Retired auditor takes up CEO post at law firm

| 02/02/2011

(CNS): Locally based, international offshore law firm, Maples and Calder, said on Tuesday that it has appointed a former auditor as its new chief executive officer. Retirement appears not to have suited the one time Ernst and Young partner, Jude Scott, as he will now be taking up this new post at the Ugland House offices. Scott, who is also chair of the Cayman Airways Board, is well respected in the community and known as an expert in his field. The firm said it hopes that Scott’s reputation will enhance Maples’ service and officials said they were honoured he had agreed to join them.

Cayman managing partner, Paul Lumsden, said it was an exciting development for the firm. “We are pleased to have such a highly qualified individual join us as CEO. Jude is well respected in the local community and internationally, having served on various Cayman Islands Government and private sector committees, including the Cayman Islands Society of Professional Accountants, the Cayman Islands Financial Services Council, the Education Council, the Insolvency Rules Committee and the Stock Exchange," he added.

Previously an audit partner at the Cayman Islands office of Ernst & Young, Scott retired in 2008 after spending over 23 years with firm, specialising in the audits of investment funds, investment companies, banks and insurance companies.

"As Maples and Calder continues to be distinguished as a top tier law firm, Jude’s level of experience and highly regarded reputation will further enhance the firm’s ability to provide outstanding service to our clients,” Global managing partner, Henry Smith said. “Jude’s contributions to this country have been very impressive and we are honoured that a person of his calibre has agreed to join our firm. His appointment reflects the intention of the firm to maintain its excellence as the premier international law firm.”

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Congrats Jude.  My name is Jude also and I just want to say that it is about time we Judes got our due.

    This is a great day for people named Jude…. finally.

  2. The Cleaner says:

    My vote goes to Jude Scott for our next Premier of the Cayman Islands in 2012.  What do you think Caymanians ?

  3. ANONYMOUS says:

    a good choice- just be humble in doing your job.
    if you succeed, it will help other caymanians who are genuinely interested in moving .

  4. Ms Daphne says:

    Yes!!! A brilliant, young Caymanian CEO at Maples, Attorneys at Law! Congratulations Maples for making such an excellent choice!! Smart, humble, talented, handsome(!) and a fine Christian family man!! Jude, you’ve been blessed with the qualities to be successful! So.. we praise God for your fine gifts/talents, which I am sure you will continue to use in helping your fellow Caymanians — and others — to move in the right direction!! You’re a great example for our yung people to follow!!

    • anonymous says:

       He retired after 23 yrs. with the firm, so…not a young Caymanian .

    • Anonymous says:

      Oh please everyone stop! Maples has been going for more than 30 years without a CEO, their employees are completely baffled by this appointment. Of course Jude is bright etc etc, but that’s not what it’s all about for god in heavens sake. He’s there to puff Maples’ local image and sell immigration the idea that they need the real foks to do the jobs…..from overseas but they’re doing a great job hiring Caymanians, especially at a senior level. No one I know in Maples has a clue what Jude will do (sorry, Mr Mcmurdo and Lumsden but……………..) But God bless him he will add to his pension pot by just being there and that’s just what happens in the UK in companies where people are hired to fill a seat and look good on a prospectus. Again, no disrespect to Jude. We would all do it if we were as lucky as him.

      • Tom McCallum says:

        If "people at Maples" don’t know what they’d do with a highly able CEO, then those people have their own issues.

        If anyone thinks Maples would hire a Caymanian as CEO simply as a figurehead, and that (more to the point) someone like Jude Scott would accept something like that, then they are seeing far too many black helicopters and poison-tipped umbrellas.

        A key management issue for many law firms is that they are still run by lawyers. A management committee of law partners is a group of very bright, experienced and able people, but they are also highly specialised people with (typically) no experience of or training in running a business.

        The use of a non-lawyer such as a qualified accountant with many years of business experience and acumen as CEO of top law firms is pretty close to being universally adopted worldwide at this point.

        Kudos to Maples for being the first large firm (that I know of) in Cayman to make this shift, and more credit to them for recognising that what is needed in such a role is not some generic "top London law firm" resume that results in parachuting someone in from overseas, but simply finding someone who has the leadership, organisational and other business skills necessary to do the job. There are plenty of such people (like Jude) right here in Cayman.

