That’s Jersey, which I’m referring to, not Imperium, although you may have just caught a glimpse of the Imperium office in shots of St Helier. What great PR for Jersey to be on a prime-time show, even if last week’s episode focused on negotiating for local delicacies rather than sharing Jersey’s story as a leading international finance centre.

The Imperium story is just beginning in Jersey, but similar to the lessons learnt in the Apprentice episode, relationships and reputation are at the heart of success.

Relationships are key to Private Wealth. Out of all the sectors in financial services, Private Wealth is all about people. We are dealing with money and transactions but also human beings and their lives. On our side, it is vitally important that we have the right people and the best expertise to allow us to build trust with our clients.

Jersey has more than 60 years of experience in delivering Private Wealth management with £1.14tn of capital administered by the sector, supported by £126bn of global GDP via Global Value Chains*.

With roots traced back to the 11th century when crusading English knights left their estates in the care of trusted friends for safekeeping pending their return, the modern-day trust is a highly flexible vehicle offering many potential benefits and uses.

The island’s innovative foundations law has led to the growth of Jersey Foundations. This structure is attractive because of its infinite duration, capacity, and clear and transparent registration with the Jersey Finance Services Commission. As a jurisdiction, Jersey has established more than 400 Foundations since the structure was launched in 2009. Foundations can be used as alternatives to Trusts or in combination with them and are often utilised by clients who reside in traditionally civil law jurisdictions.

The breadth and agility of Jersey’s structures undoubtedly play to Imperium’s advantage and provides an enviable reputation; we have the foundation of a well-regulated jurisdiction which has become the envy of many.

Jersey continues to see market consolidation, as with our sister island, Guernsey, we see demand for independent financial service providers increasing. Private Equity and international bank backed firms have undertaken much of this market consolidation, diminishing the choice that clients and their advisers now have.

Imperium remains one of the few truly independent providers in both Channel Islands, wholly owned by executive management, with no affiliation to a banking organisation, a legal practice, or an investment institution, resulting in our service being impartial.

This circles back to relationships and the benefits of our ownership structure, providing clients the opportunity to build long-term relationships with our team, with whom they have direct access and who have the autonomy to make decisions.

As the Apprentice candidates visited our shores looking for success and opportunity, Jersey remains a very well-positioned jurisdiction with a sense of optimism and certainly, from our perspective, a healthy appetite for growth as we progress into 2024. However, thankfully, it is not Sir Alan Sugar that I’m facing in the boardroom.

*Data source Jersey Finance