Spear’s Review

‘We have geopolitical risks in various pockets of the world at the moment, and that means that the UHNW community is thinking ever more carefully about structuring options,’ observes Piers Master, head of the international private client practice at Charles Russell Speechlys. 

Master, a go-to adviser for a range of tax matters, from trusts to succession and estate planning, has received an influx of asset structuring enquiries recently, particularly from the Middle East. In addition to his Middle Eastern clients, who include ruling family members and billionaires, he assists HNW individuals from around the world.

His work sometimes requires him to ask clients to consider quite personal questions before taking a big decision, such as migrating to another country. ‘I would ask what state their marriage is in, and they sometimes raise an eyebrow or two,’ he laughs.