Following Hawksford’s acquisition of Paradigm Governance Partners in the Cayman Islands last year, Simon Page, Head of Fund Services and Geoff Ruddick, Managing Director and Country Head – Cayman Islands, spoke to Cayman Finance about the important role the jurisdiction is set to play as part of the firm’s global growth strategy.
Q1: Why was establishing a presence in the Cayman Islands such an important next step in growing Hawksford’s fund servicing capabilities?
Simon Page (SP): The Cayman Islands is globally recognised as a leading offshore centre for hedge and private equity funds; it boasts more than 30,000 alternative funds managing more than $8.2 trillion in net assets. Against the backdrop of Hawksford’s own ambitions to significantly grow its multi-jurisdictional, multi-service funds proposition, establishing a presence in Cayman was a natural next step.
The acquisition of Paradigm Governance Partners – a Cayman and US-based specialist governance and fund services firm – was central to this move. It provided Hawksford with a number of key benefits, including immediate critical mass in the Cayman market, access to a deep pool of governance expertise and a platform for further growth in the US and Caribbean markets.
Q2: What made Paradigm such a good fit for Hawksford’s plans?
Geoff Ruddick (GR): Several factors contributed to the strong alignment between Paradigm and Hawksford. First and foremost was the quality of service. Paradigm operated as a fiduciary and financial services company with a client and investor-centric delivery model, fully licensed and regulated by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA).
Equally as important was the cultural compatibility. The operational frameworks, strategic mindsets, regulatory status and approaches of both firms were highly complementary. The diverse but well-aligned geographical footprint was also significant. Paradigm had a strong reputation in Cayman and the US markets – regions that are of strategic importance to Hawksford’s growth trajectory. Meanwhile, Hawksford has a considerable presence in other global markets, including the UK and Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia – something that presents new opportunities for our clients.
SP: There’s no doubt that Paradigm represented a strong cultural and operational fit from a Hawksford perspective. That was a big factor. Our integration plan over the past year or so has very much focused on ensuring we embraced Paradigm’s values, while also leveraging Hawksford’s structured approach to developing the business – bringing the absolute best from both sides to strengthen where there was overlap and synergy, and leverage where there were additional services, solutions and benefits.
The end result is that, through our new Cayman operation, we are able to enhance Hawksford’s global funds proposition and bring new complementary service lines to Hawksford’s existing growth story in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa – all with a shared ambition and service ethos. Those benefits to our Cayman team and clients will be bolstered further as we look to add investment into technology and our operational infrastructure too.
Q3: What does Hawksford’s Cayman team specialise in?
GR: From our Cayman and US locations, we provide high touch boutique fiduciary services to investment managers. These include hedge funds, family offices, crypto funds, venture capital, closed-end funds, and private equity vehicles. Our directors are seasoned professionals, with an aggregate 300 years of collective experience, as well as complementary skillsets that cover the full spectrum of the alternative investments industry.
Our expertise encompasses risk management, legal and regulatory compliance, tax, fund administration, valuation, trading and value recovery. The services we offer specifically from Cayman include independent directorships, distressed fund and value recovery, outsourced accounting, family office operational support, anti-money laundering, economic substance, and ancillary services – all designed to safeguard investor interests and assist clients in achieving their strategic objectives.
Left: Geoff Ruddick (GR), Managing Director and Country Head – Cayman Islands; Right: Simon Page (SP), Head of Fund Services
Q4: How important is governance expertise to global fund managers?
GR: Corporate governance and regulatory complexity continue to shape the landscape and impact clients. In response, there is unquestionably a greater demand for independent oversight and a need for strong governance by both institutional investors and regulators.
This positions our Cayman team at the forefront of industry requirements. Our directors are able to leverage extensive experience to help clients navigate evolving regulations while staying abreast of the latest industry developments and adding value through independent judgement and strategic insight.
Q5: How do you anticipate the business evolving in 2026 and beyond?
SP: Hawksford is continuing a phase of accelerated expansion – this year is a year of growth across our funds and wider corporate services divisions in Europe, and our Cayman presence is very much a key element in that strategy in the Americas market – acting as a springboard for broader strategic ambitions.
As Hawksford continues to grow, our aim is to become more diversified and resilient, funding further investment in people and client service, which will include expansion into additional robust, regulated markets with high barriers to entry, building out the global client base and pursuing additive acquisitions that align culturally and strategically.
GR: What was clear from the integration of both businesses was the potential that exists – and clients are alive to that. Hawksford’s visibility is expanding rapidly, becoming increasingly global, more deeply entrenched in diverse markets, and spanning multiple service lines. We are excited to see that manifest itself both here in Cayman and across the wider Group. Our Cayman team is fully equipped and positioned to support Hawksford’s global ambitions, not only as a service hub, but as a strategic contributor to the continued growth of the business.
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