STEP BAHAMAS CONFERENCE
SCHEDULE
7:00am-9:00am
Conference Registration
& Breakfast
9:00am-9:10am
Opening Remarks
Theo is assistant general counsel in international trust services at J.P. Morgan Trust Company (Bahamas) Limited with legal responsibility for The Bahamas, Jersey and Singapore trust companies. He is the chairman of the STEP Bahamas Branch, a member of the Caribbean and Latin America Regional Committee and a member of STEP’s Governing Council.
9:10am-9:20am
Welcome Remarks
Dianne is a multiple award-winning practitioner in the financial services industry with more than 30 years’ experience. She recently retired in 2021 as managing director of Leno Trust Ltd. and, immediately prior to joining Leno, served as vice president and head of trust and fiduciary at Butterfield Trust (Bahamas) Limited. She is a recipient of the Bahamas Financial Services Professional of the Year Award and also of STEP’s prestigious Founders Award.
9:20am- 9:30am
Pearl Honorees Presentation
9:30am- 9:45am
John Lawrence Trailblazer Award Presentation
AWARD RECIPIENT
Katie is Group Head of Private Office, leading the strategic development of the group’s global Private Office services. In this role, she brings together Opera’s cross-jurisdictional expertise to deliver an integrated, best-in-class service focused on governance, asset structuring, succession planning, risk management and generational stewardship of family wealth. Katie continues to serve on the Board of Oak’s Bahamas business, which she has led since 2018.
She has extensive experience advising ultra-high-net-worth families on fiduciary asset structuring, wealth succession, and family governance, with a particular focus on the design and operation of single-family offices. Katie joined Oak in April 2025 following Opera’s acquisition of Amber Trust Ltd, where she served as Managing Director and led the firm’s transformation into a specialist provider of high-touch fiduciary services with a distinct ‘private office’ approach to the management of each client’s affairs.
Katie began her career as a private client lawyer with Kingsley Napley in London and Graham Thompson in the Bahamas, before moving into senior leadership roles at MeesPierson, NM Rothschild, and Butterfield Bank. At Butterfield, she established the International Private Office in Mayfair, dedicated to complex asset structuring for ultra-high-net-worth families with private operating businesses. She is recognised for her deep technical expertise and commercial insight and is a founder of the Bahamas branch of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), having also served for many years on the Global STEP Council.
9:45am- 10:30am
TOPIC
Keynote Address: Exploring Global Perspectives
Based in Panterra’s London office, Frezer has a decade of experience advising public sector and international organisations with their strategic and crisis communications. He has extensive knowledge of political dynamics in Africa, with a particular regional focus on the Horn and East Africa. Prior to joining Panterra, Frezer was a senior advisor to the Ethiopian Embassy in London.
10:30am-11:15am
Justice Stewart now serves as a consultant at McKinney, Bancroft & Hughes having recently retired as a Justice of the Supreme Court. Before her appointment to the Supreme Court, Justice Stewart was a Partner at McKinney, Bancroft & Hughes specializing in Civil Litigation specifically, Banking, Insurance, Competition & Family Law.
Giahna joined Glinton Sweeting O’Brien in 2019 after gaining 10 years of valuable litigation experience at two leading law firms in The Bahamas.
Giahna has experience in civil and commercial litigation with a focus on insolvent liquidations, employment disputes, land disputes, professional negligence, medical malpractice, personal injuries, fatal accidents and insurance. She is developing her practice in trust litigation. In additional to her litigation practice, Giahna advises clients on solvent liquidations, and litigious issues arising from commercial agreements. She also advises clients on compliance and regulatory requirements within the financial services industry.
Giahna holds an LLB from the University of The West Indies and a Bachelor of Science in Finance and International Studies (Hons) from The Pennsylvania State University. She was called to The Bahamas Bar in 2008.
(MODERATOR)
11:15am-11:30am
Coffee Break
11:30am-12:15pm
Senator the Hon. Michael B. Halkitis, CFA, CAMS, is Minister of Economic Affairs and Leader of Government Business in the Senate.
Nateisha L. Anderson-Bain is a Director of the STEP Bahamas Branch and a Partner in the Real Estate Group at Lennox Paton. She joined the firm in 2013 and specialises in representing purchasers and vendors in buying and selling residential and commercial property, as well as representing mortgagees and mortgagors in secured financing transactions.
Nateisha also focuses on resort and condominium development, including all aspects of acquisition, financing, regulatory approvals, master planning, sales programmes and the drafting of heads of agreements. Her practice extends generally to private client, corporate, commercial, estate planning and residency matters.
