2025 Jersey Financial Services Directors Conference

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Chris Usher (Chair)

Non-Executive Director at the School of International Financial Services

Chris is a Non-Executive Director and Expert-Trainer at the School of International Financial Services (SIFS), a leading provider of training and education in offshore financial services across 15 jurisdictions globally. He has over 25 years of experience in offshore financial services, having previously held senior wealth management roles at Barclays Wealth and Santander, where he advised private clients and corporates on complex global investment solutions and wealth structuring. Chris is currently also a Director at Cavenwell Group. With a deep understanding of geopolitical and economic dynamics, Chris helps clients navigate the changing international wealth structuring landscape and optimise tax efficiency. Chris has trained over 6,000 people in qualifications for the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments (CISI) in wealth management and is a well-regarded member of the Institute. He also serves on the committee of the Channel Islands Wealth Managers Association and is a member of the Institute of Directors.

James Pirie

Director, Recovery & Reorganisation at Grant Thornton 

James is a Director in the Recovery & Reorganisation team, based in Jersey. He is a Chartered Accountant, qualified Insolvency Practitioner and Certified Fraud Examiner and joined the Recovery & Reorganisation team in 2015.

James manages a diverse portfolio of cases including contentious insolvent liquidations, solvent restructurings, complex fund winding ups and forensic accounting investigations, regularly working with other Grant Thornton’s offices on cross border engagements. 

Niall Husbands

Client Director & Consultant at Altair Group

A qualified investment and banking professional, Niall joined Altair in 2024. He has extensive leadership and regulated board experience internationally, holding senior general management positions in wealth management and fiduciary services, and lead substantial wealth management businesses across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa for a global bank. Since 2012 he has been based in Jersey and specialised in fiduciary services, notably in the Funds and Private Wealth sectors.  

He specializes in corporate governance and strategy, and works with fiduciaries, family offices and funds (Private Equity and Sovereign Wealth) to help develop and implement effective governance and transactional processes, often being appointed to Boards or Family Committees. 

Niall's priority is on enabling his clients to focus on their core offering. He does this by providing clarity and perspective, helping identify operating frameworks to simplify processes. This typically results in cost efficiencies, and often a revenue opportunity. 

Lilit Yordanyan

Senior Manager, Business Risk Services at Grant Thornton 

Lilit joined Grant Thornton from one of the Big Four firms in Ireland, bringing over 20 years of international experience in business risk advisory, internal audit, SOC reporting, and business transformation a range of industries and international markets.

She has held senior positions within both Big Four firms and a global bank and spent more than a decade as Head of Internal Audit at a private bank and a multi-sector retail organization. Throughout her career, Lilit has led audit, advisory, and transformation projects, including building and restructuring internal audit functions and managing complex cross-border projects, and architecting risk and control frameworks.

She has advised boards, audit committees, and executive leadership on matters of risk and governance, providing strategic guidance to enhance oversight and accountability. Lilit also brings profound experience in regulatory engagement and has supported organizations in adapting to evolving compliance landscapes.

Kate Anderson

Partner at Collas Crill

Kate joined Collas Crill in April 2025. She specialises in guiding clients through the regulatory, structural and financing landscape involved in establishing, maintaining and reorganising group investment structures and vehicles. 

These structures range from fully regulated collective investment funds to large group arrangements and joint venture vehicles, primarily for ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW), entrepreneurial, and high-net-worth (HNW) clients.

Over the past 26 years, Kate has acted as a trusted advisor to UHNW and entrepreneurial clients. Her broad experience across regulatory, financial, and corporate law enables her to design bespoke structures that meet complex regulatory requirements.

Kate regularly advises on the establishment and operation of a wide variety of collective investment funds and other investment vehicles and has acted as a NED for funds and fund managers for 17 years. 

Alexandra Ruddy

Director at Oben & Chair of the Institute of Directors, Jersey

Alex is Chair of the Institute of Directors Jersey branch and sits on the Board of Governors of Victoria College and its preparatory school.

Alex is also a director at Oben Regulatory. Prior to the establishment of Oben, Alex spent most of her career in practice with two of the big four accountancy firms. Choosing to specialise in forensic accounting and regulatory consulting she held a senior position in Deloitte’s Reorganisation, Forensic and Regulatory Services department. Throughout this period, she worked closely with financial services businesses and their legal advisers in relation to financial irregularities, controls and governance matters. The broad spectrum of engagements undertaken included the appointment as reporting professional and co-signatories on the instruction of the JFSC, in addition to assisting law firms in respect of complex investigations such as fraudulently altered and incomplete records, or indeed in relation to matrimonial matters.

