INTERVIEW with Gavin Lief
Location: London
Current role: UK Managing Director
One word that best describes how you work: Collegiate
1. How would you describe Clermont?
It is first and foremost an international client focused trust and fiduciary group. Everything we do in Clermont is geared towards ensuring we exceed client expectations. We work collaboratively across all Clermont offices to bring together the right teams to deliver on each client project. We work hard to ensure all staff grow their careers and achieve their career goals with the group. We also make time to have some fun as a group and give back to our local communities and to contribute to the wellbeing of colleagues and people around us.
2. What is your UK service offering?
We are a UK corporate trustee and fiduciary service provider. Our suite of UK services broadly mirrors our extensive offshore offering to cater for the growing demand for onshore services by our clients. Services are dictated by client requirements and the structuring advice they receive from their professional advisors. We typically incorporate English companies for a variety of purposes including holding and trading activities. Domiciliary, secretarial and accounting services are provided to the companies. In some instances we accept Board positions. As a group we have a number of clients that have multi-jurisdictional structures and we manage the UK element of the business. As we operate a single client services platform we are able to work across group offices on cross border client structures to provide an efficient and seamless service.
3. What has been keeping you busy recently?
Over the past few months we have been assisting clients with registering their overseas entities that own UK property at Companies House. The registration deadline was 31 January 2023 and we worked with clients right up to the 11th hour to ensure their overseas entities complied with the legislation. We continue to register overseas entities that are in the process of acquiring property in the UK.
4. How do you see your next few years at Clermont develop?
We have a loyal longstanding group of clients and colleagues in the UK that form the foundation of the business. I look forward to working with them as well as new clients and colleagues coming on board to further grow our vibrant, professional and service orientated London office.
5. What do you see as an important message for Clermont clients?
Being a truly independent group allows us to ensure every decision we take is always with clients best interests in mind. We strive to always act rather than react.
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