Nikell Vanesa Johnson
Trust Officer
Singapore
Summary
Dedicated and detail-oriented Trust Officer with over seven years of experience in wealth management and fiduciary services and over a decade of experience in financial services. Special expertise in managing trust accounts, estate planning, and providing tailored financial solutions to ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families. Excels in building long-lasting client relationships through exceptional service, effective communication, and a deep understanding of clients’ unique financial goals. Committed to upholding the highest ethical standards and delivering personalized strategies that enhance client wealth and legacy.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Assistant Vice President - Trust Officer
Cititrust (Singapore) Limited
01.2023 - Current
- Trust Administration: Manage and administer an existing book of revocable/irrevocable trusts, charitable trusts, unfunded life insurance trusts and stand-alone companies for ultra-high net worth individuals
- Client Interaction: Serve as the primary point of contact for clients, providing updates and information regarding their structures. Lead client meetings with Wealth Planners and perform trust reviews with clients.
- Compliance/ Legal: Ensure trust administration is conducted in compliance with internal policies, jurisdictional laws and regulatory requirements
- Asset Management: Oversee the investment and management of trust assets in accordance with the trust agreement and client objectives
- New Business: Review legal and trust documents for new trusts, including letters of wishes, distribution schedules, trust instruments/amendments and restructuring
- Risk: Identify and assess risk when making business decisions and report risk criteria to the Senior Risk Committee for structures under my management
- Supervising: Provide guidance and feedback to Assistant Trust Officers in day-to-day administrationof trust structures
- Teamwork: Serve as backup for other Trust Officers when out of office
- Regulatory Reporting: Ensure timely audit of Singapore standalone companies to meet AGM and annual return filing deadlines for tax authority, as well as CRS and FACTA reporting for all structures
- Financial Reporting: Review and deliver regular financial statements, tax documents, and reports for settlors and beneficiaries.
- Relationship management: Cultivated and strengthened lasting client relationships beneficiaries, attorneys, accountants, and financial advisors
- Education and Advising: Provide guidance to clients and beneficiaries regarding trust provisions and financial planning strategies. Attend STEP events.
Associate - Trust Administrator
J.P. Morgan Trust Company (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
09.2019 - 12.2022
- Assumed the role of Trust Officer and managed a small book of complex trust structures including: revocable and irrevocable trusts, trusts holding life insurance policies and real estate, 13X structure and charitable trusts formed by ultra-high net worth individuals
- Partner closely with the firm's internal teams in Singapore and Hong Kong such as Wealth Advisors, Bankers, Investment Analysts, Client Service Specialists and Credit teams to complete transactions for day-to-day trust administration, as well as liaise with Compliance & Tax teams when necessary
- Communicate with external parties such as bankers, relationship managers, client attorneys, and tax advisors
- Foster professional relationships with clients and family offices, ensuring excellent service is rendered in the administration of their trust structures and answer client queries as they arise
- Ability to build and nurture a solid relationship with our biggest family office for over five years and act as a main point of contact in the administration of their structures by proactively responding to their requests and processing transactions timely and accurately
- Perform reviews on trust structures inclusive of ongoing administrative reviews, AML/KYC Reviews, 90-day reviews and client review presentations
- Prepare, review and execute investment documents for private equities & hedge funds
- Draft letters for appointment of successor protectors, review trust deeds and amendments and seek advice from internal and/or external legal counsel
- Draft letters of directions for directed distributions & disbursement and draft letters of request for discretionary distributions
- Liaise with registered office & registered agent for payment of annual government license fees, economic substance fees, request Certificates of Incumbency, and ensure that companies are in good standing
- Collaborate with the New Business team to establish new structures
- Review and approve trust financial statements
- Attend client meetings with representatives from Family Offices including CEOs & COOs
- Serve as an authorized signatory of the trust company and corporate director
- Compile documents for internal audit and Singapore regulatory filings
- Collaboration with the Fee Billing team for collection of annual management fees
- Trained Trust Officers/Trust Analyst and shared intellectual knowledge on the firm's policies, procedures and internal applications for processing workflows including performing administrative reviews, financial statement reviews and processing credit facility transactions
