Praxis Fiduciaries Limited

Jim Gilligan FCIB, TEP
Non-executive Chairman, The Praxis Group

An ex-President of the Guernsey Centre of the Chartered Institute of Bankers Jim has over 32 years’ experience in the offshore finance industry. He is a non executive director of Kleinwort Benson (Channel Islands) Holdings Limited following his recent retirement from the Kleinwort Benson Group, where he was, at various times, responsible for the Guernsey fiduciary services, CI/UK business development and CI/UK private wealth management businesses. He was also Managing Director in Guernsey until his recent retirement.

In addition to his Group directorship, Jim is a director of a substantial captive insurance company, and a number of fund companies. He is also Chairman of GuernseyFinance.

Jim is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (Trustee Diploma) and a member of The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

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	Simon Thornton BA PhD ACA Managing Director, The Praxis Group Contact: simon.thornton@praxisgroup.com
Simon is resident in Guernsey. After completing his PhD in retailing at Nottingham University, Simon joined PKF in 1992. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with the firm in 1994, winning the prize for the highest scoring Channel Islands student in his final exams. Until recently Simon was the offshore representative to the Board of PKF (UK) LLP and a member of the Technical Sub-Committee of the Guernsey Society of Chartered and Certified Accountants. Since joining the firm he has been involved in many aspects of the offshore financial services sector, including trusts, open and closed-ended funds and regulated financial services businesses. Simon has served as a director of companies quoted on the Channel Islands Stock Exchange, Euronext and on AIM in London. He is also a director of several Guernsey companies, including a large private property company and the Guernsey Housing Association LBG. In this capacity, he has been responsible for managing many corporate and property transactions. Simon is a non-executive director of Sandpiper CI.

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	Robert Fearis FCCA ,TEP Managing Director, Praxis Fiduciaries Limited Contact: robert.fearis@praxisgroup.com Tel: +44 (0) 1481 737602
Robert came to Guernsey as a child and was educated at Elizabeth College. After serving for ten years in the Royal Marines, he returned to Guernsey in 1990 and joined PKF (Guernsey) Limited in 1992. Robert qualified as a Chartered Certified Accountant with the firm in 1996. He was appointed Manager of the trust department in 1995 and appointed to the board of directors of Praxis Fiduciaries Limited in 1997. Robert is also a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. Since joining the Praxis Group he has been involved in many aspects of the offshore financial services sector, including a wide variety of structures for private and corporate clients and regulated financial services businesses. Robert is currently on the board of two subsidiaries of a major French investment bank which act as issuers of a variety of financial instruments quoted on stock exchanges around the world. He is also a director of several companies involved in private equity investment, hedge fund investment and various property transactions. In his spare time, Robert enjoys playing golf and riding his horses.

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	David Hearse BSc Deputy Managing Director Contact: david.hearse@praxisgroup.com Tel: +44 (0) 1481 737679
Born in Guernsey and educated both locally and at Plymouth Polytechnic, David returned to the island in 1983 and joined Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co which evolved into KPMG. After a short spell in the Audit Banking Department, David moved to Trust & Company Audit where he gained valuable experience in the operation of such structures. David transferred to the Fiduciary Services Department of KPMG (Orbis Group) in 1987 and became a director of the Orbis Group in 1997. Following the acquisition of the Orbis Group by Kleinwort Benson in 2000, David was appointed Deputy Head of Corporate Fiduciary Services where he had overall responsibility for the CI employment service teams, the alternative corporate products team and the custodian trusteeship team. Following internal restructuring he took on responsibility for a number of high net worth clients with complex trust structures, as well as assuming control over the financial and non-financial affairs of a large private client. David joined the Praxis Group as a Client Engagement Director in November 2007 and was appointed Deputy Managing Director in in May 2010. Outside of work David has a love of sport and has represented Guernsey at football, cricket and badminton. He is currently the senior island cricket manager, a post he has held for 5 years. David is married with two children. His other interests include gardening, reading and relaxing beach holidays.

