First Names Group makes senior appointments across four jurisdictions

Tuesday 08 May 2018

First Names Group is pleased to announce the recent appointment of four client service directors to its offices in Guernsey, Jersey, Singapore and Switzerland.

To its Private Client service line, First Names Group has appointed Carola Zoni in Guernsey, Mike Pownall in Jerseyand Sean Breslin in Geneva.

Ms Zoni has 18 years’ experience administering corporate and private wealth structures for clients around the world. Prior to joining First Names Group, she developed her career with a global trust and corporate services provider, where she progressed from trainee administrator to director of private wealth and corporate services.

With over 30 years in the industry, Mr Pownall is a seasoned finance professional who began his career in client account management for a leading British bank before moving into fiduciary services and gaining experience in both bank-owned and independent trust companies. Before First Names Group, he was director of a private trust company in Jersey.

Mr Breslin has worked in the fiduciary sector in Switzerland for 15 years and has considerable experience managing teams administering trust structures for the UK, non-resident Indian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and South African markets. He has achieved the Swiss Advanced Certificate in Trust Management (SACTM), a Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) diploma, as well as a BA in Finance and Business Law from the University of Stirling in Scotland. 

Meanwhile, adding to the Group’s Corporate service line is Mary Arokia in Singapore.

She has a decade of experience in the finance industry including legal, corporate secretarial and fiduciary services roles. She has handled diverse portfolios of international corporate and private clients as well as leading on a number of corporate transformation projects for a global financial services organisation.

These appointments all follow the announcement made at the end of 2017 regarding the planned acquisition of First Names Group by SGG Group, which currently remains subject to regulatory approval.

Mark Pesco, First Names Group’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “These senior appointments serve to support our continued organic growth and ever-strengthening international presence as we head towards our integration with SGG Group. This is a very exciting time to be joining the business as I believe our combined Group will become a significant global player in the provision of administration services to ultra-high-net-worth families, corporates and fund clients across the world.

“All four of our new recruits are very experienced, skilled and well qualified, and each with their own individual strengths and expertise. I am delighted to welcome Sean, Carola, Mike and Mary on board and look forward to seeing how they help drive our future success.”