- Provide coverage for Trust Officer and Trust Analyst in their absence
- Attend STEP and Singapore Trustees Association Conferences
Trust Analyst
J.P. Morgan Trust Company (Bahamas) Limited
01.2017 - 08.2019
- Administer revocable and irrevocable trust structures including trusts holding single-premium life insurance policies and real estate as well as charitable trusts
- Prepare and process all required documentation for transactions arising from the day-to-day administration of Trust structures including investments, distributions and disbursements
- Prepare documentation for account openings and closures of existing structures
- Prepare letters of request and make recommendations for discretionary distributions at Trust & Investment Committee meetings
- Prepare subscription documents for investments in private equities and hedge funds
- Assist with the preparation of Trust Reviews
- Maintain Directorsʼ and Shareholderʼs Registers and other statutory records
- Assist Trust Officer with the review of financial statements
- Liaise with registrar general's officer for formation documents of new companies
- Assist Trust Officer with special projects
- Assist Business Management team with ongoing testing of workflows in 5Series
Personal Banking Officer
Scotiabank (Bahamas) Limited
11.2015 - 12.2016
- Cultivate relationships with existing bank clients and potential clients who were in need of financial services
- Exceeded annual sales goal of $2.5 million in sales inclusive of mortgages, short-term loans, credit cards and assisted team members to build a sales pipeline for the branch
- Analyze and verify clients' financial information in applications to determine creditworthiness within the bank's policy
- Conduct external marketing to promote the bank's products and services in an effort to build clientele
- Liaise with lawyers, appraisers, surveyors and insurance agents throughout the mortgage application process
- Schedule daily appointments with clients to determine their financial needs and help them to achieve their financial goals
- Resolve customer complaints with respect to their loan payments and credit card balances
- Interview candidates for the position of 'Teller'
- Mentor Tellers and Customer Service Representatives
- Voted Top Sales Officer (Scotiabank, Cable Beach Branch) - April 2016
Customer Service Representative / Cage Teller
Scotiabank (Bahamas) Limited
07.2011 - 10.2015
- Acted as Customer Service Supervisor to a team of three Customer Service Representatives
- Prepare the bankʼs accounting support package daily
- Open deposit accounts in compliance with the Central Bank of The Bahamasʼ AML/KYC standards
- Settle customer disputes and answer queries via email and telephone
- Launch investigations into customers' accounts for credit card and debit card fraud
- Voted Best of the Best Nominee for Scotiabank, East St & Soldier Road Branch - 2015
- Employee of the Month - April 2015
- Custodian of bank branch's BSD and USD cash holdings
- Balanced and loaded ATM's weekly
- Process clients daily transactions including deposits, withdrawals, wire transfers, and loan payments
- Created bank drafts and handled foreign currency conversion
- Referred customers who needed financial assistance to sales officers
Education
Master of Wealth And Trust Management -
Gardner-Webb University
North Carolina, USA05.2021
Advanced Certificate in Trust Disputes -
Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners
11.2018
Diploma in International Trust Management -
Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners (STEP)
STEP Bahamas Branch11.2016
FINRA Series 7 License -
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
10.2016
Bachelor of Business Administration in Management -
University of The Bahamas
Nassau, Bahamas05.2011
Skills
- Strong analytical, communication, interpersonal and presentation skills;
- Ability to manage multiple client accounts and prioritize tasks
- Familiarity with estate and tax laws, investment principles, and financial planning concepts
- Detail-oriented and solution driven
- Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Adobe Acrobat Pro
- Ability to maintain confidentiality and act with integrity
- A team player and self-starter
Personal Information
- Gender: Female
- Nationality: Bahamian
Hobbies and Interests
- Writing
- Exercise
- Philanthropy
- Public-Speaking
Timeline
Assistant Vice President - Trust Officer
Cititrust (Singapore) Limited
01.2023 - Current
Associate - Trust Administrator
J.P. Morgan Trust Company (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
09.2019 - 12.2022
Trust Analyst
J.P. Morgan Trust Company (Bahamas) Limited
01.2017 - 08.2019
Personal Banking Officer
Scotiabank (Bahamas) Limited
11.2015 - 12.2016
Customer Service Representative / Cage Teller
Scotiabank (Bahamas) Limited
07.2011 - 10.2015
Master of Wealth And Trust Management -
Gardner-Webb University
Advanced Certificate in Trust Disputes -
Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners
Diploma in International Trust Management -
Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners (STEP)
FINRA Series 7 License -
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
Bachelor of Business Administration in Management -
University of The Bahamas
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