Guernsey ends its London break with Kitcat
Guernsey Finance, the promotional body for the island’s financial services sector, has appointed a London representative to give it a permanent presence in the UK’s capital. Jo Kitcat will promote awareness of Guernsey’s finance offering, educate and connect London professionals with Guernsey practitioners, it said.
He will also be responsible for expanding Guernsey’s range of activities in the City and throughout the UK by identifying opportunities for Guernsey financial services businesses. According to Guernsey Finance, Kitcat will focus on marketing Guernsey as a jurisdiction for investment funds, private wealth and insurance, as well as hosting third-party events and face-to-face meetings.
Kitcat has 20 years’ experience in financial services, primarily in business development roles and has worked in the UK, Switzerland, USA and Asia. He was previously a principal at Victoria Lion Partners, a boutique private assets, alternatives, and specialist long-only asset capacity fulfilment company. Before that, he spent 13 years with BNY Mellon, where he was a managing director.
Guernsey Finance, which operates under the WE ARE GUERNSEY brand, established a presence in London in 2018, but it lapsed during the pandemic.
“We always had plans to fill this role again, but with so much taking place online during the pandemic, it made sense to wait until life was beginning to get back to normal so that we could fully utilise the face-to-face element of business development, so now is the right time,” explained WE ARE GUERNSEY chief executive Rupert Pleasant.
“Jo has great experience in business development across several markets, and we look forward to his contribution sharing the story of Guernsey’s world-class financial services industry, particularly in a key market such as London.”
Kitcat said: “I am very excited to become part of the WE ARE GUERNSEY team and look forward to representing the agency in the UK,” Jo said. “Guernsey is quite clearly a leading financial centre, and I am delighted to be involved in helping to continue building relationships. If people are visiting, please do make contact if there is anything I can do to help.”