        I know and have worked with Jude and, though sad to see him being lost to the voluntary positions he had with CIG (can’t see him having the time for both!), I am sure he will rise to the challenge of this exciting new role. 

        Congrats to Jude, and good luck.

         

         

        • Anonanus says:

          I am the cleaner at Maples and I can confirm that I have no idea what they will do with this guy.

        • Henry Hill says:

          Maples has had a non-attorney CEO for the last 5-7 years.

        • Sleuth says:

          Well said.

          It is time that people recognise that whilst law is good training, it is a technical subject.

          We need to stop placing that profession on a pedestal as a panacea for all of our problems in society.

          To run any business, one needs more than just technical skills.

  5. Anonymous says:

    As one of many Caymanian employees of Maples, I want to say I do really enjoy working there. And frankly, coming from my past jobs that ONCE employed "offices full" of Caymanians, I have alot more respect and memories with my current employers than I did at my previous places of employment. I am sure there are few who will have a different take on this, but I am just speaking truthfully from my own experience. However, moving on….Congratulations Jude!!!  It makes me proud to see yourself and our other rising Caymanian colleques setting examples of why hard work, dedication and mutual respect are not only major contributors of true success but most importantly are things that were instilled in us from many generations ago and we should continue to motivate our young people in wanting the same one day. And as far as retirement goes…your too young for that now (smile)!  WELCOME ABOARD!

  6. Anonymous says:

    Congrats Jude…but please don’t give up your Chairmanship of Cayman Airways…We need you!!

  7. Anonymous says:

    Happy to see a person from the Brac doing so well. Well done and keep up the good work!

  8. Anonymous says:

    Congrats Jude, I hope you will still be able to stay on the CIG Boards and Committee, because God knows they really need  your guidance and expertise.    Really happy though to see a young Caymanian being recongised by "Maples" to say the least.

  9. Anonymous says:

    Hopefully his hiring will also signal the start of hiring of other Caymanians, including those requiring articles.

    Caymanians only need to be given the chance, and they will rise up to the challenge. They have proven this worldwide. If
    the gates were opened and all of the offspring of Caymanians came home, we would be surprised to see what significant positions we hold on the worldstage.

    • Judge Dredd says:

      Yes remember there are many great lawyers being lost because law firms are counting things like failed exams, 2:2s and thirds against them when they apply for articles.  How dare they!

    • Anonymous says:

      another way is to rise first 

    • Anonymous says:

      please, please, please, get out of your shell…. please.  You may like it out here in the world. 

  10. Dom007 says:

    Hey Jude, don’t let me down. You have found a new job, now go and do it. Remember to keep Cayman in your heart,Then you can start to do a better job.

    Congrats Jude, I knew you couldn’t stay retired. Time to hang up the hat on all those boards and stop butting heads with the old timers that don’t believe in change! Don’t forget to spend time with your family and don’t stay up all night on conference calls with Hong Kong! I wish you all the best, Dominic

     

  11. Congrats Jude says:

    Well deserved and a welcomed change from the usual get rid of a Caymanian and hire and expat (sorry to bring that into this folks but this is a rare occasion)….

     

     

  12. Anonymous says:

    Congrats Jude!

  13. Hay Jude says:

    I don’t suppose we will hear a cheep out of the moaning complainers on this site who are always going on about glass ceilings for Caymanians, evil foreigners keeping us down etc etc. The truth is hard work and brains are rewarded as Jude and many other young Caymanians have shown. Well done Jude.

    • Maynard Keynes says:

      I agree with Hay Jude and say well done Jude, but Jesus, I was at school with him in the same class and he’s retired with pots of money and taken up another job???? I MIGHT, repeat MIGHT be able to retire in 20 years on a small pension from the civil service. Something aint right there.

      • Anonymous says:

        Drive and ambition? 

        • Scottish,Irish,Jamacian born CAYMANIAN says:

          Congratulations Jude!,

          you have worked hard to achieve what you have and deservingly so….

          you live the way you were raised and that was with “manners and respect” those are things that will take you where money in your pocket cant……ps HOWEVER you should not have to much of a problem with the money issue…….. lol

          u r a wonderful example of a CAYMANIAN to CAYMANIANS and the world alike……