Jersey Finance has appointed Heather Bestwick (pictured) to the new role of Deputy Chief Executive Officer. She will maintain the role of Technical Director, leading the Jersey Finance technical programme, but will have additional responsibility for several operational functions including human resources, finance and IT.

An English solicitor and former Managing Partner of the Jersey office of international law firm Walkers, Bestwick joined Jersey Finance in 2010.

Geoff Cook, Jersey Finance Chief Executive Officer, says: "Heather's appointment to the new role of Deputy CEO reflects the growing remit of Jersey Finance and in particular, our strategy to support the industry in expanding into high-growth emerging economies, such as China, India and the Gulf Region, while maintaining our strong position and market share closer to home. Her industry expertise, coupled with her management experience at board level, will help us to develop and meet the growing needs of our member firms, alongside the rest of the management team."

Bestwick qualified as an English Solicitor with Norton Rose in London in 1993 and joined Walkers in the Cayman Islands in 1999, working in the Corporate and International Finance Department and becoming a Cayman Islands Attorney and Notary Public. Her practice encompassed investment funds, structured finance, secured lending, listings and yacht finance and registration, and she was made a Partner in 2003. She moved to Jersey when Walkers opened an office in St Helier in 2007.