Executive Board

A major driving force behind the Vistra vision, Bart’s extensive experience at the highest levels of the private banking and trust industry as well as his Masters Degrees in Applied Economics and Accountancy, have provided him with the ideal foundations to lead the Vistra Group.

Bart was instrumental in the management buy-in which led to the formation of Vistra and leads its drive to become one of the leading independent players in the Trust and Corporate Services markets.

Previous to his position at Vistra, Bart held senior roles at Ernst & Young and MeesPierson – culminating as MeesPierson Intertrust’s Chief Executive Officer.

Bart’s unparalleled experience in trust and corporate service provision has also seen him appointed as a board member of the International Trust Companies Association and member of the International Fiscal Association and International Tax Planning Association..

Dennis’ international expertise and worldwide perspective is invaluable to Vistra’s provision of Global opportunities and solutions for its clients. This experience is recognised outside of the Vistra Group and Dennis is often invited to lead speaking engagements at international financial conferences.

He handled many international mergers, acquisitions and divestments for his previous employer, MeesPierson and was Director of Mergers and Acquisitions for one of the world’s largest trust and corporate services providers.

The strength of Mark’s business experience is underpinned by his Masters Degree in Law and as well as the legal expertise that Mark brings, his experience in relationship building with major financial institutions and intermediaries is essential for developing Vistra’s Independent vision.

Walter is a member of many professional associations and is a founder and committee member of the Swiss anti money laundering self-regulatory body, ARIF. He holds a variety of academic honours including a Diplôme in International Economics from the Institut Universitaire de Hautes Etudes Internationales (Geneva), a Master in International Affairs from Columbia University (New York), a Diplome d’Etudes Francaises from the Université de Grenoble and a BA degree from the Drew University (New Jersey).

With his long standing expertise in fiduciary and estate planning matters, along with his fluency in French, English and German, Walter is one of the key contributors to the realisation of Vistra’s vision.

A Chartered IT Professional (CITP), he gained a BSc (Hons) degree in Computer Science & Psychology from the University of Liverpool and is a fully qualified PRINCE2 practitioner.

Alastair’s IT management and organisational skills are vital to the efficient running of Vistra’s Global framework and its strict data protection protocols. As the Group expands, Alastair’s systems integration experience is essential to ensure that new companies are brought smoothly into the Vistra Network.

Jan is a qualified Chartered Accountant with a background in auditing and management accounting in the UK. He is also a member of Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (TEP) 

Specialising in Trust and Company Services, Jan has pursued his career through acquiring a Jersey Trust Company and Accountancy Practice in 1994 which was subsequently sold to the company in 2000.

Jan''s strengths in financial management and accounting is an essential element of developing the Vistra vision by creating a foundation of confidence for Vistra''s shareholders.

Andrew was appointed Group Finance Director of Ermitage Asset Management Jersey Limited in 2000, where he was responsible for all group financial, operational and compliance areas. In 2001, he became a Private Client Director at WJB Chiltern (Jersey) Limited.

With Vistra’s management buy-in of WJB Chiltern in 2006, Andrew has made the move to Vistra and his knowledge of offshore structuring as well as his understanding of clients’ needs have quickly made him an integral part of Vistra’s Jersey office.

In 2000 he went back to The Netherlands to take on the responsibility for the Austrian, Belgian, Danish, Dutch and Spanish operations. At that point, MeesPierson Intertrust was the largest trust company of the Netherlands. In September 2003 he became the Managing Director of MeesPierson Private Banking which was the second largest private bank of the Netherlands.

In 2006 and after more than fifteen years within the MeesPierson Group, Ivo joined an international trust group for a period of three years as the Commercial Director for their East Asian offices, during this time, he also managed the launch of their Fund Services business in Asia.

Besides Ivo’s extensive experience in Corporate Trust, Private Banking and Fund services, he has the capacity to lead multi disciplinary teams. His structuring knowledge enables him to strengthen our service offering for our clients, essential for the continued growth of our Luxembourg office.

After moving with the company to the Isle of Man, he spent two years establishing and running Edsaco’s offshore operations which were later sold to Fortis Bank.

In 1999, David returned to London as a manager of the Private Client section of WJB Chiltern and was instrumental in expanding the division, which was subject to a management buy-in by Vistra’s shareholders in 2005.

By 2006, David was made a Director of Vistra (UK) Limited and a year later became Managing Director of the UK operations, upon Vistra’s move to the new London Park Lane offices.

David is an expert in immigration matters and is registered by the OISC (Office of Immigration Service Commissioners) to provide immigration advice and services to clients wanting to move to the UK.

Sjaak joined Vistra after it acquired the Monterey Group, a fiduciary business which he co-founded and which had become firmly established in the Netherlands. Monterey Group was ranked 11th in the Dutch marketplace at the time of its acquisition by Vistra. It is now fully incorporated into the Vistra Group as a multi-jurisdictional company with offices in Breda, Curacao, Cyprus and Luxembourg. Such strong international experience and expertise perfectly complements Vistra’s international outlook.

As well as his tax and accountancy expertise, Sjaak speaks English, Dutch and German and has a wide range of interests outside of business. He is for instance, treasurer or secretary of a number of charitable foundations which operate in the Netherlands, India and Kenya.

From 1998, Tako was Managing Director of Holland Intertrust and a member of the Global Executive Board of Intertrust. In 2002, after its acquisition by MeesPierson, Tako was appointed Commercial Director and was responsible for all marketing and business development activities in the Netherlands.

Tako is currently running the Amsterdam office of Vistra and his skills in the management of complicated corporate structures makes him a significant asset to the company.

A frequent speaker in seminars and a publisher of various articles on international taxation, after completing a higher business economics study, Arjan graduated in tax law at the University of Leiden.

In 2005, Arjan founded ACSA, a Cypriot corporate service provider, with his business colleague Adriaan Coppens. ACSA’s expertise in international fiscal structuring and corporate services led to the company being brought under the Vistra Group umbrella in April 2008.

Arjan is experienced in the provision of high quality management services to an international corporate client base and will be driving forward the group’s vision for Cyprus.

Arjan is Managing Director of the Cyprus office and a member of the Vistra Executive Board.

After graduating from the University of Tasmania in 1991 with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree, John began his career serving large international accounting firms in Australia, including Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young, where he specialised in providing taxation and business services for both corporate and private clients. He became a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia in 1993.

John extended his career into the international trust and corporate service arena when he left Australia, taking up senior posts with Asiaciti Trust in Samoa and Singapore, and later being appointed as a Director of one of the leading providers in Hong Kong. He is now also a member of several international professional bodies, including the Society for Trust and Estate Practitioners and the International Tax Planning Association.

John joined Vistra in 2009 to set up and lead our team of professionals in our Hong Kong office. With his knowledge of the Asia Pacific jurisdictions and extensive experience in assisting clients with their structuring needs, he will bring confidence to clients looking to expand their business and investment activities into Asia.