and expanding our team, against the backdrop of a complex and evolving landscape. With that in mind, I am pleased to welcome our new starters who will all play a role in supporting our ongoing growth strategy. As we look forward to 2026, we are in a strong position to move at pace in a fast-moving environment and provide the high-quality services families need.”

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.