Joseph A. Tubio is a Managing Director of the Latin America Wealth Advisory
practice for the Private Bank at JPMorgan.
As part of the Private Bank’s 50 member Wealth Advisory team worldwide, Mr.
Tubio counsels individuals and families on tax-efficient strategies to hold and
manage wealth, and to transfer wealth across generations and to charitable
organizations. His areas of expertise include off-shore and cross-border wealth
planning for individuals and related legal entities, such as trusts, corporations and
partnerships, as well as pre-immigration planning.
Prior to joining JPMorgan in 1993, Joseph was Trust Department Manager for the
Miami office of Bank of America, where he managed the Trust Department for
both domestic and international clients.
Joseph is an attorney, admitted to practice before the Florida Bar, where he is a
member of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section and the Tax Law
Section. He is also a member of the American Bar Association. He has served as
an instructor to the Florida Bankers Association Trust School, at the University of
South Florida, and as an advisor to the Cannon Trust School. He is the author of
“The Challenge of Repatriating Off-Shore Trusts”, published by the New York
State Bar Association – International Law Section.
Joseph earned a B.A. in Economics from Rutgers College at Rutgers University,
an M.B.A. summa cum laude, from the New York Institute of Technology, and a
Juris Doctor, cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law.
John has 30 years’ experience in legal & regulatory compliance, and is a common law lawyer with educational emphasis on taxation, trusts & estate planning.
He also has extensive experience in ensuring multi-jurisdictional compliance for product offerings (working with outside counsel & adapting products for sale in relevant jurisdictions), including product management skills to direct complex products from concept to fully operational status.
(MODERATOR)
12:15Pm-1:00pm
Robert became a partner of Delaney Partners as of April 2022. He initially joined the firm as a consultant attorney in 2020, having previously headed the litigation and dispute resolution practice group of another major commercial firm. Highly regarded as one of the leading litigators in The Bahamas, Robert has a broad range of experience handling complex commercial and civil disputes, litigation, and arbitration. He has argued several appeals before the Privy Council and regularly appears as lead counsel in cases before The Bahamas Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. Since 2013, Robert has received BAND 1 Rankings by Chambers Global in “General Business Law – Dispute Resolution”.
David Brownbill KC specialises in international trust, company and financial services disputes and advice. His experience covers international trust, corporate and commercial structuring; investment funds, commercial trusts and pensions; political risks, international sanctions, investment disputes and bilateral investment treaties.
John Fritzgerald Wilson K.C. is an accomplished commercial litigator who is renowned for his problem-solving skills and ability to advocate effectively for his clients. He completed his LLB with honours at the University of Buckingham in England. John then attended BPP Law School, where he became one of the few Bahamians to ever receive honours on the Michalemus Bar exams. He was admitted to the English Bar in July of 1994 and called to Bahamas Bar in September 1994.
John is widely respected by his peers, and his experience is extensive. He is known for his unmatched ability to advocate on behalf of his clients and his specialties include trust and commercial litigation and private client advisory. John has proven himself to be an accomplished attorney over the years. In 2006, John became the first non-English Barrister to appear as lead counsel before Her Majesty’s Privy Council during a landmark case. In the Judgment of the Privy Council, Baroness Hale commented that John presented the case with “skill economy and charm.” These comments highlight why John is one of the most sought after commercial litigators in The Bahamas.
1:00pm-2:30pm
Lunch Break
2:30pm-3:15pm
TOPIC
The Art of The Deal
This expert panel will discuss (i) aspects of winning and keeping new business and (ii) cross border considerations when meeting international clients.
Robin L. Baker has been a JPMorgan Chase Managing Director and Associate General Counsel since 2013. In her current JPMC role, she supports the Private Bank and the Asset Management business on several regulatory and control programs. Earlier in her career, she was a commercial litigator at two large, international law firms; served as New York State’s Executive Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice; and prosecuted criminal cases as an Assistant United States Attorney and Deputy Chief/Acting Chief of Appeals in the Southern District of New York. Her awards include the U.S. Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service and the New York City Bar Association Stimson Medal for outstanding career as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. She graduated from Columbia Law School and Cornell University. Robin has engaged in pro bono legal work throughout her career, most recently representing an asylum seeker in immigration proceedings, and serves on the boards of a religious congregation and a family foundation.
