\n As Asian private wealth becomes more international, mobile and multi-generational, families are increasingly looking for fiduciary partners that can support complex structures over long periods of time. For Marilyn See, General Manager and Head of Business Development at Trident Trust, that need places a premium on stability, technical depth, jurisdictional reach and continuity of service.
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\nTrident Trust\u2019s proposition is built around its position as an independent international trust company, with a global footprint and long-standing experience in administering complex private client and fund structures. For families with assets, businesses and family members across multiple jurisdictions, Marilyn argues that the role of the trustee is no longer only administrative. It is increasingly tied to governance, succession, transparency and the professionalisation of wealth.\n <\/p>\n
Key Takeaways<\/p>\n
\n\tTrident Trust\u2019s independence is central to its proposition: Marilyn points to the firm\u2019s privately held structure as an important source of stability, supporting long-term planning and continuity in client relationships.
\n\tComplex families need cross-border fiduciary capability: Trident Trust works with private clients and professional fund managers across international financial hubs, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Jersey, BVI, Switzerland and the US.
\n\tIndian families are increasingly international: Many have businesses, assets and family members across several jurisdictions, creating a need for trust, family office and holding structures that can support global lives.
\n\tFamily offices are becoming a tool for professionalisation: As families expand across generations, more are looking for structured platforms to manage family wealth, decision-making and responsibilities.
\n\tNext-generation expectations are changing service delivery: First-generation clients often value direct human contact, while the next generation expects digital access, faster response and more efficient interaction.
\n\tTransparency will define future planning: Marilyn believes clients and advisers need to prepare for a world in which information exchange and regulatory scrutiny should be provided for, rather than to be avoided or circumvented.
\n\tThe trust industry remains human-led: Technology can improve efficiency, but Marilyn does not believe AI can replace the judgement, accountability and trust required in fiduciary work.
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Stability as a Fiduciary Advantage<\/p>\n
Trident Trust is an independent international trust company with 36 offices across the world, spanning North America, parts of Europe, the Caribbean and Asia, including Singapore and Hong Kong. Its work covers private client fiduciary services as well as fund administration for professional fund managers.<\/p>\n
For Marilyn, the firm\u2019s core differentiator is not only its jurisdictional reach, but the stability behind it. Families establishing trust structures are often planning over decades, and sometimes across generations. That makes continuity of ownership, management and team relationships more important than it may appear at the outset.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur USP is certainly our stability as an organisation and as a team,\u201d Marilyn says. \u201cIt is also the expertise we have in administering and dealing with quite complex client requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n
That stability is reinforced by Trident Trust\u2019s privately held structure. Marilyn draws a distinction between firms with long-term private ownership and parts of the industry that have seen more frequent ownership change, including private equity-backed consolidation.<\/p>\n
For families that spend significant time selecting trustees and building trust with them, high turnover can become a real concern. A fiduciary relationship is not designed to be transactional. It requires familiarity with family history, asset structures, personalities, intentions and long-term planning objectives.<\/p>\n
\u201cClients set up trusts for very long-term planning,\u201d Marilyn says. \u201cThey spend a lot of time getting to know their trustees, so if there is high turnover or constant change, that becomes an issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
In that context, Trident Trust\u2019s ownership and management stability allows the firm to plan with a longer horizon. It also supports consistency in the servicing team, which Marilyn sees as important for both clients and staff.<\/p>\n
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\u201cBecause we are privately held, we tend to have more stability in the shareholding structure and fewer changes from a management perspective,\u201d she says. \u201cThat allows us to plan and grow in a consistent manner, with a much longer-term horizon.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Supporting International Families<\/p>\n
The need for cross-border fiduciary support is particularly visible among Indian ultra-high net worth families. Marilyn notes that many Indian families are highly international, with operating businesses, holding structures and family members spread across multiple regions.<\/p>\n
Many remain closely connected to the original family business, but the next generation may be living, studying or working in Switzerland, the UK, the US, Singapore, Hong Kong or the UAE. That mobility creates planning requirements around governance, asset holding, succession and access to international structures.<\/p>\n
Marilyn gives the example of Indian families using trusts for overseas family members and business assets held through jurisdictions such as Singapore or Hong Kong. Another example is the establishment of family offices in Asia, where the objective is to create a more professional platform for managing family wealth. A third example is an Indian shipping family, long established outside India, placing a shipping business into a private trust company structure administered by Trident Trust.<\/p>\n
For Marilyn, these examples reflect a wider shift. As families grow larger, more geographically dispersed and more complex, informal arrangements become harder to sustain.<\/p>\n
