Butterfield Bank said yesterday that Butterfield Trust was named Institutional Trust Company Team of the Year at the annual Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners Awards (STEP) on 13 October.

Bob Moore, managing director of Butterfield Bank (Guernsey) Limited collected the award on behalf of the Group and said that he attributed the success to the high level of attention Butterfield provides to clients and their advisers.

"We have been in the business of administering trusts since the advent of global trust legislation more than 70 years ago," Mr. Moore said. "To have won arguably the most prestigious award in the private client world is a credit to the legacy we have inherited as well as the experience and knowledge of our team internationally."

Delegates gathered at the London Hilton for the black-tie awards ceremony, which was hosted by Gyles Brandreth.

Highlighting excellence among private client attorneys, accountants, barristers, bankers, trusts managers and financial advisers, 20 different awards were presented covering various areas of private client practice.

These were judged by a panel of 14 judges, supported by a panel of experts that included more than 100 industry professionals worldwide. Butterfield also sponsored the Philanthropy Team of the Year Award, which was presented by Katie Booth, managing director of Butterfield International Private Office Ltd.

Butterfield's chief executive officer Alan Thompson said: "We couldn't be more pleased by this success. Over the years we have expanded our international presence and now have experienced professionals in many of the world's most prestigious financial centres.

"This pool of knowledge is invaluable and will have no doubt contributed to our win."