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	David Piesing FCIS Director - Head of Wealth Structuring Contact: david.piesing@praxisgroup.com Tel: +44 (0) 1481 737601
Educated locally, David has always resided in Guernsey except for two years spent working abroad in the mid-1980s. He began his career in the offshore finance industry in 1981 and after gaining experience with international accountancy firms and trust companies locally, he joined the corporate services operation of a leading Cayman Islands law firm in 1985. David completed his qualification as a Chartered Secretary in 1986 and returned to Guernsey in 1987, having also worked for several months with an international fiduciary services group in Hong Kong. He founded the offshore recruitment company OSA in 1987 before returning to the trust business in 1989 when he co-founded a private trust group in which a controlling interest was sold to a merchant bank in 1990. David became a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in January 1997. David joined the Praxis Group in 1994. He is a Client Engagement Director and specialises in the establishment and ongoing administration of offshore fiduciary structures for private and corporate clients. He has also been responsible for the Group’s new business function since 1995. Over a period of twenty-five years, David has gained wide exposure to property funds, complex property investment and development structures, hedge funds, private equity funds, carried interest structures and employee share schemes, as well as to all aspects of private client work. Away from professional life, David is extensively involved in cricket administration and has been the Chairman of the Guernsey Cricket Board since 2004.

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	Steve Cliff BSc FCA ATII Client Relationship Director Contact: steve.cliff@praxisgroup.com Tel: +44 (0) 1481 737606
Steve is resident in Guernsey. After completing a degree in Statistics and Economics at Leeds University he joined an accountancy firm in London where he qualified as a member of the Chartered Institute of Tax and subsequently as a Chartered Accountant of the England & Wales Institute, of which he is now a Fellow. In 1994 Steve took up a post with a major fiduciary business in Hong Kong where he was a General Manager for four years, gaining exposure to a wide range of global corporate and individual clients. He then spent a further four years with Abacus in the Isle of Man where he was responsible for its early fund business as well as trust and company administration and business development for the fiduciary firm. Steve joined the Praxis Group in 2001. He is an Engagement Director with responsibility for a varied portfolio of clients and specialises in establishing and overseeing the administration of offshore fiduciary structures. A significant number of Steve’s clients are involved in property development, private equity funds, hedge funds and employee reward and share schemes.

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	Jeff Wilkes-Green Cert Ed TEP FCCA Client Relationship Director Contact: jeff.wilkes-green@praxisgroup.com Tel: +44 (0) 1481 737619
Jeff is a native of Guernsey. Educated at Elizabeth College and Birmingham University, Jeff taught Mathematics and P.E. in Jersey for twelve years, including a year as an exchange teacher in Australia. He then retrained as an accountant working firstly for PKF, then in the Audit Department of Deloitte Haskins and Sells. Jeff returned to Guernsey in 1990 and three years later joined Abacus where he led a corporate service pensions team. Other roles included managing the business operations and the internal accounting function. He was the Money Laundering Reporting Officer and from 1998 was a Client Services Director. Jeff is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, a committee member of the Guernsey Association of Trustees and served for three years as President of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants Channel Islands District Society. Jeff joined the Praxis Group in March 2004. He is a Client Engagement Director and has considerable experience in managing a varied client base across the United Kingdom, North America and Northern Europe. He is married with three boys and his leisure interests include boating, rugby union and supporting his childrens’ sporting activities.

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	David Evans ATII, ATT Associate Director Contact: david.evans@praxisgroup.com Tel: +44 (0) 774 067 6767
Born in South Wales, David moved to London where, in 1989, he began his career in finance with the accountancy firm Wilder Coe. He became a member of the Association of Taxation Technicians and qualified as an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Taxation in July 1993 before moving to Hereward Phillips (now Smith & Williamson). In 1998 David joined Deloitte & Touche in London as Senior Manager, in the Private Clients Department, advising high net worth individuals, owner-managed companies and non-domiciled clients. He went on to pass The Chartered Insurance Institute exams to obtain the Financial Planning Certificate. David was appointed as an Associate Director of the Praxis Group in 2001 bringing with him considerable tax expertise. He acts as the Group’s primary business development contact with UK-based professional advisors. Married with five children, David is an ex-rugby player and keen coach of his local junior team. When time permits he also plays golf and enjoys both following and playing football.

