Excited. Exhuberant. Exceptional’ were the first words that came from David and Esther Hassan as they took the key for their new apartment in Tradewinds.

“I never knew that it would be so spacious, with so much natural light,” marvelled Esther. “When we chose Taylor Woodrow we knew we could rely on them to deliver the project on time but the reality has just taken my breath away. We love the Poggenpohl kitchens, the wooden floors and the beautifully appointed bathrooms. The sheer space of it, walking in here makes a real statement,” added her husband. “Quality at its best. We are so proud to be the first to live here.”

NatWest, the main sponsor of the NatWest Island Games, is to extend its sponsorship agreement with the International Island Games Association (IGA) for a further two years.
The new deal will guarantee sponsorship of the Games until after the 2011 competition in the Isle of Wight and means that NatWest will sponsor the inter-island competition for a seventh consecutive year.

NatWest’s funding to the IGA provides contributions for the running costs of the Games, the staffing of the IGA office in the Isle of Man and the organising committees of the host islands.

NatWest also support a Development Scheme that provides funding for member islands and has to date provided financial assistance of over £70,000 for island sport development.

James Morris, Head of Retail Banking at NatWest for the offshore islands, commented: “Our long association with the IGA has been very enjoyable and rewarding. We are proud to be involved with the NatWest Island Games which is so popular in the sporting calendar and continues to develop its well earned reputation as ‘the friendly games’.”
Jorgen Pettersson, Chairman of the IGA Executive Committee, added: “The IGA is delighted that NatWest have agreed to extend the sponsorship so it covers the 2011 Island Games in the Isle of Wight. We have forged a strong working relationship with NatWest and our partnership will ensure that the success of the Games will continue. The NatWest Island Games makes a difference by bringing islands together in the spirit of friendship and competition”.

RBS Gibraltar Talent Academy staff learn leadership skills from former Bank Chairman
Staff from The Royal Bank of Scotland International (RBS International) in Gibraltar travelled to Jersey on the 10th - 11th September to meet with Sir George Mathewson, CBE, former Chairman of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group, as part of a two day leadership training event.

Pictured are Gillian Balban, Amy Ballantine, Diane Peralta, Joanne Balban, Neil Winstanley, Nick Gordon, Sir George Mathewson, Jordan Rammagge, Lino Brydges and Ian Henderson.
The staff, who work for RBS International and NatWest are members of the Bank’s Talent Academy, which provides an accelerated development programme for high performing employees. They joined their Academy colleagues from Jersey, the Isle of Man and Guernsey for the event, where Sir George gave a motivational talk on leadership.

Ian Henderson, Chief Executive, RBS International, commented: “Sir George is a hugely experienced and influential business figure and we were delighted that he managed to find some time out of his busy international schedule. The Talent Academy is a two year programme designed to develop leadership skills and to enhance the career potential of many of our most high calibre employees and is an example of the huge importance that we place on the career development of our staff. The visit by Sir George to Jersey was a golden opportunity for our Gibraltar–based employees within the Academy to hear first hand from one of Britain’s most experienced business leaders of recent times and someone with a close understanding of the RBS group, its goals and values.’

Sir George was Chairman from 2001 until 2006 and remains an adviser to the banking group.

There is usually a major catalyst behind change. In our case the decision to update our corporate image cannot be attributed to any one single event. Instead, there were a number of reasons why the partners of ISOLAS took that decision.

Without doubt one of the major factors was our desire to communicate to our clients and the business community at large what we as a firm represent; a vibrant and energetic modern law firm, whilst at the same time maintaining those traditional family firm values which our clients feel makes us stand out from the rest. We felt that one obvious way of achieving this was to update our corporate image and improve communication with our clients. Thus, we embarked on a major review, involving and listening, where possible, to the thoughts of some of our closest clients and friends. However, things didn’t stop with a change of letterhead, business cards and other stationery. Hence, we are now able to launch our new and improved website and brochure as well as our new style. We are confident that we have achieved what we set out to do and that we have achieved the goals we set ourselves as a firm when we embarked on this project.
Undoubtedly, another factor influencing our decision was the growth of the firm in terms of numbers and the direction it had taken over the last few years. With the firm now having an increased number of lawyers and partners, it was felt that the change of name to ISOLAS properly reflected the direction the firm had taken. However, the partners felt that the tradition and history of the firm should somehow be retained and reflected in the new corporate image and hence ‘1892’, the year to which we can trace back the commencement of the legal practice, formed a part of the firm’s logo.
Perhaps, without realising it at the time, the sad loss, early last year, of Peter J Isola was also a contributing factor. The impact of his passing was felt throughout the firm, not only by his sons and nephew but also by all the lawyers and staff members alike, who all felt, without exception, as if they had lost a close family member. It is at times like this that the mind focuses on the future and despite the great loss, a desire to move onwards and upwards slowly emerged, never forgetting the past but embracing the future.
The ‘change’ that the firm has undergone over the last few years is perhaps further illustrated by the fact that for the first time in the long history of the firm, a person not bearing the Isola name was appointed as Managing Partner, with Peter A Isola adopting the role of Senior Partner.
In keeping with the Partners’ vision of how the firm was evolving, a major office refurbishment programme is being undertaken. Undoubtedly, the most visible part of the refurbishment programme is the opening of our new spacious and modern ground floor reception area at Portland House.

