Now in their second year, the People Awards recognise individuals who consistently demonstrate our core values of integrity, professionalism and agility. With nominations submitted by colleagues across the business, the awards reflect peer recognition of those who go above and beyond in their day-to-day roles.

Commenting on the awards, Chief Executive Officer, Heather Tibbo said: “Our People Awards highlight the behaviours and values that matter most to us as a business. The standard of nominations this year was exceptionally high, reflecting the commitment, care and professionalism shown across the organisation. Congratulations to all of our winners and runners-up, and thank you to everyone who contributes so positively to our culture and bsuiness.”

2025 award winners and runners-up

Integrity: winner Gavin Byrne, Manager and runner-up Vicky Edwards, Senior Manager, Compliance and Regulatory Risk

Professionalism: winner Kerry Carver, Finance Manager and runner-up Daniel Cavey, Senior Manager

Agility: winner Paul Sunley, Senior Accountant and runner-up Claudia Rattray, Senior Compliance Administrator

All recipients were recognised for their dedication, collaborative approach and consistent demonstration of our values. Together, they represent the standards we set for ourselves and the culture we continue to build across the business.

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.

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.”

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.”

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.

Commenting on Ashley’s appointment, Crestbridge Managing Director, Steve Le Seelleur, said: “Ashley’s appointment underlines our aim to attract experienced, senior industry leaders to our team, as we continue to grow as a business and, importantly, retain our focus on delivering top tier service to Ultra High Net Worth families. I’m really pleased to welcome someone of Ashley’s calibre to the team and look forward to working with him as we continue to evolve and enhance our range of solutions for global families of wealth.”

Ashley added: “Crestbridge has earned a fantastic reputation, both as a firm that stands out for its service delivery and for its ‘people culture’ and commitment to nurturing a highly experienced, driven team. Those two factors are inextricably linked and align with my own passion for working with and supporting teams where the focus is absolutely on quality and excellence. I’m looking forward to joining with my colleagues to ensure we continue to deliver outstanding service to our high-end portfolio of global clients.”

Jersey-based Stephanie is included in the ePrivateClient 2024 NextGen Leaders List, published today(9^th September). The list recognises and celebrates rising stars from across the private client landscape in the UK and Crown Dependencies.

In compiling the list, the publication considers a number of factors, including individual expertise and achievements over the past 12 months, career progression, feedback from colleagues, and the performance of their company.

Stephanie was also included in the eprivateclient 2024 NextGen Leaders Channel Islands List, published earlier this year.

Stephanie has over 11 years’ experience in dealing with complex and sensitive structures on behalf of global families. Working with both private wealth and corporate vehicles, she assists with the establishment and ongoing administration of a broad range of structures for UHNWIs in the Middle East. A mentor to other team members, Stephanie holds the STEP Diploma in International Trust Management.

Heather Tibbo, Chief Executive Officer of Crestbridge Family Office Services, said: “We are really proud of the focus we have as a firm on attracting and nurturing talent and providing an environment for our people to thrive, and that focus is reflected in the fact that our people have featured regularly in this list over recent years.

“As we continue to grow and evolve as an independent and privately owned business, the strength of our team will be pivotal in differentiating us in the market. With that in mind, I’m delighted that Stephanie has been recognised on the national stage. Her enthusiasm, collaborative approach and understanding of the importance of service quality makes her a great ambassador for Crestbridge Family Office Services.”

In that time he has worked with and helped manage a broad range of complex and multi-jurisdictional fiduciary structures for high net worth and ultra high net worth individuals, and has developed experience in the Middle East family office market.

In more recent years, he has become highly involved in supporting the philanthropic activities of clients, including managing multi-trustee structures.  Mr Hind is also a full member of STEP.

Why do you specialise in this area?

Having worked in fiduciary services for approaching three decades, I think there’s been a natural gravitation towards philanthropic structures as families have become more and more sophisticated and outward looking with their wealth. The ability to assist clients with their philanthropic structuring needs, help them develop and implement their purpose-driven strategies, and shape their conversations in this space is very rewarding.

Why is philanthropy so important to the industry?

You can look at this externally, and internally from a family’s perspective. Externally, clearly there is a real need for private capital to step up and support good causes. With public spending unable to keep up with the demand for funding of increasingly diverse societal and environmental charities, there’s both a necessity and an opportunity for private capital to play a big part.

Internally, there are clear benefits to a family pursuing a formal approach to philanthropy. In particular, in a world where the court of public opinion holds real sway and wealthy families are under intense scrutiny, there are reputational benefits for a family to engage in supporting charitable initiatives.

There are operational benefits too – implementing a philanthropic strategy can help reinforce key family values, which is really important in terms of family cohesion, and when it comes to communicating those values to the next generation. A philanthropic strategy can also provide a good ‘ringfenced’ channel for families to educate the nextgen – giving them a certain amount of autonomy but within clear parameters, philanthropy can create a training ground for the nextgen.

What are the key trends shaping philanthropy at the moment?

