Maples Group Appoints New Managing Partner to its Law Firm in London

The Maples Group's law firm, Maples and Calder, is pleased to announce the appointment of Heidi de Vries as the Managing Partner of its London office. Heidi will take office on 1 December 2019, succeeding Paul Govier who is retiring from the firm. Paul joined the firm 17 years ago and will continue to support the London office in a consultancy capacity until November 2020.

With immediate effect, Heidi will assume the position of Joint Managing Partner, working alongside Paul Govier and will take on the role of sole Managing Partner from 1 December 2019.

Heidi is widely recognised as a leading Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands lawyer and has extensive investment funds' expertise along with strong management experience, having previously held the position of Managing Partner at another firm. Heidi joined the firm in 2012 and specialises in the structuring, formation, ongoing maintenance and restructuring of hedge funds and private equity funds. Her portfolio of clients include large financial institutions as well as boutique and start up managers. Heidi was recently named as a leading woman in Hedge Funds by the Hedge Fund Journal and will be the first woman to be appointed as Managing Partner of the Group's law firm in London.

Joining Heidi in a leadership capacity, Harjit Kaur has been appointed as head of the Funds & Investment Management practice in London. Harjit joined the firm in 2007 as a member of the Funds & Investment Management team where she specialises in the establishment and maintenance of all kinds of alternative investment funds in the Cayman Islands. She advises numerous leading European fund managers and their onshore counsel on the formation, ongoing legal and regulatory compliance, restructuring and termination of different types of Cayman Islands investment vehicles, including hedge, hybrid and private equity funds. Harjit also regularly advises clients on a broad range of corporate and commercial transactions, including shareholder arrangements and regulatory matters such as AML, FATCA and CRS compliance. Over the next few months, Harjit will work closely with Paul Govier to drive the practice forward.

The Maples Group, a global service provider offering clients a comprehensive range of legal, fiduciary, fund, regulatory and compliance, and entity formation and management services has 18 offices worldwide and has been operating in London for over 20 years. The London office serves as an important European hub for the Group's international client base by providing full service legal advice on the laws of the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Ireland and Jersey. It also provides fiduciary, fund, regulatory and compliance, and entity formation and management services

Newly appointed joint Managing Partner of the London law firm, Heidi said, "I am delighted to have been elected as Managing Partner of our law firm in London. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to lead the London team and I hope to build on Paul's leadership, steering the law firm steadily into the next decade. London, along with other European cities is facing into a period of uncertainty, we will continue to provide a seamless service to our clients who are operating in this changing and challenging environment."

Commenting on the appointments, Global Managing Partner, Alasdair Robertson added, "We are delighted that someone of Heidi's experience and calibre is to become Managing Partner of our London law firm. Heidi has been an outstanding partner in our Funds & Investment Management team. Her appointment is an endorsement of her personal qualities and professional ability. We have no doubt that the London office will continue to thrive under her collaborative leadership. Harjit's appointment to a leadership position also enhances and strengthens our leadership team in London. Harjit has worked in our Fund & Investment team in London for over a decade and has developed a stellar reputation both internally and with clients."

In January 2019, Maples and Calder and MaplesFS consolidated their offerings under a single brand, now called the Maples Group, bringing together their internationally recognised offerings.