The change at ISOLAS has not only been cosmetic. A careful review of our working practices and systems, after close consultation with a number of clients, has been undertaken. This has led to increased staff training, greater investment and upgrade in IT and software and the creation and development of a ‘client portal system’, the first law firm in Gibraltar to add this innovation. We are confident that all these measures will result in an even better service to our clients, with more direct communication and online access through the ‘client portal system’, to regular updates on all matters we handle for them.
We pride ourselves on being innovative and in touch with both our clients and industry needs and as such, the project upon which we have embarked has no completion date. Instead, we are committed to consulting and listening and constantly striving to improve the service we provide yet at the same time, never losing sight and always remaining conscious of what makes us unique as a firm, the personal relationships and the traditional values of a long established family law firm. We are looking forward to the next 115 years!

Putting a career on hold to undertake further studies is not an option many people will choose. The OU Business School offers an alternative way to top-up your knowledge, acquire new skills or earn a qualification while in full-time employment. Professional qualifications can open doors and help you to progress faster in your career.
The OU Business School is the School of Management of the Open University. It offers flexible and accessible courses both to the individual learner and tailored to corporate clients’ needs. Individual students can study a single course to develop specific skills, or work through a series of courses towards a prestigious qualification. Flexibility underpins everything the OU does - you can tailor programmes to your needs and interests, decide how long you want to take, and adapt your study plans as you go.
Distance learning means that you study on your own, at home or wherever suits you. But distance learning with the OU Business School doesn’t mean studying alone. Virtual tutor groups, support networks, residential schools and online conferencing are all available to support students, no matter where you live in the world.
For shorter, focused courses designed to meet the immediate learning or development needs of busy professionals, the University offers Continuing Professional Development courses in a variety of subjects ranging from leadership skills to food preservation. These courses offer the convenience of accessing clearly presented and sequenced materials, activities and support whenever it suits you through a dedicated website. You will be supported by an expert learning adviser who can clarify course materials, answer questions and help you relate the course to your specific needs. A work-based activity helps the student to connect the course to individual and organisational context and needs. Most of the online courses require no more than 30 hours of study over a period to suit you. A Certification of completion is issued upon successful completion, which can be used to demonstrate continuing professional development activity to your employer and a professional body.
Studying for a business school qualification is one of the best ways to gain a competitive edge in today’s crowded job market. The OU Business School offers undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications which are highly relevant to real-world business and modern day management. Course content draws on the latest research and thinking, and reflects current best practice. Most of the tutors are practising business professionals with strong academic backgrounds. As such they bring a wealth of expertise to the learning process and enable the student to meet management and leadership challenges in today’s dynamic and socially and environmentally responsible organisations.
They are available for study globally and open to all, irrespective of academic or career background, though the time it will take to complete your degree is likely to depend on your previous education. Upon completion you’ll automatically become part of the MBA Alumni Association, an international community with local groups active in countries across Europe.
Full-time MBA programmes often mean that students loose track of the business world while they study, but the OU Business School takes education to the heart of industry. By remaining in the workplace while studying, students can put into practice what they learn right away, reinforcing learning as it develops.
The OU Business School also offers an MSc in International Finance and Management and an MSc in International Human Resource Management. They carefully balance sector specific content with generic management components to enhance your management career.
If you are still undecided on which direction to take, you can download free business and management courses through OpenLearn (http://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn/), to give you a sample of how our various courses work. The Open University was the first UK University to publish a large collection of its course materials under a Creative Commons license, allowing learners and educators to freely download and share the online resources.
For more information on OU Business School courses please contact Martyn Wiggett:

Email: m.wiggett@open.ac.uk

In our article in the Autumn issue “Pensions - the writing on the wall”,
part of it described “the only remaining alternative therefore is Provident 3”
- this was not the case.
At STM Fidecs Pensions they feel that the profile of pensions in Gibraltar needs to be raised significantly and in particular their own offering.
A dedicated pension team has been established with David Erhardt as Director and Jane Caulfield as the Technician to achieve this goal.
Their Gibraltar Approved Pension Scheme operates along similar lines to the Government’s scheme but differs significantly in the areas of flexibility and diversity. It has flexibility to allow companies to create a tailor-made product and has the diversity to allow a full range of investments, including commercial property which could be rented back to the company.
Everybody agrees that pensions are important, either to provide employees with a better future or to recruit/retain key staff in a competitive marketplace. The difficulty is overcoming the stigma of the old defined benefit schemes with large deficits and educating companies on the benefits of the less costly defined contribution schemes.
Compulsory pensions may arrive to focus the minds of the private sector (there was mention of this in the GSD 2007 manifesto), however STM Fidecs are assisting many progressive companies to use their initiative rather than waiting until they are forced to act.