At Oben, Alex assists financial services businesses to find bespoke solutions to regulatory issues working closely with board members and key persons. She is well versed in assisting businesses strengthen their governance framework and control environment and presents a pragmatic approach to corporate governance issues. Alex has considerable experience with AML/CFT/CPF and sanctions issues, policies and procedures, fraud and asset-tracing and providing litigation support, including assisting her colleagues in the law firm with accounting matters. She also delivers effective training for a range of audiences from board to more bespoke training and also to employees in relation to the embedding of new controls.

Alex is regularly appointed to the role of reporting professional, inspector and skilled person by regulatory authorities in relation to trust company businesses, fund services businesses and insurance businesses. This often comprises the review of complex structures and opining on compliance with the relevant legal and regulatory regime. She has also assisted clients subject to enforcement action supporting Oben Law.

She regularly assists financial services businesses with designing remediation plans, undertaking remedial actions and is often instructed to perform validation exercises post remediation.

Dan Hare

Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Continuum

Dan is a global data authority, evangelist and speaker helping business people use code-free platforms to create business outcomes and automate the routine parts of their jobs.

He helps business leaders automate their routine but manual activities like Regulatory and financial reporting, Management Information, data quality remediation, migrations, reconciliations, HR reporting and data integration with their own business team, not overworked coders.

Dan is building a World-class team at Continuum delivering value to clients with platforms such as Alteryx, DataRobot, Tangent Works TIM and Power BI to deliver value and efficiency to any department or business, but particularly in Financial Services, Public Sector and the Office of Finance.

Arthur Bennett

Founder of UtendumAI

Arthur is the Founder of UtendumAI, a leading AI training platform helping organisations and professionals harness the power of artificial intelligence responsibly and productively. Through his work with international education bodies and government departments, Arthur has played a key role in guiding institutions through the adoption of AI, developing frameworks and training programmes to support ethical, effective, and sustainable AI integration.

Before founding UtendumAI, Arthur worked closely with a number of international education boards in navigating the opportunities and challenges presented by emerging AI technologies. His focus on accessibility and real-world application has positioned him as a trusted voice in AI education and digital transformation.

Arthur regularly speaks on the intersection of AI, innovation, and organisational strategy, with a particular emphasis on how financial services leaders can future-proof their operations and workforce in the age of intelligent automation. His mission through UtendumAI is to empower teams to move beyond theory and actively leverage AI tools to drive productivity, creativity, and long-term business value.

Grant Thornton

Platinum Sponsor

Grant Thornton Limited is a leading Channel Island practice with offices in Guernsey and Jersey with combined staffing strength of over 200 people. We are the Channel Island member of Grant Thornton International, one of the world's leading international organisations of independently owned and managed accounting and consulting firms.

Grant Thornton International is not a worldwide partnership. Services are delivered independently by the member firms and as a member firm within Grant Thornton International we have access to member and correspondent firms in over 140 countries, offering clients specialist local knowledge supported by international expertise and methodologies.

To view more information, please visit: www.grantthorntonci.com

Altair Group

Gold Sponsor

To view more information, please visit: www.altair.je

Akasha 

Bronze Sponsor

Akasha Consulting helps organizations unlock the full potential of their data through intelligent automation solutions, streamlined operations processes, and effective staff training. We partner with businesses of all sizes to design and implement human-centered data strategies using the tools and infrastructure that best suits your needs. Each solution is delivered with full transparency to all audiences across your organization, engaging technical teams, non-technical staff, and stakeholders alike. Our unique blend of deep technical expertise and down-to-earth, relatable communication style makes Akasha delivers results at every level.

 Educational Partners 

Institute of Directors (IoD) | Jersey Branch

IoD Jersey was founded in 1966 and has over 820 members from all sectors of the business community and is at the forefront of promoting business and ethical leadership in Jersey. It is presently chaired by Alex Ruddy with the support of the Branch Officer, Zoë Wauton and is comprised of the main committee and eleven sub-committees. IoD Jersey has a significant voice and lobbies government on behalf of its members. The Institute also sets the highest standards for corporate governance, through its professional training programmes.

For more information, please visit: www.iod.je

IoD members qualify for a 20% discount when registering to attend this event.