Guernsey Finance, a joint authorities and trade initiative that promotes and connects the island as a global finance centre, has named Aon’s Paul Sykes as its new Chairman.
Sykes has performed an instrumental function in creating and selling Guernsey’s insurance coverage, reinsurance and insurance-linked securities (ILS) market through the years.
Sykes, Managing Director at Aon Guernsey, will step into the Guernsey Finance Chairman function after the Board authorised the appointment. He’ll suceed Guernsey’s Chief Minister, Deputy Lyndon Trott OBE, who had been Chair from 2016 to 2025.
Sykes started his profession in Guernsey 35 years in the past, since when he has held management roles at nation and regional ranges for Aon, returning to Guernsey in 2010 since when he has been a robust proponent for ILS on the island.
In his time working for Aon in Guernsey, beneath Sykes’ watch the dealer established a specialist centre in collateralised reinsurance and transacted quite a few ILS preparations and different advanced danger transfers that featured capital markets capability on the island.
Sykes has additionally been Chairman of the Guernsey Worldwide Enterprise Affiliation (GIBA) since Might 2023, however will now be succeeded as GIBA Chair by Jo Peacegood, who additionally sits on the Guernsey Finance Board of Administrators.
Sykes commented on his appointment, “It’s an incredible privilege and an thrilling duty to be taking on from our Chief Minister as Chair of Guernsey Finance. I share with Lyndon the identical love for Guernsey which manifests right into a mission and function to advertise and serve the island.
“There’s enormous potential for Guernsey’s monetary companies trade to construct on the latest endorsements we’ve got obtained from MoneyVal and score company Commonplace & Poors, which reinforce Guernsey’s status as a protected, secure and safe enterprise during which to do enterprise.
“We’ve nice expertise within the sector allied to confirmed regulatory and authorized frameworks. We will add to {that a} monitor report with lots of the world’s main firms, world organisations and authorities companies, who’ve labored with us to create quite a few world firsts and progressive options for shoppers and communities worldwide.
“The worldwide monetary markets have not often been extra unstable than in 2025, however Guernsey is agile and might adapt higher than most jurisdictions to the brand new ‘multi-aligned world’. We could be each a protected place for worldwide funding and a conduit for capital into London and different respected finance centres.”
Guernsey Finance Chief Govt Rupert Nice added, “On behalf of the Guernsey Finance staff, I want to lengthen an enormous thanks to Lyndon for his unwavering dedication in main our company for the final 9 years.
“His tenure as Chair has proved extremely fruitful, with the island’s status as a number one worldwide finance centre being enhanced yr on yr, and we’re immensely grateful for his steerage and assist.
“Trying forward, I’m assured that Paul’s experience will allow us to bolster Guernsey’s hard-earned status. We are going to proceed to progress, because of the stable experience we’ve got constructed up inside our Board, to form our technique as we proceed to navigate the worldwide monetary companies sector’s evolving traits and challenges.”