With over 25 years of professional experience, currently serving as Director, Trust Product Solutions & Structuring / Wealth Management at The Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Company (Bahamas) Limited, contributing expertise in governance, trust structuring, and estate planning. Prior roles include Executive Director at J.P. Morgan Trust Company (Bahamas) Limited, heading the new business and corporate governance teams, Managing Director at Butterfield Trust (Bahamas Limited, leading fiduciary services, and Vice President at Winterbotham Group, focusing on business development. Known for fostering robust governance frameworks and enabling strategic business growth, aligning with organizational goals to deliver sustainable client solutions.
Mr. Cassar has a strong background in finance, software and crypto assets and has an expansive knowledge of the financial and corporate services product suite. His career has touched on the fields of stock market analysis, asset management, trusts and estate planning, investment funds, administration and accounting, multi-currency private banking, FinTech and corporate services. He is also a full stack web developer having successfully developed solutions for the banking, shipping, airline, FinTech and media industries, and has worked on software projects involving blockchain, machine learning and A.I. development. Currently, Gil serves as Head of Business Development & FinTech for the Equity Group of Companies, as Vice-President of The Bahamas Investments and Securities Business Association, and is a member of the FinTech Working Group of The Bahamas Financial Services Board. He holds degrees from the University of Toronto and Harvard University.
Naro is the Deputy Head of the Caribbean and oversees the three offices in this region for JTC’s Private Capital Services division. In 2025, he was appointed Managing Director of the Bahamas, where he relocated to lead an office of over 80 people.
Madelayne Cordero is the Director and Program Chair of STEP USA.
A trust and estates attorney with over 20 years of experience planning for with ultra high net worth clients. My major focus has been in planning and implementing succession and wealth plans for US, Foreign and Cross-Border Families through the use of trusts, foreign trusts and corporate structures. I am the VIce Chair of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners STEP Miami Chapter and sit on the Alumni Board of Directors of Immaculata LaSalle High School in Coconut Grove, Florida.
(MODERATOR)
3:15pm-4:00pm
TOPIC
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions – International Case Update
This expert panel will take the delegates on a whistle-stop tour of the most relevant trust and estate cases
Sophia Rolle-Kapousouzoglou is a partner in Lennox Patton’s commercial litigation department. She appears regularly as lead counsel before the Bahamian Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.
Sophia continues to receive growing recognition for her reputation in the field of insolvency litigation. Chambers Global comment ‘Sophia continues to enhance her already impressive disputes reputation. Sources describe her as “excellent,” “practical,” and “meticulous.” She is well versed in handling disputes relating to securities fraud, asset tracing and insolvency’. She impresses sources with her industrious approach to the work she takes on, with The Legal 500 Caribbean noting “Sophia Rolle-Kapousouzoglou does an excellent job; she is highly recommended for being extremely professional, efficient and experienced. Working with Sophia is like working with some of the top firms in London.”
Sophia represents clients in multi-jurisdictional matters and has acted in several prominent cross-border insolvency cases. She is also experienced in shareholder and company disputes and trust litigation.
Her overall practice areas include advising clients with respect to contractual disputes, property disputes, fraud and asset tracing, Norwich Pharmacal applications, applications for injunctions and other interlocutory relief.
John Minns is a Partner in the firm’s Dispute Resolution Practice.
John’s practice focuses primarily on trust and banking matters. He also regularly advises on employment matters.
John acts for a wide range of local and international clients, both private and institutional. He has been involved in some of the most significant trust matters in The Bahamas in recent years.
N. Leroy Smith is Chair of the Firm’s Private Client and Wealth Management Practice Group, Deputy Chair of the Insolvency and Corporate Restructuring Practice Group, and Partner in the firm’s Litigation Practice Group.
Leroy has developed a robust traditional chancery practice (covering trusts, probate, and real property disputes) alongside a commercial chancery litigation practice (covering business and finance disputes). He also has an established Employment Law practice.
His clients include trust companies, investment and retail banks, and private High-Net-Worth Individuals. He is regularly instructed by leading international law firms and has advised an attorney general of a foreign jurisdiction.
A partner of the firm, Sean N. C. Moree K.C. is an experienced attorney who specializes in litigation and arbitration, particularly in regards to matters that involve trust, corporate, commercial, and insolvency issues. His practice also includes contested probate proceedings, employment disputes and private client work. In addition, Sean runs an active arbitration practice, and he regularly appears before tribunals, both in the Bahamas and abroad.
Sean completed his Bachelor of Law Degree at the University of Nottingham, England in 2002. He then completed the Bar Vocational Course at BPP Law School in 2003. He was called to both the English and Bahamas Bars in 2003. In 2004, Sean went on to complete his Masters of Law Degree at Wake Forest University, where he specialized in international civil litigation.
(MODERATOR)
Networking Coffee Break
(Free Evening)
