WE ARE GUERNSEY's Hong Kong Consultant Andy Robinson has been in his role for a few months now. Here, he introduces himself in more detail and tells us a little about what he has been up to so far.
I have been in Hong Kong for more than 25 years now. The past nine months have been spent going around (within Covid limitations of course) promoting Guernsey for the first time.
So this past year has been a real learning curve for me, seeing how Hong Kong responds and relates to Guernsey as a jurisdiction.
My general view so far is largely very favourable. Occasionally I hear comments indicating that Guernsey isn’t so easy to do business with as, say, the BVI, but there is also an acknowledgement that if this is the case, it is for sound reasons. Arguably it might be heard because there are many, many more BVI-qualified lawyers in Hong Kong than their Guernsey equivalents. But certainly the depth of Guernsey expertise is recognised.
It is however true that many in Hong Kong consider BVI to be a default jurisdiction. I continue to press for Guernsey to be considered a very good alternative.
Last month I got in front of the camera for the first time and presented a WE ARE GUERNSEY Hong Kong-focused webinar. I may have been a little nervous, but the process was actually quite smooth and not only were the viewing numbers quite impressive, but the follow-up meetings are being arranged.
Our next webinar is on 24 March, hosted by the Hong Kong Trustees Association and STEP, and sponsored by WE ARE GUERNSEY. We will be looking at China and the Greater Bay Area from a family office and wealth planning perspective, with a strong Guernsey angle and a couple of speakers with significant Guernsey experience.
In the past month I’ve had some good meetings with representatives of the HKTA and STEP, including its new Hong Kong chairperson, which is how the webinar sponsorship opportunity came about.
Finally, for now, thanks to Hubbis for enabling me to feature in a focus interview which went online at the end of the month. I’ve already promoted this, but if you haven’t yet seen it, you can read all about Guernsey, our financial services offering (and a bit about me) here.
