The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) is a globally operating professional organisation for specialists in trust management and international succession planning. With currently more than 20,000 members and students, it is the largest interest group in the trust sector and the leading worldwide professional organisation for specialists in trusts and succession planning. Several partners and employees of swisspartners Group have been members of STEP for many years and. swisspartners has been a supporter of various STEP events for a number of years. Furthermore Geralda Kral, a partner in swisspartners Marcuard Heritage AG, is currently a committee member of the STEP branch in Zurich.
STEP was founded in 1991 with the aim of uniting specialists in the rapidly growing trust industry under one organisation and creating a worldwide network. The purpose of this network is to promote the exchange of information, knowledge and experience between members by offering national and international conferences, seminars, lectures and specialist literature on a regular basis. STEP has evolved over time to become a global professional organisation that also represents the lobbying interests of its members both nationally and internationally.
STEP members come from law firms, specialist trust and trustee companies, international accountancy firms, as well as banks, insurance companies and associated areas of the finance industry. Some members specialise in individual products and services in the financial sector, while others operate in diverse fields such as the planning, implementation and management of trusts, succession & asset structuring, company management & administration, in addition to the associated tax planning and legal advisory services.
Unlike other similar professional organisations, professionals wishing to obtain STEP membership have to complete a rigorous training programme and pass a qualifying exam. Full members of STEP, called Trust and Estate Practitioners (TEPs), have a reputation for being highly experienced and sought-after practitioners in the field of trusts and estate structures due to their solid qualifications under STEP’s training modules and the requisite practical experience.
STEP is the only institution to offer solid and practical education in the fields of trusts and international succession planning, especially in non-Anglo-Saxon countries. A survey of members showed that most employers in the aforementioned areas consider TEP training and certification to be a sound basis of qualification, while the high level of knowledge developed over time has become indispensable to employers, employees and everyone involved in their day-to-day work.
With this in mind, STEP established the Employer Partnership Programme (EPP) in 2014. The employers participating in this programme are committed to actively supporting and promoting the professional development of their employees, allowing them to provide a qualified service for trusts and succession structuring that is recognised throughout the sector.
As one of four accredited Employer Partnership partners in Switzerland, swisspartners Marcuard Heritage AG actively supports all employees who are interested in training to become full members of STEP as TEPs. It also requires and promotes the continuous professional development of its full members so that they can maintain and build on their extensive knowledge and experience. Thanks to its involvement, swisspartners offers all of its employees the opportunity to benefit from the positive and motivating impact that this training has on the company, while ensuring that it remains an attractive and committed employer in the job market.
The highly skilled team of experts at swisspartners Marcuard Heritage AG offers comprehensive trust and corporate services in the fields of planning, structuring and administration of trusts and international companies, as well as associated estate planning arrangements.
Dominik Kurt, Partner
dominik.kurt@swisspartners.com
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