I am Terése (Tess) Price

Founder, Managing Director & Company Secretary |
Secretarial Services, Board Support, Governance, Training and Administration

I moved from Sweden to Jersey in 2006 to capitalise on my finance degrees and to get some working experience to complement my academic background. What was meant to be temporary turned out to be permanent, and Jersey is now my home. 

Having worked in the corporate, trust, and fiduciary environment in Jersey for almost 15 years, I launched Virteffic Limited in September 2020. This was at the start of the pandemic, and I left a position as a regulated director to gain more independence and flexibility with my working hours. In 2021, I took the decision to take on board further staff members to meet the demand for secretarial support services, and the team has then continued to grow. We have become a trusted support firm that assists businesses of all sizes, including many of the larger regulated firms (funds and trust companies, wealth advisors and insurance companies), doctor practices, non-profit organisations, and charities. Our clients are based in Jersey and Guernsey, the Cayman Islands, and the UK.

Virteffic has allowed me to put my ICSA qualification to practice as our services are centralised around corporate governance and secretarial skills. My unique role at Virteffic has allowed me to experience countless board meetings across various businesses and sectors over the last three years (either by attending in person or by listening to recordings). Our team has drafted thousands of sets of minutes and hundreds of board packs. We have helped businesses with their board effectiveness reviews, corporate governance framework, as well as day-to-day administration support. 

I thrive on planning, organising and solving problems, and can therefore help you find the best way to tackle administrative tasks. I work well under pressure in a fast-paced environment with a focus on attention to detail and multitasking. I have a true passion for my work and a great love for my business, and I very much enjoy drafting the minutes, attending the meetings, and discussions on governance, meetings, board support and the role of the company secretary.

Main Qualifications and Experience

  • deep technical expertise and senior management experience in the corporate, trust, and fiduciary environment (15+ years);
  • previously a director of regulated companies;
  • qualified Chartered Secretary and an Associate of ICSA (professional level);
  • bachelor of Soc.Sc. in Economics;
  • bachelor of Soc.Sc. in Financial Administration;
  • excellent communication skills – verbal, presentational and written;
  • knowledge of local legislation and regulatory requirements;
  • up to speed with the latest developments in corporate governance as well as risk management and compliance regulation;
  • I am Highly organised with excellent time management skills; and
  • diligent with high level of accuracy and attention to detail.

The experience I have gained means I bring a diverse set of skills, enabling me to support your business. I am enthusiastic, highly motivated, efficient and enjoy technical challenges.

Tess Price | Founder, Managing Director & Senior Virtual Assistant | Virteffic Limited

Education and Work Experience

  • ICSA Professional – Associate’s Degree (Professional Level), Jersey (2009 – 2014)
  • Mälardalen University – Bachelor Soc. Sc. Economics,  Västerås Sweden (2002 – 2006)
  • Mälardalen University – Bachelor Soc. Sc. Business Administration, Västerås Sweden (2002 – 2006)
  • Several courses in Analytical Finance, Financial Mathematics & Statistics including; Introduction to Financial
    Mathematics, Calculus I, Calculus II, Linear Algebra, Numerical Methods with MATLAB,
    Probability Theory and Statistical Inference
  • Master thesis in Marketing
  • Core Management Programme (2018)
  • Advanced Leadership Programme, Harleem Netherlands (2017)

Virteffic Limited – Founder, Managing Director, Company Secretary (Aug 2020 – present) 

Virteffic was set up by myself in 2020, and I am running the business as a managing director, company secretary, and one of the senior virtual assistants that provide the requested services. As part of the process, I prepared all the incorporation documents, obtained the required licenses, and D&O insurance and opened the bank account. In addition, I set up and designed this website, and I also designed the company logo and all marketing material. Following the growth of the business, I have also handled the recruitment, and hiring process, GST registration, payroll, and filing of statutory returns. I have prepared our internal policies, procedures and template documents to give the team the tools they need to operate efficiently. Since the launch, Virteffic has onboarded a number of clients, and the services that have been provided by me (Tess) include:

  • drafting minutes for a variety of boards and committees (most frequent service used by the majority of the clients);
  • summarise action points from meetings;
  • assisted on governance projects;
  • drafted terms of reference documents for committees;
  • map the AML/CFT legislation, the TCB code and Companies (Jersey) Law 1991, together with gap analysis of policies and procedures;
  • reviewed policies and procedures and provide feedback;
  • formed part of the internal co-sec team for various regulated firms in Jersey;
  • correspondence, acting as the first point of contact for the client;
  • prepared board packs, agendas, attendance registers, conflict registers and other documents for the board;
  • convened meetings and drafted chair notes;
  • data entry projects;
  • IT support and assistance with technical queries regarding various systems; and
  • design book covers, design social media posts, and marketing material.