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	Fritha Beck BSc (Hons) FCCA Managing Director, PraxisFiduciaries (Switzerland) SA Contact: fritha.beck@praxisgroup.ch
Fritha joined the Praxis Group in Guernsey in 1999 after gaining a BSc (Hons) degree in Health Sciences at Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh. She qualified as an Associate of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and became a team leader in 2002. In 2004 Fritha returned briefly to the UK where she worked for a small property development and investment company before returning to Praxis in 2006 on a contract basis dealing with projects. She rejoined the company on a permanent basis as a Client Relationship Manager later that year working with the Property Investment Team. In 2008 Fritha relocated to Geneva to open the Group's Swiss office, PraxisFiduciaries (Switzerland) SA. Fritha is now a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and in her spare time she plays hockey and tennis and enjoys swimming and reading.

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John Bradley BA (Hons) FCA CTA
Consultant

Contact: john.bradley@praxisgroup.com Tel: +44 (0) 1481 737668

John joined Pannell Kerr Forster, part of the Praxis Group, in 1996 bringing with him considerable experience in personal and offshore taxation gained during his time as a Tax Manager with Coopers & Lybrand in Jersey. Appointed as Director of PKF (Guernsey) Limited in 1997, John is responsible for the taxation services of the company. Previously John qualified as an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Taxation with Arthur Andersen in Leeds, following offshore experience as a senior accountant with Coopers & Lybrand in Grand Cayman BWI.

Earlier in his career, John qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Spicer and Pegler in Manchester in 1985 after graduating with a BA (Hons) in Economics and Accounting from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne.

John's portfolio of clients includes a number of offshore companies holding a diverse range of commercial properties including warehouses, residential and mixed use properties in the UK and Europe. A further core part of John's client portfolio consists of structures for UK resident foreign domiciled individuals. John's UK tax experience helps to bring careful oversight to what are often highly complex tax mitigation structures.

John is married to Caroline and has three children. His leisure interests include cycling and swimming.

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	Allister Cleal Dip (ITM) TEP Senior Client Relationship Manager Contact: allister.cleal@praxisgroup.com Tel: +44 (0) 1481 737614
Allister joined the Praxis Group in 1996 having worked in the fiduciary services industry in Guernsey for five years. He currently manages the Trust Department and is the Relationship Manager for a portfolio of clients. Allister qualified as a Trust and Estate Practitioner in 2003 and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

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	Anna Rhydwen-Jones Dip Law BSc (Hons) Senior Client Relationship Manager Contact: anna.rhydwen-jones@praxisgroup.com Tel: +44 (0) 1481 737630
Anna joined Praxis in 2003. Graduating from Sheffield University with a degree in Food Chemistry and Marketing she spent two years working for a major UK food retailer before moving to Guernsey 1994. Anna has worked as a project analyst and legal and compliance officer for major offshore life assurance and trust operations. She gained a post graduate diploma in law from Nottingham Law School in 2005 and currently manages the in-house legal and technical department providing internal support on a wide range of trust and company matters. Anna is also a Senior Client Relationship Manager for a variety of trust and company structures.

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	Rebecca Honey ACIS Client Relationship Manager Contact: rebecca.honey@praxisgroup.com
Rebecca was born in Guernsey and educated locally. She began her career in the offshore financial services industry in 1998 with Orbis Management Limited, the fiduciary arm of KPMG, which was acquired by Kleinwort Benson in September 2000. Whilst with Kleinwort Benson Rebecca was responsible for the administration of a diverse portfolio of complex trust and company structures for both corporate and private clients. She qualified as a graduate member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in 2002 and was admitted as an Associate of the Institute in 2005. Rebecca joined the Praxis Group in January 2008 as an Assistant Trust Manager in the private fiduciary sector. She currently works as a Client Relationship Manager specialising in property investment. Rebecca is married and outside of work she enjoys undertaking house renovations, collecting Swarovski crystal, reading, cooking and swimming.

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Mandy Connolly CTA
Tax Manager

Contact: mandy.connolly@praxisgroup.com Tel: +44 (0) 1481 737696

Originally from London, Mandy qualified as a Chartered Tax Advisor in 1991, having trained with Moore Stephens. She subsequently gained experience at Smith & Williamson in their Private Client and Trust department and moved to Guernsey in 2000.

Mandy joined Praxis Fiduciaries Limited in November 2001 and is now a tax manager, dealing primarily with UK tax issues in connection with offshore trust and company structures.

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