There’s a definite movement towards greater sophistication amongst families when it comes to implementing philanthropic strategies.

At a strategic level, the concept of ‘purpose’ is increasingly important when it comes to families considering how they can manage their wealth with a conscience. We are starting to see, for instance, roles such as Head of Philanthropy increasingly within family offices, and families are looking more and more at different types of philanthropic activity – differentiating between charitable giving, impact investing and seed investing, for instance. Families are also integrating philanthropy more with their wider wealth, business and investment activities.

In tandem, families are also becoming more focused on how their philanthropic endeavours are not just driven by the personal values of a patriarch or matriarch but are underpinned by shared family values. That’s crucial where complex, multigenerational families are displaying diverse viewpoints. Philanthropy can play a role in bringing family members together, which is vital in terms of succession planning.

Regulatory evolution – reporting, disclosure, ESG credentials and so on – is playing an increasingly important role too and navigating that often that means drawing on specialist outsourced support. Advisers have a duty to help families recognise what is important, supporting them in applying a more conscious approach in line with their governance framework, and providing guidance with measuring value – an increasingly important area of evolution.

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

I am a new convert to golf, so I spend many hours spoiling a good walk! I also enjoy reading historic novels and dining out with friends

What’s one book you think everyone should read? 

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. The novel provides historical insight into the French Revolution and features a fascinating cast of characters cleverly blending the themes of love, ambition endurance and sacrifice . It also includes two of the most famous Dickensian opening and closing lines.

If you couldn’t do your current role what would your dream job be? 

I have always been intrigued at being a palaeontologist – the challenge and painstaking work involved in excavating a fossilised dinosaur fascinates me.

This article was first published by ePrivateclient. 

Niki is promoted to Senior Manager. She has over 14 years’ experience in the finance industry, including private client, corporate services, performance and reward management and family office services. She has been involved in the implementation and administration of a variety of trust and wealth management structures for HNW individuals and UHNW individuals across multiple jurisdictions.  Niki has experience in administering a variety of asset classes including financial global asset portfolios, portfolios of artwork and antiquities and luxury assets, such as yachts and private jets. She holds an ICSA Diploma in Offshore Finance and Administration.

Stephanie, promoted to Assistant Manager, has over a decade’s experience in dealing with complex and sensitive structures, and works with both private wealth and corporate vehicles. Recently named in ePrivateclient’s list of Next Gen Leaders, Stephanie supports UHNW clients in a number of jurisdictions, including the Middle East, USA, and South America.

Juliano joined Crestbridge in 2021 as a Trainee Accountant, supporting the firm across a number of areas include bookkeeping, account preparation, and administration. We are pleased to announce his promotion to Accounts Preparer.

Managing Director Paul Hunter said ‘As our firm continues to grow, one of the great privileges of this role is to see talented members of the team fulfilling their potential. I am delighted for Niki, Stephanie, and Juliano on their achievements. On behalf of the team I wish them the very best of success as they continue on their professional journey.’

In line with the firm’s long-term aspirations, both Emma Sanford, Head of Human Resources, and Simon Logan, Head of Risk and Compliance, have joined the team in order to support its commitment to evolution.

Emma – who has over 20 years strategic and operational experience in Human Resources and Learning and Development across financial services, legal, e-commerce, and public sectors, including most recently in the fund, corporate and fiduciary service provider space – is leading Crestbridge FOS’ HR function. She is playing a pivotal role in implementing a strategy to support the growth of the firm and to reflect the people-focused values of the business.

With particular expertise in talent acquisition, learning and development, employee relations and developing high performing teams, Emma holds an MSc in Human Resources Management from London Southbank University, whilst she is also a verified assessor for occupational, ability and personality tests and holds a Change Management Foundation and Practitioner qualification.

Meanwhile, in his role, Simon focuses on ensuring the business is meeting its regulatory requirements, as well as evaluating the impact of legislative changes and their potential effects on clients and business operations, providing expert insight to colleagues on navigating regulatory matters, and acting as the main contact for the regulatory authorities.

Simon joined Crestbridge FOS having spent six years working within internal audit, followed by a decade in the Tax Office in Jersey, before he transitioned to the financial services sector. He then worked in compliance for a global banking and funds organisation, before taking on a role conducting examinations for the Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC).

Both Emma and Simon join the existing senior central services team at Crestbridge FOS, led by CEO Heather Tibbo, that also includes Karen Morris, Head of Finance, Ben Le Lay, Head of Information Technology, and Lesley Piner, Head of Business Development and Marketing.

The growth of Crestbridge FOS’ central team comes at a pivotal time for the firm, which marked its tenth anniversary last year and is now embarking on a new and ambitious growth journey as a fully independent and private business. Earlier this year, the business completed its move to new headquarters in Jersey.

Commenting on the growth of the team, Heather Tibbo said:

“We are continuing to build on the success we have achieved over the past decade and look to the future in this new era as an independent business. We remain absolutely committed to growth and evolving our market-leading proposition, with an ambition to cement our reputation as a major, people-focused player servicing the needs of global families. The strengthening of our central team is a fundamental part of that.

