Interview Questions For John Rutherford For CEO Insight

Q: How would you summarise Invest Turks and Caicos' raison d'être, its ambitions, and the road map to realising these goals?

A: Invest Turks and Caicos was created in 2015 to act as the lead organisation for attracting and facilitating foreign investment to the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI); to support the growth of local business; and to manage the country's Investor Permanent Residency programme. Internationally, we promote the islands in target markets to companies in industry sectors who we believe can secure a strong return on investment by having a presence here; and bring benefits to the islands through economic activity and job creation. We provide bespoke information to support the company's business plan; and if a company or individual expresses interest in locating here, we work with them throughout the investment process.

Our ambition is to be the best investment promotion agency in the Caribbean within five years. Year One has been spent setting up the business and handling a pipeline of significant projects which were already in place. Moving forward we are developing a five-year strategy with key milestones to ensure we remain strategically focused. The strategy will include a significant push to promote the islands as a leading IFC. This is a stated objective of the TCI Government which is providing financial, legislative and hands-on support for the further development of the sector, including the setting up of a public/private Financial Services Working Group.

Q: What do you consider the Turks and Caicos Islands' flagship products, services and credentials in respect of international financial services to be, and how do these distinguish it from other IFCs?

A: TCI is a small British Overseas Territory that has established a name as an IFC with an emphasis on Producer Owned Reinsurance Companies (PORCs). With a portfolio of nearly 7000 PORCs, supportive legislation; a strong working relationship between our experienced regulator and the industry; and Governmental support; the PORC sector in particular, and the captive insurance industry in general, are poised for significant growth.

TCI is also a well-known jurisdiction for Trust establishment and administration, and has a broad community of Trust Companies serving the needs of the internationally wealthy. Add to this a significant number of investment fund managers and Swiss and Canadian private banks. Our development as an IFC is clearly aligned to our brand as a...