Andy joined HSBC Private Bank in 2004 to head up the Investment Advisory desk in Guernsey. He has gained significant investment experience having previously been a Discretionary Investment Manager for 10 years at a local stockbrokers and another international private bank in Guernsey. Prior to this he has worked in the UK and Jersey carrying out a range of duties from cashiering to foreign exchange trading. He is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.

When: Tuesday 14th May 2013 (Registration and breakfast from 7:30am)
Where: Wentworth Suite, Mount Murray Golf Club, Santon
Booking form: JCC Event – Investment Outlook – 14th May 2013

The Isle of Man’s position in the global economy is set to be questioned in a topical debate. The Three Feet Debate will propose the motion that “This house believes that in this economic climate the Isle of Man is not sufficiently global in its outlook to stand on its own three feet”.

An impressive line-up of speakers will join ILS Chief Executive Officer Chris Eaton, who will chair the debate. The proposing team will include Courtenay Heading, Inward Investment Advisor – Technologies at Isle of Man Government, and Greg Jones, Tax Partner at KPMG. Those opposing the motion are John Spellman, Director of Financial Services at Isle of Man Government, and Phillip Dearden, Director at PKF.

The proposing team will address the traditional over-reliance on the UK market, including FATCA, how there are no work permits in cyber-space and how it’s survival of the cheapest in a 24-hour world. The opposing team will argue the Island’s global outlook with two out of three deposits coming from non-UK, the Isle of Man’s relationship with the UK, the need to consider wider markets given the changing patterns of wealth creation and demographics and how the nature of business is changing so it is our businesses that need to evolve.

Contribution from the floor will be encouraged during the debate and ILS would welcome the opinions of the Isle of Man community prior to the debate through its discussion pages on LinkedIn and its poll on The ILS Group Facebook page

Our thanks go to ILS Fiduciaries for their continuing support and generous sponsorship of this event and for all they have done for the Isle of Man Junior Chamber of Commerce in past years.

When: Wednesday 17 April 2013 (Registration and buffet from 17:30)
Where: The Cushag Suite, Palace Hotel, Douglas
Booking form: JCC Event – Three Feet Debate 2013 – 17th April 2013

The Junior Chamber of Commerce (JCC IOM) are holding their flagship annual Budget Breakfast on the 20th February, sponsored by HSBC.

Now an annual tradition and one of the best attended business events of the year, the Hon. Treasury Minister Eddie Teare MHK will address over 220 JCC IOM members and guests, followed by a question and answer session.

JCC IOM Chairman Chris Darnill commented: “There can be little doubt that the Isle of Man will continue to face a difficult time over the year ahead and we are grateful to the Treasury Minister for finding time in his schedule to a

ddress local business people at this unique event. In view of the importance of the 2013 budget and the measures it will introduce, this event will attract much interest and early bookings are recommended.”

Venue: Viscount Suite, Mount Murray Hotel
Date & Time: Wed 20nd February – breakfast from 7-15am, presentation start 8am
Food/Drink: Full English Breakfast (inc toast, fruit, cereal, tea, coffee & juice)
Individual Cost: Members £10, Non-members £15

Event Flyer and Booking Form for this event

“Over 100 of our members enjoyed a gourmet Christmas buffet prepared by Tickethall Chef Steve Quirk, with donations for a raffle kindly supplied by Barclays, Kestrel Insurance, DL Fitness, Hanly's and Browne Craine & Co” commented JCC IOM Chairman Chris Darnill. “We were delighted to present The Children’s Centre with a cheque for £600 as part of our ongoing plans to benefit the Island as a whole thr

ough our events and member networks. It’s a cracking start to the year and already have an event planned every month.

“January’s ‘Know Your Pension’ event sponsored by Barclays and delivered by Stuart Clifford from Baker Tilly Isle of Man pulled in over 70 members and guests. The presentation was certainly thought provoking and conveyed to the audience not only the importance of reviewing retirement arrangements on an ongoing basis but also the questions to consider and options available”.

February’s flag ship Budget Breakfast event takes place on the 20th with the Treasury Minister Hon. Eddie Teare MHK and it is always a sell out – early booking is recommended.

As with many things our pensions have been greatly affected by the recent global economic events. Final salary/defined benefits schemes, once commonplace, have now largely been closed for new joiners; this means we are all entirely reliant on the investment performance of the funds in the scheme. Interest rates are low and look to stay that way for some time, markets are volatile and scheme charges, often overlooked, can significantly dilute investment returns.

So what should we do, what are our options, does the Isle of Man present advantages not fully utilised and what changes are expected in 2013 and beyond? Our speaker, Stuart Clifford, a principal at Baker Tilly Isle of Man, the past chairman of the Isle of Man’s Association of Pension Scheme Providers and with over 24 years of industry experience is ideally placed to help us as to the best questions we should ask and the matters we should consider as we make some of the most important and fundamental decisions of our lives.

When: Tuesday 22nd January 2013, 1830-1930 (Registration and buffet from 1800)
Where: The Cushag Suite, Palace Hotel, Douglas
Booking form: JCC Event – Know your Pension in 2013 – 22nd January 2013

It’s nearly Christmas and that can only mean one thing…. another of JCC’s famous Xmas Parties!

Drinks will be free all evening, the buffet will be by top Island Chef Steve Quirk and there will also be a live band – all to get you in the JCC Christmas spirit!

The event is exclusively for Members (and their guests). Attendance is £Free for Members, £6 for Member’s guests.

The Party starts at 6pm on Wednesday 12th December at The Ticket Hall, Douglas Railway Station.

A formal invite with the full details can be found here. Spaces are strictly limited and will be given on a first come first served basis we strongly recommend that you reserve at the earliest opportunity.

Tom Richards, Head of Private Investment Management (Offshore), and Andrew Buchanan, Senior Associate, provided an interesting and detailed overview of the current market environment and outlined potential opportunities for private client investors.

Pictured are Tom Richards (TMI), Chris Darnill (JCC Chairman) and Andrew Buchanan (TMI).

Slides from the event can be downloaded here: TMI JCC Presentation, 6 Nov 2012-pptx

Despite the near-constant gloomy headlines, private client portfolios have performed well over the last few years. Over 2012, the FTSE 100’s total return has been around 8% and UK corporate bonds have returned over 12%. Since the start of 2009, the ‘average’ private client Sterling Balanced portfolio is up by over 25% (ARC). Yes, developed economy growth is slow and questions are being asked as to whether emerging markets have lost some of their gloss. However, there are undoubtedly sectors of the markets which offer real value for private clients who can take advantage of short term volatility or take their time to exploit long term trends and compound their returns.

Where are these opportunities and how do we take advantage of them? With the ‘bears’ worrying about precarious macro-economics and ‘bulls’ citing attractive equity valuations, how do we balance these two arguments? And finally, how should clients and their advisors question how their portfolio managers are positioned?

After the presentation, which will commence at 7.45am, there will be a question and answer session where you will have the opportunity to put any questions which you might have to our guest speakers. The JCC would like to extend its thanks to Thomas Miller Investment for sponsoring the event.

Attached: Flyer and Booking Form

Slides from the event: TMI JCC Presentation, 6 Nov 2012

Pictured: Jason Spooner (Intelligence CTO), Steve Woodford (Intelligence CEO), Chris Darnhill (JCC Chairman)

More photos from the event can be found here

Handouts from the event:

• Intelligence JCC slides Oct 2012
• ibCloud Whitepaper – Exec Overview Oct 2012 (2 page)
• ibCloud Flyer