Peter Deacon has been appointed Guernsey's first Finance Sector Concierge. Businesses considering the island will be able to reach government, the regulator and Guernsey's promotional agencies through a single point of contact.
The post was created on a key recommendation of the island's Finance Sector Growth Strategy 2035, published in March, and filled after an open and competitive selection process. Mr Deacon reports to the States of Guernsey, the role forming part of the Committee for Economic Development's work on the finance sector. It will work in partnership with Guernsey Finance, Locate Guernsey and the Guernsey Financial Services Commission, and with the island's professional firms.
Businesses choosing where to base themselves often decide early, and on limited information. The concierge is a point of contact for those looking at Guernsey without an established connection to the island, and works alongside local firms and the agencies where a relationship is already in place.
That includes fund managers and their promoters, family offices, and private wealth and fiduciary businesses, together with the advisers who act for them. It also includes founders in digital finance, an area the Strategy identifies for growth. The intention is that an enquirer can deal with the Bailiwick's finance sector as a whole at the outset, and hear a consistent account of Guernsey wherever the conversation begins.
Much of the work will be practical: helping prospective businesses and their advisers to understand what will be required of them, from legal and regulatory matters to immigration and employment permits. Where individuals and families are relocating, that work is done alongside Locate Guernsey.
The concierge's task is to bring prospects to the island's law firms, fiduciaries, administrators and managers earlier in their thinking, and better prepared. How enquiries and introductions are handled will be developed with industry over the first year.
Peter Deacon has spent close to thirty years at the junction of people, policy, capital and technology, and has had a personal and professional connection with the Bailiwick from an early age. He was a vice president at J.P. Morgan in Hong Kong, and co-founded Bloom & Grow Group, a consumer and digital business operating in seven countries. More recently he has advised boards and founders on capital, digital platforms and the governance of artificial intelligence in financial services.
The concierge can be contacted by emailing [email protected].
Deputy Rhona Humphreys, Finance Sector Lead for the Committee for Economic Development, said: "This appointment is an important step in delivering the ambitions set out in the Finance Sector Growth Strategy 2035. We welcome the fresh approach that this role brings, creating a clear and accessible route for businesses, investors and advisers who are considering Guernsey. By providing a single point of contact and helping firms navigate the practical, regulatory and commercial aspects of establishing themselves here, we can make it easier for them to access our market and understand the opportunities available. This approach also supports our efforts to encourage greater collaboration within the sector, helping to broaden international business opportunities and strengthen Guernsey's position as a competitive and forward-looking finance centre."
Peter Deacon said: "Guernsey is committed to a serious growth strategy, and much of the groundwork is done. Winning new business is the work of the island's firms and its promotional agencies. What I add sits on the public side of it: making sure the right conversations happen in the right order, and that a business arriving here is prepared for what will be asked of it. A business moving jurisdiction is choosing a place to be for the long term, and people it expects still to be dealing with in ten years. I am looking forward to spending time with industry, on island and in London, over the coming months."
Alice Joy, Director of External Affairs at the Guernsey Financial Services Commission, said: "The best conversations about regulation often happen before an application is written in stone. With his broad mix of commercial, digital and policy experience, Peter as concierge can help businesses understand Guernsey earlier and arrive at the Commission with well-formed plans and realistic expectations. That is good for them, good for the Bailiwick and good for sound regulation."
Barnaby Molloy, Chief Executive of Guernsey Finance, said: "Peter's appointment is a clear signal that we are working together to advance Guernsey's growth strategy from ambition to delivery. He will be an excellent first point of contact for businesses looking to explore Guernsey and will provide quicker connections to the right people, firms and resources, which is vital in a competitive international landscape. Guernsey Finance is looking forward to working with Peter to bring new business to the island."
