Hawksford Review

Hawksford, established in 1963, has developed a profound international presence. The firm operates through a network of 18 offices located across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Hawksford has a substantial client base as it has served more than 4,000 clients from 115 countries.

Their clientele ranges from multinational corporations and family-owned companies to fund managers, high-net-worth individuals, and financial intermediaries. Hawksford manages the burdens of regulatory compliance, financial oversight, tax adherence, corporate governance, and reporting obligations for multinational client companies.

In this Hawksford review, we will outline the services, its operational structure, and explain how it delivers support to its international clientele. We will also discuss the pros and cons of working with Hawksford.

Hawksford’s Key Services

Hawksford eases wealth management and fund operations for global businesses with a diverse range of corporate, private client, and fund administration services. Their offerings are executed through the company’s own established local offices and integrated solutions for specific client needs. 

Hawksford’s primary service areas address financial and administrative requirements, such as:

Advisory Services

Hawksford provides specialized advisory support on strategic structuring, wealth planning, and regulatory compliance for complex global arrangements. They explicitly state they do not provide legal, tax, or investment advice due to their core administration and compliance offerings.

Hawksford’s experts advise clients on the optimal legal structures for international business operations, company formation, establishing branches, or setting up partnerships internationally. Clients can select frameworks that align with their commercial goals and local regulatory environments.

Hawksford offers effective wealth protection and growth strategies for establishing trusts, foundations, and a family office for intergenerational wealth transfer and asset management. They assist clients in adhering to regulatory frameworks where they operate, related to anti-money laundering, sanctions, and other financial regulations.

Hawksford facilitates the administrative aspects of transactions. This includes supporting due diligence processes, managing the corporate secretarial and governance aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and restructuring post-deal.

Capability Development

Hawksford does not directly offer services like establishing Research and Development centers; its core administrative and compliance services significantly contribute to a client’s operational capability development. Hawksford enables clients to concentrate internal resources on their core business activities and capabilities.

Hawksford frees up client internal resources by taking over the administration, accounting, and tax reporting burden. Clients can redirect efforts towards internal processes, core operations, and investing in strategic capabilities like product development or market expansion.

Their management of local compliance and regulatory obligations provides clients with a stable and secure administrative infrastructure. This foundation minimizes legal and financial risks, and clients can deploy their business capabilities internationally without the concern of regulatory non-adherence. Hawksford enables clients to dedicate more time and capital to their primary growth drivers.

Entity Formation

Hawksford provides support for the formation of legal entities, a fundamental step for businesses, private clients, and funds to establish a formal presence in foreign markets. 

They consult with clients to understand their objectives and recommend the most effective legal structure, such as companies, trusts, foundations, or partnerships, to meet regulatory requirements and client goals.

Many countries impose strict regulations on foreign ownership and participation. Hawksford guides clients through these conditions to make sure a proposed structural ownership adheres to local laws.

If resident directors, local board members, or shareholders are legally required for incorporation, Hawksford assists in establishing these relationships for legal compliance and security.

Hawksford manages all steps to incorporate entities in different jurisdictions. This typically includes: 

• Name reservation and verification.
• Official address registration.
• Company secretary appointment.
• Drafting and filing articles.
• Bank account setup and capital deposit.
• Share structuring and distribution.
• Obtaining registration/incorporation certificates.
• Taxation and social security registration.

Hawksford also assists clients in obtaining necessary business licenses for specific activities. It includes registering trademarks and other intellectual property, and handling the filing of initial or ongoing annual or quarterly tax returns on behalf of the newly established entity. These establishment services are available for commercial companies and complex private client structures like trusts and foundations.

Other Services

Hawksford has its specialized knowledge across a wide range of additional corporate and administrative services to facilitate success in various areas of international operation:

• Corporate Governance Management: Hawksford provides ongoing corporate governance support. This includes managing board administration, fulfilling complex reporting tasks, and organizing shareholder meetings. They also offer custodial services, such as document authentication and acting as a local agent where legally required.
• Accounting and Tax Operations: Clients can outsource their ongoing accounting and tax activities to Hawksford. This includes bookkeeping, account reconciliation, and accurate financial statements. They also oversee regular tax reporting for continuous compliance with local tax laws.
• Audit Support: Hawksford assists clients in managing local statutory audits, helping them meet regulatory requirements. They take on the administrative burden of managing the day-to-day audit process, so clients can focus on their conversations with auditors on significant financial issues.
• Legal Administration Services: Adapting to new legal frameworks can be challenging. Hawksford provides legal administration support for its clients and their overseas entities. This includes notarizing documents, facilitating the creation of legal contracts, and providing official document translations. They do not provide legal advice.
• HR and Payroll Administration: Hawksford offers HR and payroll solutions. They assist with payroll processing, statistics, leave and attendance, employee benefits, and incentives. They also provide support for recruitment and immigration, permanent residence applications for employees. 
• Company Dissolution Services: When clients decide to wind down operations in some or all of their international locations, Hawksford handles the paperwork and administration to close these entities. This includes managing de-registration processes and ensuring final compliance.
• Funds Services Administration: A significant area of Hawksford’s expertise involves services for fund managers. This includes fund accounting, investor capital account production, carried interest and management fee calculations, and audit coordination for alternative asset classes and fund structures.
• Private Client Services: Hawksford offers solutions for high-net-worth individuals and family offices, trust, company, and foundation services for wealth protection and succession planning, real estate management, managing lifestyle and luxury assets, and support for wills and probate.

