Jersey Finance chief executive Geoff Cook
THERE may be a worldwide recession, but Jersey and Guernsey bankers are still refusing to share staplers.
As both islands seek new markets in the Far East, it seems that the old rivals are refusing to share offices. Jersey Finance, the public relations arm of the Island’s finance industry, has opened a new office in Hong Kong and its Guernsey counterpart has opened one in Shanghai.
However, the boss of Guernsey Finance said that it was unlikely the two Islands would share offices or resources.
Speaking at an industry update last week, Guernsey Finance chief executive Peter Niven hinted that Jersey Finance was against the idea of working side by side. ‘There would be a lot of merit in it, but there hasn’t been a great deal of enthusiasm from my colleagues across the water,’ he said.
‘It may be something that politicians can help us with so that we can get a commitment from a more senior level.’
But Geoff Cook, chief executive of Jersey Finance, said that though there was a ‘friendly rivalry’ between the two islands, they were already working together in several areas. ‘There are lots of areas where we co-operate and it’s helpful to work together to project the Channel Islands,’ he said. ‘We get together to present ourselves internationally.’
Article posted on 9th November, 2009 - 3.00pm
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