Rupert Pleasant

Chief Executive

We Are Guernsey

Welcome Address & Introduction

Rupert moved to Guernsey as a boy and was educated in the island. His career in financial services has taken him around the globe, beginning in London, moving onto Hong Kong, Cape Town, Zurich and Geneva, before returning to Guernsey. His background is in private banking and trust and corporate services, where he has held a number of senior management roles in global companies. As well as an MBA from the University of Cape Town, Rupert holds a law degree, and is a member of STEP, CISI and the Institute of Directors. Rupert sits on a number of local government and industry committees, and represents Guernsey at TheCityUK, BVCA and AIC. In his spare time, Rupert is Chairman of the Guernsey Rugby Academy.

Michael Moore

Director General

British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA)

Opening Keynote Address

Michael Moore is Director General of the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association. As private capital has continued to increase its contributions to the UK economy in recent years, Michael and his colleagues in the industry have been focused on supporting the COVID-19 recovery, delivering investment across the whole of the UK, making the UK one of the best places in the world to invest and do business, and supporting the UK to achieve ‘net-zero’ carbon emissions. Over the past 30 years, Michael has operated at senior levels in both politics and business. In his political career he was a Member of Parliament for 18 years and served in the Cabinet at the time of the Coalition Government, as Secretary of State for Scotland. After the 2015 General Election, Michael became a Senior Adviser at PwC. Prior to entering politics, he qualified as a chartered accountant with the firm.

William Mason

Director General

Guernsey Financial Services Commission

Guernsey dignitary address

William Mason has been the Director General of the Guernsey Financial Services Commission since 2013. He has also served on the Executive Committee of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors, where he chaired both the Audit and Risk Committee and the Standards Assessment Working Group, establishing IAIS’s regulatory assessment programme. William has a strong interest in Supervisory Technology and Green Finance. Under his leadership, the GFSC has developed the Guernsey Green Fund – the world's first regulated green fund structure – and more recently, the Natural Capital Fund regime.

Steve Backshall

English naturalist, explorer, presenter and writer

Closing Keynote Address

Steve Backshall is a BAFTA award-winning wildlife expert boasting an impressive TV career with popular franchises such as Deadly 60 and more recently with Sky Nature for his new series 'Whale with Steve Backshall'. In 2022, Steve was one of the presenters for BBC One's ‘Our Changing Planet’, the launch of a ground-breaking definitive seven-year diary, documenting the fight to save our planet’s most threatened ecosystems. In 2021, ‘Shark with Steve Backshall’ saw him dive with many species of sharks, helping to debunk the myth that all sharks are dangerous. Outside of his TV career, Steve has published 13 books, the most recent of which was co-written with his wife, the double gold Olympic medal winner Helen Glover. Steve is also a proud ambassador for The Scouts, Movember and the Get Outside champion for Ordinance Survey. He is also a brand ambassador for the Sky Zero Environmental Campaign. In 2020 Steve was awarded the title of Honorary Lecturer at Bangor University and in 2019, Steve was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours for services to charity and wildlife conservation.

Rupert Pleasant

Chief Executive

We Are Guernsey

Closing Remarks

Rupert moved to Guernsey as a boy and was educated in the island. His career in financial services has taken him around the globe, beginning in London, moving onto Hong Kong, Cape Town, Zurich and Geneva, before returning to Guernsey. His background is in private banking and trust and corporate services, where he has held a number of senior management roles in global companies. As well as an MBA from the University of Cape Town, Rupert holds a law degree, and is a member of STEP, CISI and the Institute of Directors. Rupert sits on a number of local government and industry committees, and represents Guernsey at TheCityUK, BVCA and AIC. In his spare time, Rupert is Chairman of the Guernsey Rugby Academy.