LESSONS learned from a lifetime in banking will be on the agenda for the Finders heir hunting team today, attending day one of the first Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Global Congress in Miami.
The Finders team, is the only UK firm of its kind to attend this event, will bring together companies and individuals from all over the world with an interest in succession planning. The event takes place 6-7 November at the Mandarin Oriental in Miami.
The topical programme for the two days includes supranational initiatives, long-term demographics of the trust and estates world, the harmony and dis-harmony of private international law, and decision making and risk in private wealth.
STEP is the world-wide professional association for practitioners dealing with family inheritance and succession planning. It has more than 19,000 members across 95 countries from a range of professions, including lawyers, accountants and other specialists.
Members all help families plan for their futures – from drafting a will to advising family businesses, to helping international families and protecting vulnerable family members.
John G. Taft, the CEO of RBC Wealth Management (the seventh largest full service retail brokerage firm in the US) will be delivering the keynote speech on day one of the STEP conference. John will be expounding the lessons he has learned after a lifetime in banking, as well as the principles of good stewardship.
Geoffrey Robertson QC, Doughty Street Chambers, UK, is the keynote speaker for day two. His address will look at privacy and who guards its guardians. He will be tackling the subject of why every human rights convention proclaims the need to protect privacy and if there is justification for the leaks of government secrets by Julian Assange and Edward Snowden.
Finders’ deputy managing director Simonne Llewellyn, senior general manager Anette Nielsen and marketing consultant Natalie Page are all in Miami for the two days of the event. Finders is one of the best known firms of international probate genealogists (now more commonly known as heir hunters).
In recent years, Finders work has increasingly incorporated world-wide searches for the rightful heirs to an estate. Finders uses a network of trusted partners all over the world to find beneficiaries, but the need for new partners was the main motivation behind Finders’ decision to attend.
Simonne said: “We are going to be spoiled for choice at the STEP event, as there are so many worthwhile and interesting speakers and workshops to attend.
“I am also looking forward to networking with so many people, sharing with them the knowledge of the work that Finders does and offering opportunities for collaborative work.
“As part of the package, we also get a free copy of Developing a Global Agenda: Expert Insight From the Inaugural STEP Global Congress, which is worth more than $140. The book explores the key themes from the event – such as the challenges and opportunities brought by technology and the changing global demographic. This will be a useful resource for years to come.”
Talking about the benefits of attending the event, Hélène Anne Lewis, Chair of STEP Worldwide, said: “This event offers an opportunity for all STEP members from all 80 jurisdictions and all 105 branches and chapters to connect, share ideas and enlarge personal networks.
“[The event] will offer superior technical learning in an environment geared towards productive and highly valuable networking opportunities for members across jurisdictions.”