“Working in a collaborative, supportive, open and honest way has always been at the heart of our team ethic and I firmly believe that, with this central team now in place, we have a formidable amount of collective expertise, putting us in a strong position to approach the future with confidence, ready to adapt to and support the shifting needs of families.”

Crestbridge Family Office Services CEO Heather Tibbo has helped grow the business into one of the industry’s most innovative and successful firms. A lawyer by training, Heather has featured in ePrivateclient’s 50 Most Influential List for five consecutive years and has been the recipient of a number of other prestigious awards and accolades. We recently met in London to discuss the sector’s latest trends, and what the future has in store for this thriving and dynamic enterprise.

Tell me a bit about what’s been happening in the business over the last year or so.

It’s been an exciting and extremely busy year for us. In 2023 New York-based Fund Services firm Gen II agreed to purchase the Crestbridge institutional business. With the acquisition now complete our private client business Crestbridge Family Office Services has maintained its status as a privately owned and independent provider, and we have ambitious plans for how we can continue to grow, both in scale and reputation. We have also been celebrating our ten-year anniversary, and we recently moved to new offices in the heart of St Helier.

In early 2020 you also launched Crestbridge Fiduciary with leading US Fiduciary Services provider Willow Street. How are things progressing across the Atlantic?

One of the many benefits of our independence and private ownership is our ability to respond quickly to trends we identify in the marketplace. We were one of the first in our sector to recognise the growing importance of the US as a destination of choice for international families, and our vision and values were a strong fit with those of Willow Street. The venture has gone from strength to strength, and is greatly helped by Willow Street’s Wyoming location, which offers a number of valuable jurisdictional advantages to our clients. It is notable that, since establishing Crestbridge Fiduciary, a number of others in the private client sector have followed suit. We were also pleased to have recently appointed industry professional Darrell King as Managing Director, Americas, based in New York.

You are always quick to recognise and praise your team when you receive industry awards and other accolades. Tell us about your team, and its culture.

Everything we accomplish is a team effort. Regardless of who is being recognised or awarded I try never to lose sight of that. We also work hard to maintain a structure and organisational culture that allows everyone to feel heard, valued, and empowered. We are extremely aware of the fact that the only way we can continue delivering the high standard of service and support that our clients have come to expect is to first ensure that we are looking after one another, and working together towards common goals. Our business is ultimately the sum of its people, and I strongly encourage our leadership team to make the employee experience a top strategic priority.

As a Channel Islands business the pool of available talent is obviously finite. How do you approach recruitment, and ensure that the culture of the firm is preserved?

Finding good people is certainly something upon which we focus a lot of our attention. We have worked hard to create and preserve a collaborative, supportive culture within the firm so recruitment is as much about fit as it is about experience and technical skill. The firm continues to grow strongly, and we have also recently implemented some organisational changes following the sale of the Crestbridge institutional business.

These included the strengthening of our senior central services team who, by providing a more robust layer of managerial support, are enabling our leadership team to be more focused ‘on’ the business – our clients and client service– rather than ‘in’ the business – its day-to-day functional management. The new roles cover areas including Risk and Compliance, Human Resources, and IT, and have allowed us to bring in a huge amount of industry experience and new expertise, and position ourselves strongly to scale our business in the coming years.

Which markets remain attractive for your growth?  Are there any other regions you are looking to develop? 

A key focus for us has always been and remains the Middle East. We visit frequently and are extremely committed to the region. We started building our presence in the Middle East 11 years ago because a colleague had strong connections there. I’m a firm believer in the importance of a clear and distinct value proposition, and we don’t try to be all things to all people.

We also want to continue growing our US business, and we’re seeing increased interest from Asia too. Singapore has a well-supplied market on its doorstep, however, despite it growing in sophistication it’s still quite nascent as a jurisdiction. Clients in the region are often interested in diversification, and a different approach, so will often contact us.

Finally, given the importance of intermediaries to our business, and with so many based in London, this is always a market we pay close attention to.

A critical and closely related consideration in this area is retention, which is only possible by investing in the team, actively managing training and career progression, and creating new development opportunities. We make a point of encouraging senior colleagues to share their experience and insights with others in the firm, whether through coaching, mentoring or through more informal, ad-hoc methods.

What’s your perception of the younger generations coming through today, and what skills do they need to succeed in the industry?

We have some outstanding young talent in the business and already I see many of them emerging as strong leaders of the future. I think Covid has had a significant impact on

many younger people, as it interrupted their careers at a critical point of development. I think the work that we do has value in helping younger people develop confidence and good interpersonal skills by working face to face with people. However, I think that’s where working from home can present certain challenges. Not only are we a highly collaborative team by nature, but as a high-touch service business so much of what we do is underpinned by earning and nurturing a client’s trust over time. That can only happen by being present and working on developing the right skills and a high level of emotional intelligence.