A global networking event has greatly increased world-wide understanding of the work of heir hunting company Finders and established a platform for its international growth plans.
The UK probate genealogy (often called heir hunting) firm travelled to Miami, USA, last week for the first Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) congress event. The inaugural congress brought together all of those firms and individuals interested in the world of family inheritance and succession planning from across the globe. Countries represented included the USA, the UK, Brazil, Colombia, Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand and South Africa.
A packed agenda over the two days of the conference on 6-7 November included highly topical international subject areas and specialised sessions from the STEP special interest groups.
Thought-provoking addresses included one given by Jonah Wittkamper, co-founder and global director of Nexus – a global movement of more than 2,000 young people from over 70 countries working to increase and improve philanthropy and impact investing by bridging communities of wealth and social entrepreneurship.
Finders chose to attend the event, to reflect its growing presence in the international world of heir hunting. Research by Finders into the families of people who have died intestate is increasingly taking the team all over the world.
Established in 1997 by current managing director Daniel Curran, Finders International have been extensively featured as a main firm on the popular BBC daytime programme Heir Hunters.
On average, it takes the firm only up to 24 hours to locate next of kin and the company has a success rate close to 100 percent. It holds £1.5 million in professional indemnity insurance and last year, it traced heirs and next of kin to more than 1,000 estates.
Networking opportunities over the two days of the Miami conference attracted significant interest in Finders’ services, which include missing heir location, missing will services, statutory will research, next of kin research, overseas bankruptcy search and more. Many of the organisations present were not aware of all of the services that Finders offers and what it is able to offer at a global level.
On behalf of Finders, deputy managing director Simonne Llewellyn, senior general manager Anette Nielsen and marketing head Natalie attended the event.
Natalie said: “It was an ideal opportunity for us to share thoughts, ideas and best practice. By spending time with delegates, we have been able to grasp a much deeper understanding of the needs of both client lawyers and those in the financial industry, and how different countries approach and respond to intestacy situations.”
Managing Director Daniel Curran added: “Global demand for UK services and expertise has increased significantly in recent years, both in traditional markets such as the UK and Europe, but also in other markets and high-growth economies such as India and Russia. Finders wants to be in a position to take advantage of this growth and expansion, as we feel there has never been a better time to grow our international business.
“Expansion can only come about through awareness and the two-day STEP global congress event provided us with the ideal opportunity to show case what Finders can do.”
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