Maples Group Expands Cayman Fiduciary Services Team

 The Maples Group, a leading service provider offering clients a comprehensive range of legal, fiduciary, fund, regulatory and compliance, and entity formation and management services, has announced the appointment of a number of strategic hires to its team in the Cayman Islands. Luana Guilfoyle, Nicolas Rogivue, Sonja Salmon, Nadish Seebaluck, and Linval Stewart have joined as Vice Presidents within the Maples Group’s fiduciary services team to provide specialist services to a broad range of structured finance transactions and special purpose vehicles. 

With no sign of any slowdown in the pace of regulatory change and compliance obligations continuing to grow, it has become critical for arrangers and investment managers to engage the necessary support to address this new paradigm. Recognised as one of the industry’s preeminent service providers, the Maples Group’s fiduciary services business has maintained a commitment to growing a team with the requisite experience and expertise to effectively support clients and provide the highest standards of professional service. 

As a qualified Chartered Accountant from Canada, Luana has over 14 years of experience in the Cayman Islands’ financial services industry, having served on the boards of various Cayman domiciled hedge funds, investment management companies, special purpose vehicles and private equity structures. She focuses on a wide range of structured finance products, in particular, CLOs / CDOs, structured note issues and programmes. Previously, she was a Principal in the investment services department of a specialised trust and corporate services provider and held the role of Group Manager at a global fund administrator managing several strategic relationships for its clients. 

Nicolas brings a depth of experience in the provision of directorship and trustee services, as well as experience as a debt capital markets lawyer in the UK. He has supported a range of structured finance transactions, including a significant number of cashflow and synthetic CLO / CDOs, securitisations and note programmes in both the US and European markets. Previously he worked at a global investment bank and financial services company focused on global transaction banking, trust and agency services. 

Sonja brings over 15 years of experience in the financial services industry in various roles relating to mergers and acquisitions, commercial transactions and risk management. She also brings a depth of legal experience and is a qualified lawyer admitted to practice in Ontario and Bermuda. Previously, she was a Director of Strategy and Business Planning for Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and was involved in various strategy/operations consulting projects. She also served as General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer for a global bank in Bermuda.

Nadish has an extensive background in financial services with various roles in fund accounting and administration, trust accounting and corporate secretarial services. He has worked for a large multi-national financial services company and bank, as well as an alternative asset and corporate services provider where he gained significant experience overseeing a portfolio of funds in the private equity sphere. 

Linval previously worked within the Maples Group’s fund services business where he administered various investment fund structures, from vanilla strategies to highly sophisticated and complex investments. Prior to that, he had extensive experience working for large global accounting firms where he focused on hedge funds, banks, and insurance and manufacturing companies. 

"These individuals, with unique backgrounds and skillsets across the financial services spectrum, bring an exceptional breadth and depth of knowledge and experience," said Andrew Dean, Senior Vice President. "We have made continuous investments in growing our bench of professionals and look forward to these additions further strengthening our already well-established reputation for providing the highest levels of tailored service and support, and bolstering our ability to provide clients with the specific expertise they demand." 

"One of our key differentiators is the size and strength of our bench. This was invaluable during the credit crisis and today’s evolving regulatory landscape and growing compliance requirements are again creating a more complex environment for fiduciaries ," said Guy Major, Global Head of Fiduciary. "We are delighted to be able to welcome these experienced and talented individuals who further enhance our diverse skill set and depth of knowledge.”