The Industry

Stephen Coakley-Wells

Stephen is a financial sector expert with broad international legal and financial services expertise that includes: Financial Sector Regulatory Compliance, Private Wealth Management , Capital Markets and Securities, Trusts & Estate Planning, Cryptocurrencies/Fintech, Risk and Crisis Management and AML/CFT/ABC.

As a consultant to the Ministry of Finance of The Bahamas, he is an adviser to the Minister of Finance and the Financial Secretary on regulatory and international affairs and is the Director of Regulatory and International Affairs at the Ministry of Finance. In this capacity, he is responsible for formulating and executing the financial sector’s strategic priorities and overseeing negotiations with multilateral organizations and governments.

Stephen is a former Deputy Executive Director of The Securities Commission of The Bahamas and has held executive positions at blue chip financial institutions in the United States, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition, he is a recognized thought leader on financial sector integrity, tax policy and regulatory compliance and has been a consultant on financial sector policy for governments, NGOs and institutions in Brazil, The Bahamas, Argentina, Uruguay, Bermuda and Cayman Islands.

Francesco Vanacore

Francesco Vanacore has been working for more than 20 years in the areas of international tax planning, family office, family governance  and related regulatory issues. He focuses on the advisor of international families in relation to their comprehensive wealth planning needs. He is a STEP member with the LLM in International Tax Law at the University of Zurich.

After more than 20 years of experience and very senior management positions at Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt and Credit Suisse in Zurich where he was board member of Credit Suisse Trust, he joined in November 2017 Ansbacher (Bahamas) Limited where he is responsible for the Fiduciary and Wealth Planning Department. One of the major reason for his move to The Bahamas is the possibility to exploit the enormous business opportunities out of The Bahamas.

Antoine Bastian

Antoine Bastian earned his B.Sc. in Accounting from Indiana University in 1989 and qualified as a Certified Public Accountant in 1993. He began his career in 1990 with Deloitte & Touche LLP. From 1993 to 1995, he was a Mutual Fund Administrator with MeesPierson Fund Service (formerly Fund Service International, Limited). Subsequently, he
managed St. Matthew Investment Fund Accounting Limited., a Bahamian fund administrator that was associated with Michael J. Liccar & Co., CPAs of Chicago, Illinois.

In 1999, he joined The Private Trust Corporation Limited as Manager of the Mutual Fund Department and was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2001. In September 2002, Mr. Bastian was appointed as Managing Director of Genesis Fund Services Limited, a licensed Investment Fund Administrator. Mr. Bastian is a Founding Member of the Bahamas Association of Investment Fund Administrators and works actively with the development and promotion of fund administration.

Aliya Allen

Aliya Allen re-joined the law firm of Graham Thompson as a partner in February 2016. She returned to the firm after four years as the CEO and Executive Director of the Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB). In that position she provided industry leadership in the development of the Investment Condominium (ICON) legislation. And similarly led the Graham Thompson team of technical advisors to the Bahamas Securities Commission in the revision of the Investment Fund Act.

Her practice areas include banking law, investment funds, securities law, trusts and estate planning and structuring, securitisation and capital markets. She began her career at Graham Thompson in 2007, leaving in 2012 to take up the leadership at the BFSB. She has worked as counsel, to the Office of the Attorney General with focus in international cooperation and civil matters.  Aliya Allen has been recognised by the prominent London-based Chambers and Partners as a leader in her field, and Citywealth Leaders List as one of IFC Top 200 Powerwomen.

Brian Jones

Brian Jones is the Managing Director of LENO Corporate Services Ltd. Brian is responsible for fund administration, pensions and corporate services. He also serves as a member of Leno’s investment management committee as the firm broadens and deepens the scope of its products and services. Brian has over fifteen years of experience in investment funds, corporate governance and financial services. Previously he served as President and Managing Director of Deltec Fund Services Limited. He has also held other senior level positions throughout his career in financial services including President, Director and Manager at internationally reputable firms and industry organizations.

Brian holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics (HONS), from St. John’s University in Minnesota. With a strong belief in continuous professional development, amongst his many accolades, Brian is also a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA). Brian is a Director and Treasurer of the Bahamas Financial Services Board and has been acting in this capacity since2012. Brian is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of the Bahamas where he chairs the Investment and Finance Committee.

Linda Beidler-D’Aguilar

Linda Beidler-D’Aguilar joined Glinton Sweeting O’Brien as a partner in July 2015.  In her practice she specializes in the structuring and creation of vehicles (including investment funds) for multinational institutional clients as well as private clients; she also advises on corporate transactions, securities law (including public and private offerings) as well as general commercial matters.

Linda graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service with a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service, and received her law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center.  She was called to the bar of the State of Illinois in 1988.  After working in a top tier Chicago firm and at Kelley Drye & Warren’s Washington D.C. office, she moved to The Bahamas in 1991.  Linda was employed by two major trust companies before she was recruited to serve as in-house intellectual property counsel to Bacardi & Company Limited; she returned to private practice in 2003.

Linda served as a Director of the Bahamas Financial Services Board from 2010 to 2014, and continues to be active in BFSB’s regulatory, legislative and product development initiatives.  She speaks regularly at BFSB events including the 2014 and 2016 IBFS conferences, the 2014 and 2015 Bahamas Landfall events in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and the 2013 Bahamas Landfall event in London, as well as other financial services industry events including the 2017 Private Wealth Latin America Forum, 2015 Private Wealth Brazil Forum and the Third Annual Caribbean Conference on the International Financial Services Sector.  She’s written articles for magazines including BFSB’s Gateway, the IFC Review and LatAm Fund Manager, as well as informational and promotional pieces for BFSB.  She was a member of BFSB’s ICON Working Group that received the Development and Promotion Award in 2014; in 2016 she received BFSB’s Minister’s Award for services to the financial services industry.

Linda is actively involved in the education of persons throughout the financial services sector to ensure that participants are up to date and familiar with new legislation, and have the necessary information to perform efficiently and effectively.  She has assisted the Bahamas Financial Services Board with training and educational programs for industry as well as public sector employees; independently she has presented to the Securities Commission and Central Bank.

Linda is a non-executive member of the board of directors of Clairmont Trust Company Limited.