Indrani V. Vesin

Indrani Veronica Vesin is “Of Counsel” at Bonnard Lawson in the Private Client team, based in Switzerland. A UK-qualified Barrister (Middle Temple, London), and attorney-at-law from the English-speaking Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago), she has extensive post-qualification experience in the UK, Switzerland, and the Caribbean.  As a trusts expert, Indrani is well-versed in the laws and regulations governing trusts and foundations across prime jurisdictions, including the UK & Commonwealth, Continental Europe, and the Middle East.

Indrani’s practice focuses on cross-border tax and wealth planning, estate and succession matters, intra-family transfers, family governance, and private international law.  She provides expert analysis of legal and tax issues related to trusts, foundations, hybrid entities, civil law constructions and estate planning techniques. Additionally, she advises trustees on structuring, strategic guidance, and compliance in complex trust matters.  Indrani also counsels financial institutions on the use of the trust as a commercial device in financial lending.

With over 25 years of expertise in private client advisory, Indrani has held senior positions in Swiss subsidiaries of premier US, Swiss and French financial institutions.  As a former director of Swiss and Cayman trust companies belonging to a Tier 1 European banking group, she played a key role in trustee decision-making, UHNWI structuring, wealth administration.  She also supported voluntary tax disclosures and interacted with regulators.  In recognition of her expertise, she was elected to represent a Swiss trust company on the Executive Committee of the Swiss Association of Trust Companies (“SATC”), Zug, where she oversaw regulatory and compliance matters.

Indrani holds an LLB (Hons) in English law from the University of Exeter, England.  She also studied aspects of French private law at the Université d’Aix-Marseille III in France before specialising in Equity & Trusts at the University of London, earning an LLM with distinction in UK taxation.

Professional Experience

• Senior International Wealth Planner/Team leader, Indosuez Wealth Management, Geneva, a subsidiary of the Crédit Agricole Group (2001-2024)
  -Director, Indosuez Trust (Switzerland) SA, Geneva (2010 – 2015)
  -Director, Indosuez Trust Company (Cayman) Limited, Cayman Islands (2002 – 2014)
  -Member of the Executive Committee, Swiss Association of Trust Companies (SATC), Zug (2014 -2015)
• Senior Trust Officer, Trust Sales/Advisory, Credit Suisse Trust and Credit Suisse Private Banking, Geneva (1997 -2001)
• Trust Marketing Manager, Citibank Private Bank, Geneva (1996 – 1997)
• Lawyer, Poncet Turrettini Amaudruz & Neyroud (PTAN), Geneva (1994 – 1995)
• Attorney at law, Pollonais & Blanc, Trinidad, West Indies (1993 – 1994)
• Barrister (pupil), Chambers of Lord Irvine of Lairg QC, 11 King’s Bench Walk, Inner Temple, London, UK (1992)

Education

2014 :    LL.M (Equity & Trusts & UK Tax laws) University of London
1992 :    Call to the Bar, Middle Temple Inn of Court, London, England (Overseas Barrister)
1992 :    Attorney at law admitted to the Supreme Court of Trinidad & Tobago (English-speaking Caribbean)
1989 :    LL.B Hons (English law with French private law), University of Exeter, Devon, UK / Université d’Aix-Marseille III, Pavillon de Lenfant, France

Memberships

2009 :    TEP, STEP (Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners), Qualified Practitioner member – Prize for best thesis in French-speaking Switzerland.
1989 :    The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, Temple Lane, London, UK.

Languages

English (mother tongue)
French (native speaker)
Spanish (working proficiency)

Articles

• The trust as a contextual, not a conceptual, category (2021).
• Specific Features of UK charities with an overview of the purpose trust legislation of selected Commonwealth jurisdictions (2010).
• A commentary on the requirements for minuting trustee meetings and the decisions taken with particular reference to beneficiaries’ and protectors’ rights to disclosure of information under statute and case law, STEP (2010).
• Matters to be considered where offshore trustees of foreign settlements are distributing assets/funds to a Swiss or Liechtenstein beneficiary, STEP (2009).
• The taxation of trusts, trustees, protectors and underlying companies by Switzerland, STEP (2008).
• Transmission of wealth of the Islamic Client and the trust (2005).

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Practice Areas