Hawksford Support

Hawksford’s approach to client support is built upon its extensive global presence within a global operating framework. Clients engaging with Hawksford benefit from a model that combines direct local presence with coordinated central oversight. Clients are assigned to dedicated client service teams. These individuals serve as the primary points of contact, responsible for coordinating service delivery.

Clients also get direct access to experts in specific countries who specialize in legal administration, human resources, payroll, accounting, and taxation. A consistent global framework and integrated processes underpin Hawksford’s diverse local services. General client support happens through phone, email, and secure online portals for efficient document sharing and query management.

Resources

Hawksford provides multiple informational resources to educate businesses, fund managers, and private clients on the complexities of international operations, wealth management, and compliance. These materials support both prospective and current clients. 

These key resources include articles, in-depth guides, international business news, industry analysis, and updates relevant to their core service areas. Clients can also get access to case studies detailing how Hawksford has supported clients in achieving their objectives, along with publications and access to events or seminars related to global corporate, funds, or private client services.

Hawksford Pricing

Hawksford employs a highly customized pricing model for its extensive array of corporate, private client, and fund administration services delivered across its global offices. Consequently, the company does not publicly disclose a standardized price list or fixed fees on its official website.

Clients are required to engage in direct consultations in which Hawksford assesses the client’s specific service requirements and provides a detailed quotation according to their unique needs. The cost of Hawksford’s services is significantly dependent on the scope of engagement, volume and complexity, or the size and type of funds requiring administration, and the service level that is required.

Hawksford Pros and Cons

Every professional services firm offers advantages and limitations for its clients, shaped by its specific service range, operational model, and market focus. Hawksford also possesses its own unique set of strengths and weaknesses that clients should consider.

Pros

• Global Presence in Financial Hubs: Hawksford’s most significant advantage is its wide operational footprint, with 18 offices strategically located in major international financial centers and key business locations across EMEA, Asia, and the Americas.
• Integrated Service for Specialized Client Segments: Hawksford provides a suite of interconnected services for corporate, private client, and fund services to consolidate various critical compliance and administrative functions under one provider.
• Expertise in Complex Structures: Hawksford brings extensive experience in managing legal entities, private wealth structures like trusts, foundations, or family offices, and alternative investment funds for a proven track record in complex administration.
• Client-Focused Philosophy: Hawksford has a commitment to understanding client requirements and ambitions to deliver responsive solutions. They prioritize making every client interaction productive.

Cons

• No Public Pricing: Hawksford’s policy of not publicly displaying its fee structures online means prospective clients must go through a consultation process to obtain quotes. This lack of upfront pricing transparency can make cost comparisons with other providers time-consuming.
• No Reviews on Trusted 3rd Party Sites like G2: This makes it harder to work out what the customer experience with Hawksford has been. 
• Regulatory Issues: Hawksford Trust Company Jersey Limited, part of the Hawksford corporate group, was formally censured by the Jersey Financial Services Commission for failing to comply with the relevant industry codes. Hawksford admitted to charging annual fees of £2,200 p.a  2003 and 2016 to an inactive client trust that was not being actively managed. Note this was voluntarily reported by Hawksford and remedial action was taken. 

Unique Selling Point

Hawksford’s unique selling proposition lies in its ability to provide deep, specialized expertise in complex corporate, private client, and fund administration solutions. They deliver across key global financial centers through a highly experienced and directly employed team. 

Unlike firms that offer a very broad range of basic services or rely on fragmented networks, Hawksford focuses on structuring, compliance, and ongoing administration for sophisticated clients and their assets.

Their long history since 1963 and direct control over operations in strategic jurisdictions like Jersey, Singapore, and the UK position them as a trusted partner for managing highly specific and often complex international financial and corporate frameworks.

Overall Assessment: Hawksford

Hawksford is a highly experienced and professional entity within the global corporate services industry, renowned for its expertise in corporate, private client, and fund administration. It’s been operating in more than 18 strategically located global offices for multinational businesses and high-net-worth individuals. 

The firm manages the compliance and administration in complex financial and corporate structures across diverse international markets to reduce the inherent complexities and administrative burdens for clients. However, Pricing information is publicly unavailable, which can make initial comparisons time-consuming. 

For transparent pricing, it may be worth getting in touch with MSA to see how our services compare for international expansion. 

Frequently Asked Questions