Butterfield Trust, part of the Butterfield Group, has been named trust company of the year by the Society of Trust and Estate Practioners (STEP).

“We are honoured that Butterfield Trust has been recognised by our peer-professionals as trust company of the year from a pool of candidates that included many well-known international institutions,” said Michael Collins, Butterfield’s chief executive officer.

“The provision of personalised service through which local fiduciary relationship managers draw upon the expertise and resources of the entire Butterfield Trust network to meet each client’s unique needs is a hallmark of our service approach.

“This award affirms that that approach, and the quality of the solutions we’re able to offer are best-in-class. Congratulations to the entire Butterfield Trust team on receiving this important accolade.”

The Butterfield Trust, comprises six independently incorporated trust companies located in Bermuda, Guernsey, Switzerland, Cayman Islands, The Bahamas and New Zealand. It was named trust company of the year at the tenth annual STEP Private Client Awards.

Paul Stibbard, chair of the awards’ presiding judges, said: “Butterfield Trust has a robust fiduciary offering, global reach, a sophisticated client delivery team and has made a significant investment in technology.

“Their collaborative approach internally (and externally) enables clients to have a single relationship with the company across jurisdictions and they have displayed a rigorous approach to compliance and regulatory issues.”

Bob Moore, Butterfield’s head of group trust, said “For more than 75 years — since that advent of offshore trust legislation — Butterfield has been providing trust and estate services to international clients.

He added: “Being awarded the STEP trust company of the year designation reflects the breadth of solutions and the expertise that Butterfield Trust has developed over those many years, along with our focus on client service excellence.”

While Martin Pollock, managing director of Butterfield Trust (Bermuda) Limited, said: “ We are honoured to have been named trust company of the year and to have been acknowledged by fellow practitioners in the international trust industry for our technical expertise, international reach and commitment to top quality client service.”