Green and sustainable credentials on show

First up is June’s sustainable finance week, which will be a hybrid conference – mixing physical and online activity.

The main events are being held at St Pierre Park Hotel next weekJune. It is planned to feature live broadcasts and panels from London, New York, Zurich and Geneva.

There will also be a string of fringe events locally through the week discussing the role of finance in taking on climate change as well as supporting positive societal and governance objectives. The overall conference is being held in association with the UN’s Finance Centres for Sustainability, underlining heavyweight interest in it.

‘You’re going to see a very slick and polished production,’ said Rupert Pleasant, chief executive of Guernsey Finance. ‘We’re really looking forward to that. It will be a real showcase for Guernsey’s green and sustainable credentials.’

Later in the year, Guernsey Finance is scheduled to hold the Guernsey private wealth forum in London in October, with 200 attendees and a high-profile guest speaker. In November, the Guernsey funds forum is being held in London, with 6-700 people expected. Both will be hybrid events, so will be broadcast online as well.

The agency is also prepared, taking learning from work during the pandemic, to switch back to digital and online activity if needed.

Mr Pleasant said he took his hat off to his team for the ‘astounding job’ they did in getting online and onto webinars so quickly and with quality content during that time – and ahead of competitors.

‘We saw our figures to start with absolutely rocket. The first one we did was the funds forum. At the physical event we get 600 people attending. Our first online funds forum, we had more than 1,000 people attending. So instead of delegates from seven countries we had delegates from 35 countries. We had a 60% uptake on off-island delegates. So, we really saw the absolute benefit of digital, which was fantastic. However, the bubble has burst a little bit now.

‘What we’ve all missed, and talking to industry and talking to friends, colleagues, is networking. It is getting back and networking again,’ he added.

Other scheduled events which Guernsey Finance is planning to sponsor and exhibit at include Singapore and Berlin as well as online events.

• Guernsey Finance has expressed confidence that additional funding to support its work will be agreed with the States at the end of quarter two of this year. Agency chief executive Rupert Pleasant said constructive dialogue was ongoing with the Policy & Resources and Economic Development committees. A three-year deal was in the offing, allowing the agency to strengthen its research work alongside getting the message about Guernsey being a great place to do business out there globally even more, plus business development.