Edward Buckland, global head of fiduciary at Barclays, has been elected chair of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), the professional association for practitioners who specialise in advising families.
Buckland (pictured) was elected as chair in September 2014 with his appointment taking effect in November.
Buckland, who was first elected to the board of directors in 2012 and as a deputy chair last year, has also served as the chair of STEP’s Jersey branch and on the society’s council over the past several years.
Buckland says: “The past few years of service to the society have been a distinct privilege and the highlight of my professional life. In assuming the role of chair I am well aware that there are many different challenges faced by our members across the globe. It is for this reason that I am passionate in endorsing the goals of our STEP Business Plan 2021. It is vital that going forward STEP is a body of lifelong learning.
“To guard our reputation we must also ensure that, whilst respecting local needs, we retain truly consistent standards across the STEP world. In so doing we will work with partners near and far and that will require careful management and control. After all, our reputation depends upon retaining the respect of the wider community.
“It is also essential that we ensure that our member offering is relevant and enticing to all members wherever located in the STEP world. These will be my guiding principles during my tenure as chair.”
Buckland is based in St Helier and has been a qualified solicitor for almost 25 years. Buckland has worked as global head of fiduciary at Barclays since March 2011 after working with a leading independent professional trust company, two major international banks and having qualified with Allen and Overy. He has been a member of STEP since 1995.
STEP’s board of directors, which has eight members, was created in 2010 to manage the interests and affairs of the society. It has ultimate responsibility for all activities, deciding the overall values and mission of the body.