Maples Group – Vice President (Dec 2018 – Jul 2020) 

A small team of 3, including myself, established the Maples fiduciary office in Jersey for this leading global fiduciary service provider. I provided customised fiduciary services to meet the diverse and sophisticated needs of the structured finance, private equity, fund, and corporate clients.  Being part of such a small team, my role was most varied. For example, I had a PQ and acted as director, I was the key relationship manager and also worked to raise the profile of Maples through participation in various events in Jersey and internationally. By contrast, I also ordered stationery, paid invoices, and handled data entry and statutory filings, as well as:

  • drafted the policies and procedures, step by step checklists, and template forms;
  • drafted template minutes and written resolutions;
  • acting on the board for the Maples entities as well as the client entities;
  • acting as an authorised signatory;
  • incorporated the Maples subsidiary entities and obtained the required regulatory licenses;
  • preparing notice and board packs for board meetings, collection of agenda items and following up on action points;
  • attended board meetings for the Maples entities as well as the client entities in the capacity as company secretary and also as a director;
  • drafted notices, agendas, board meeting packs, and minutes for the meetings;
  • acted as a relationship manager to the majority of the clients;
  • ensured statutory requirements were met by Maples as a regulated entity;
  • drafted correspondence, formation documents, reports and guidance notes;
  • co-ordination with the accounts preparation function and liaising with the external auditors;
  • interviewed for new roles on the team; and
  • attended networking and marketing events.

Intertrust (formerly known as Elian and Ogier) – Manager (Feb 2014 – Nov  2018) 

I was the manager of a team that ranged in size from 4 to 10 during this period. The team portfolio included a large family office structure as well as individual HNW clients. The entities included companies in different jurisdictions and a variety of trusts and private trust companies. The team consisted mainly of junior staff members so the role demanded a high level of attention to detail. It also required me to be a technical expert on complex client structures within the company and trust environment. My work included:

  • direct communication and meetings with clients as well as third-party service providers;
  • ensured statutory requirements were complied with;
  • maintaining companies in good standing in their respective jurisdictions;
  • incorporation of companies, establishment of trusts, and formation of various entities;
  • arranged that client records were clearly and accurately updated;
  • renewal of regulatory registrations and filings of statutory returns;
  • reviewed, signed, and released payments as an authorised signatory;
  • coordinated and attended meetings;
  • drafted or reviewed minutes and written resolutions;
  • monitoring implementation of board resolutions;
  • complete bank account opening documents and associated documents;
  • arrange for documents to be notarised and legalised;
  • reviewed timelines raised invoices, prepared fee proposals, debt collection;
  • ensured that internal team management information was completed on a timely basis;
  • supported and guided team members through mentoring and supervision; and
  • interviewed for vacancies on the team as well as for the overall department.

RBC Wealth Management – Senior Client Relationship Officer (Jun 2012 – Jan 2014) 

The role involved day to day administration of my own portfolio consisting of different types of trusts and companies. Furthermore, it involved communication and meetings with clients, primarily from Europe and Middle East. The administration duties included:

  • direct client contact and communication, primarily by phone and emails;
  • ensuring statutory requirements were complied with;
  • bookkeeping, review of financial accounts and statements;
  • completed forms for bank account openings;
  • completing annual reviews;
  • preparation of meetings packs and follow up on action points from meetings; and
  • payroll and salary administration.

HSBC Private Bank – Senior Trust Administrator (Apr 2007 – Nov 2011) 

In this role, I was working on the Middle Eastern section with day to day administration of a portfolio of trust and companies. The work included drafting of minutes, bookkeeping, communication with clients and service providers. During this time I was also as member of the Social Committee and a member of the Womens Development Association.

  • Proficient computer skills, including Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) and also experience with Google Docs.
  • Highly organised and able to multitask and work well with fast-paced directions and instructions and no issues with a large workload.
  • Strong ability to communicate via email, phone, instant messenger, video conference such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Skype.
  • Able to manage time effectively and efficiently.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  • Strong customer service and presentation skills.
  • Flexible and able to work late evenings, weekends, extended hours, and holidays as needed.
  • Bilingual and fluent in English and Swedish.

