Ravenscroft's expansion to Monaco has led to changes on the company’s trading desk.

Earlier this year, Ravenscroft, which already has offices in Guernsey, Jersey and the UK, announced it had entered into a joint venture and was opening an office in Monaco, which would be led by Guernsey head of trading Dale Acton.

As a result Jake Le Marchant has been promoted to head of trading and market making in Guernsey and Wing Kin Lai has joined the team, which is responsible for trading worldwide equities, bonds, forex and derivatives for clients across the globe as well as being a Market Maker on The International Stock Exchange (TISE).

‘Jake was the perfect person to take over the trading desk as he has been part of the team for 10 years and amassed a huge amount of knowledge. He is highly regarded by clients and well-liked by his colleagues. His energy will be vital to the continued growth of the trading desk,’ said Mark Bousfield, group managing director of Ravenscroft.

Mr Le Marchant joined the company after completing his A Levels at Elizabeth College and has since completed his CISI Level 3 Certificate in Securities and CISI Level 4 Diploma in Investment Advice (Securities).

‘Having 10 years’ experience at Ravenscroft and watching it grow from a small local stockbroker with only a handful of staff and clients, to a multi-jurisdictional financial services firm offering a comprehensive range of services with £6.5billion assets under administration, has been amazing,’ he said.

‘There is a core group of staff who have been here since the beginning, we remain independent and the majority of our staff are shareholders and so although we have grown dramatically, there is still very much a family feel. No matter how big we have become, I believe our clients’ needs still come first as without them we haven’t got a business. That may sound obvious but can often be forgotten when a company experiences the growth that Ravenscroft has.

‘In my new role, I want to ensure that we continue to put our trading clients’ needs first, that we look at ways to improve and make their experience as easy and efficient as possible.’

Mr Lai joins Ravenscroft with nearly eight years trading experience having previously worked at Sportingbet and Investec Private Bank.

‘No two days are the same on the trading desk and the markets have been particularly volatile. That’s both a challenge and something I enjoy and look forward to,’ he said.

‘I also enjoy the company’s focus on its clients. At Ravenscroft it’s not a one size fits all mentality, we aim to provide tailor made services to each client, depending on their needs and requirements.’

Mr Bousfield said Jake and Wing’s experience was invaluable to the desk and the wider company.

‘Jake is one of a number of Ravenscroft staff who joined from school and have undertaken qualifications while they have been working. We have recently established The Ravenscroft Academy to nurture our own talent and so it’s great that those youngsters joining us now can see how much emphasis we put on career development,’ he said. ‘Our trading desk is a vital part of our business as it not only trades for their clients but also for advisory and investment management teams and it is in great hands.’