“We expect it to be the first of many” such sessions, Winser said of the meeting, which took place in Guernsey on Tuesday, and which had been organised by the Guernsey Chamber. The three guest chambers were Jersey, Alderney and Sark.
“We looked at a number of topics of interest to both Jersey and Guernsey, as there is no question that we share many issues.”
Although financial services was not discussed at the first meeting, it is a major concern, particularly as many companies have operations on both islands, and for this reason, “are not interested in the competitive arbitrage” that often comes into play, Winser said.
“We have a duty to stop viewing the island closest to us as our biggest competitor, and remember that much of the rest of the world sees us as a single entity, the Channel Islands, rather than separately.”
Winser, whose day job is chief executive of Schroders (CI) Ltd, said another group meeting would probably take place again in around three months’ time.