The family office discussion is part of that same trend. For some families, the family office becomes a way to bring greater structure to investment management, governance, reporting and decision-making across different branches of the family.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAs families become bigger, they look for a more structured way to deal with family wealth for different family members,\u201d Marilyn says. \u201cThe family office offers a good platform for the professionalisation of family wealth management.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Jurisdictional choice depends on the family\u2019s objectives. Hong Kong may appeal because of convenience and ease of establishment. Singapore is often favoured for its regulatory framework. The UAE may be relevant because of proximity to family members or business interests.<\/p>\n
In practice, families may not choose only one location. Marilyn says it is increasingly possible to see Indian families with Hong Kong holding entities, Singapore family offices and family members based in the UAE.<\/p>\n
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Key Priorities<\/p>\n
Marilyn\u2019s first priority is sustainable growth. For Trident Trust, that means expanding the business without weakening the service standards that underpin long-term fiduciary relationships.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur top priority is to grow the business in a sustainable manner,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd sustainable means without compromising client service standards.\u201d<\/p>\n
The second priority is efficiency. This is not only an internal operating issue. It is also a client experience issue, particularly as more next-generation family members become involved in wealth structures.<\/p>\n
Marilyn draws a clear distinction between how first-generation and next-generation clients often interact with advisers and service providers. First-generation clients may instinctively call someone directly and ask for a document, update or action. Next-generation clients are more likely to expect digital access, messaging, portal-based information and faster self-service.<\/p>\n
The challenge for fiduciary firms is to improve systems and processes without losing the human judgement and relationship depth that clients still need. For Marilyn, the objective is not digitalisation for its own sake, but better alignment with how families now operate.<\/p>\n
The third priority is staff development. The trust industry has grown quickly over the past seven to ten years, creating demand for experienced people who can manage complex relationships and structures.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have very good people, but everybody wants growth and progression,\u201d Marilyn says. \u201cThe question is how to keep staff consistently engaged, still challenged, and feeling a sense of achievement and appreciation.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Into The Future<\/p>\n
For Marilyn, the future of fiduciary planning will be shaped by transparency. As regulatory expectations evolve and governments increase information exchange, clients will need to think differently about what good planning means.<\/p>\n
In the past, some clients were highly focused on confidentiality and on what information would or would not be exchanged under different structures. Marilyn believes the industry needs to move towards a more realistic and durable model, where structures are designed to withstand scrutiny rather than depend on opacity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way we look at it is that clients should plan as though everything is on the table,\u201d she says. \u201cIf everything is visible, it should still be something they are able to sleep at night with.\u201d<\/p>\n
That does not mean privacy is irrelevant. It means fiduciary planning must be compliant, current, properly documented and aligned with the client\u2019s long-term objectives. Structures should not create problems for the next generation because information was incomplete, outdated or difficult to explain.<\/p>\n
Marilyn sees this as especially important in succession. If first-generation wealth creators have not kept structures updated and compliant, the next generation may inherit complexity without clarity. That can create practical, legal and emotional problems at precisely the point when families need continuity most.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe issue is when things are kept like skeletons in the cabinet,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen the first generation is no longer around, the next generation may not be in a position to inherit properly because things were not kept updated and compliant.\u201d<\/p>\n
For trustees, the implication is clear. The industry will need to help clients prepare for an era in which transparency is not a threat to good planning, but a basic condition of it.<\/p>\n
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Getting Personal with Marilyn See<\/p>\n
Marilyn was born and educated in Singapore. She studied at Singapore Management University, where she completed a double degree in business management and accounting.<\/p>\n
Before entering the structuring and fiduciary world, Marilyn spent time as a management consultant and as a private banker. She sees both experiences as important to her current role. Consulting taught her to understand client requirements quickly and explain complex information in a way that clients can absorb. Private banking gave her direct exposure to client relationships and the realities of wealth management.<\/p>\n
Marilyn also sees a strong future for young people in the trust industry. While AI may change parts of financial services, she does not believe fiduciary work can be fully automated. Trust structures deal with family responsibility, next-generation care, judgement and accountability. Those are not areas where clients are likely to rely entirely on machines.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is one of the few industries that cannot be replaced by AI entirely,\u201d she says. \u201cYou are counting on someone to take care of your next generation. I would not leave my wealth with AI to decide when to distribute it to my children if my husband and I were no longer around.\u201d<\/p>\n
For younger professionals looking for an AI-resilient career, Marilyn believes fiduciary services offer both growth and long-term relevance. The industry needs more talent, particularly as families become more complex and as succession planning becomes more urgent across Asia.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are always looking for AI-proof areas for young people,\u201d she says. \u201cThis is certainly an area of growth, and an area where we need more talented young people to join us.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Marilyn See is speaking at our upcoming Hubbis India Wealth Management Forum<\/a>, which is taking place on Wednesday 12th August, 2026 from 9.00am – 4.00pm at the Four Seasons Hotel, Mumbai, an event also being kindly partnered by Trident Trust.<\/p>\n