We interviewed executives at the recent WealthBriefing MENA Region Awards event in Dubai. Here is a text and video of Asiaciti Trust.

We interviewed Laurence Black, regional director, MENA, at Asiaciti Trust. The video can be viewed here. Readers can check on all the winners from our awards event in Dubai. WealthBriefing will be running a number of this video interviews in coming days. For more information, email the editor at tom.burroughes@wealthbriefing.com

What would you say has differentiated you from your peers this year? 
As a family-owned and fully independent company, Asiaciti Trust is able to focus on every client’s best interests. Being a boutique fiduciary and corporate services provider without any conflicts of interest is a huge advantage because it gives us the flexibility to always provide the most appropriate solutions for private clients, intermediaries or corporations.

For over 40 years, we have provided unparalleled, quality service to generations of international clients and their families across key jurisdictions. We were among the first trust and corporate services companies to establish operations in multiple locations that offer the best wealth protection and estate planning opportunities. Impeccable client service is at our core; we invest in extensive consultation with clients to have a complete understanding of their unique, evolving needs and aspirations. We also maintain a higher employee-to-client ratio than many of our peers in order to deliver best in class service and consistently achieve optimal results.

Describe how your colleagues have contributed to the success 
Our shared goal of providing best in class service spurs my colleagues and me to do our best for all clients. Besides a strong team spirit, it also helps to have qualified professionals and subject matter experts with deep experience in international, cross-border work. A key success factor is our professionals’ breadth and depth of knowledge and extensive experience. Our hardworking and highly qualified team includes lawyers, accountants and several full members of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). 

With the advent of globalisation and digitalisation, our clients have become more informed and discerning. Similarly, we have evolved to meet, and even exceed, these high expectations with service standards and customised solutions that are compliant with stricter cross border and jurisdictional requirements.

As our success can – to a large extent - be attributed to collaborative business partners in the region, we will continue to value and grow these strong relationships with them. Asiaciti Trust Group is committed to providing a stable environment, both internally and externally, that builds trust in our employees, clients and business partners.

What have been the challenges in obtaining excellence?
Since its inception in 1978, Asiaciti Trust has navigated different and complex financial landscapes with ever developing regulatory requirements and constant changes in the composition of our peers. 

By keeping abreast of economic developments and staying committed to our core values and attuned to each and every client’s needs, we have remained relevant and grown from strength to strength.

To stay on the front foot, what sort of qualities do you and colleagues need to continue showing?
We are honoured that our hard work has been recognised by our industry peers and partners through these prestigious awards. At the same time, we are aware that as an award winner and market leader, Asiaciti Trust has a huge responsibility to raise the bar for excellence whilst staying focused on our goal of providing the best solutions for our clients, by listening to them, understanding their needs, aspirations and changing circumstances.

To stay ahead of the curve, we will continue to invest in talent, technology and infrastructure. Our investments in our people and systems include training and certifications, strengthening client relationships, adhering to proper procedures and ensuring consistency in all documentation and client services. A healthy demand for our best in class services and customised solutions validates our commitment to exacting service standards for our clients and their families.

What advice would you give to other individuals and organisations seeking to chase excellence in the wealth management sector?
Asiaciti Trust’s unique proposition lies in being a fiduciary that offers best in class services and customised solutions through a wholly independent, family-owned business. Hence, we advise individuals and organisations to always put their clients at the centre of everything they do and keep striving for the best, because success will surely follow.