Background

Some examples of the tasks that I (Tess) have experience in performing:

  • drafting agendas, notices, minutes and resolutions;
  • assist with governance projects;
  • drafting terms of references for various committees;
  • organising board meetings as well as attending the meetings in capacity as director and/or company secretary;
  • supported businesses with their board effectiveness reviews;
  • drafting policies and procedures, checklists, forms and template documents;
  • preparing board packs and board reporting;
  • map local legislation, including the AML/CFT Handbook and the TCB Code and undertake gap analysis of policies and procedures; 
  • map legislation and various governance codes (Jersey and others) against governance framework and board procedures;
  • drafting terms of references for various committees; 
  • opening of bank accounts where the accounts have been with several different banks in Jersey and worldwide;
  • incorporating companies, established trusts and forming partnerships;
  • leading projects (independently or as a project manager / team leader);
  • ensuring that statutory requirements are complied with;
  • attending marketing and business development events and meetings;
  • review of financial accounts & statements, assist with the bookkeeping and record keeping;
  • provide training and presentations in relation to drafting minutes;
  • training and mentoring junior staff, review of team workflows seeing that work is carried out in an orderly and timely fashion;
  • correspondence by email, letter, telephone and video conference such as Ms Teams; and
  • maintaining clients’ records accurately.

I am independent, motivated and truly passionate about my work. Foremost, I enjoy the variety of tasks and the technical challenges, building new relationships and further developing my skills.

Flexible solutions

Virteffic was set up as I wanted more flexible working hours whilst working in a professional role. I am proud to be able to offer the same flexibility to all members of our growing team. Our working model, whereby we work where and when we want, allows our staff to have a great work/life balance.

The Story behind Virteffic

I moved from Sweden to Jersey in 2006 to capitalise on my economics and business administration degrees and to get some working experience to compliment my academic background. What was meant to be temporary turned out to be permanent and Jersey is now my forever-home. I have always enjoyed working in the finance industry. Particularly, I have liked the diversified tasks and the element of problem-solving.

In 2020, we all saw significant changes as we adapted our work and home lives due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Personally, whilst being ill with Covid-19 for several weeks, I had time to do a lot of thinking. I had a really good job where I worked hard and I had created a very strong career path for myself. However, I have always had a vision and goal of one day setting up my own business.

I decided to take a leap and it was the best thing I have ever done.  Virteffic let me use my background and skills to realise my dream. Meanwhile, it is allowing flexible working hours and a better work-life balance. Ultimately, I am driven by a desire to be excellent and thrive working in an inspiring place promoting positive change and development.

After an amazing year of working as the sole virtual assistant for Virteffic, it was an exciting opportunity to expand and take on a wider team to support our clients. Since the outset, the well-being of our staff is a top priority. I am proud to be able to offer the same flexibility and work-life balance to all members in our growing team. Everyone who works for Virteffic is in complete control of their own hours. This opens up opportunities for those who can’t or don’t want to work in a traditional 9-5 office role. Since we started to recruit and Virteffic grew into a team of more than just me, the focus has always been to look after and appreciate the team members. Our sports, social and well-being committee was set up early to help with this. We have regular activities and giveaways, so everyone remembers their importance and value! I believe in sharing the success with the team and promoting an environment where everyone can share their ideas and views, with regular catch-ups and forums for discussion.

The aim is to have energized, motivated, happy team members who care for the business as much as I do. This creates much better morale and atmosphere for both workers and clients – and better results too!

I have a true passion for my work and a great love for my business, and I very much enjoy drafting the minutes, attending the meetings, and discussions on governance, meetings, board support and the role of the company secretary.

Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.

Whether you think you can or think you can't - you're right.

Get in touch with Tess

I am always happy to catch up for a coffee (which may be by phone or video call), to discuss opportunities and collaborations.

Contact Details

If you have any questions, please contact us:

Virteffic Limited

Norowsa

La Vallee de St Pierre

St Lawrence

Jersey JE3 1EG

E: tess@virteffic.com or 

info@virteffic.com

M: +44 (0) 7797716461

W: virteffic.com

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Virteffic Limited (“Virteffic“) is not regulated or licensed under the Financial Services (Jersey) Law 1998, as amended (the “Financial Services Law“). Accordingly, Virteffic does not provide any regulated services and does not carry on any regulated activities which would require us to be a “registered person” under and defined in the Financial Services Law. Where it is necessary for such a regulated activity is to be carried out, you will be required to use the services of a firm that is registered under the Financial Services Law, to provide such services. Virteffic may provide certain secretarial support and administration services as a virtual assistant, however, the services are of an administrative nature only and your appointed company secretary and/or the directors of your company have full responsibility to ensure the accuracy of the work that Virteffic does for you, to have the final sign-off and to check the work before it is released, published and/or executed.