Fort was founded in 1973, and its accelerated growth over the last two decades has largely been driven by a series of carefully planned and seamlessly executed acquisitions. These transactions have reshaped the business, diversified its revenue streams, and strengthened its competitive standing within the Guernsey financial services landscape. During this time, Fort has successfully completed and integrated five key acquisitions, and in early 2025, it announced the addition of a sixth—highlighting its disciplined, integration-focused approach to acquisitions.

Fort’s acquisition journey began in 2007 with the purchase of Balchan Management Limited, an independent trust and corporate services provider. Since then, Fort has followed a consistent philosophy: acquiring culturally aligned, high-quality businesses and integrating them in a deliberate, controlled manner. This approach ensures the preservation of each firm’s core strengths while delivering long-term value and continuity for clients and staff.

The subsequent acquisitions of Kensington Corporation Limited, Charter Trust Company Limited, Harbour Trustees Limited, and Trinity Trust Company Limited remain foundational to Fort’s business today. Strong client and staff retention serve as clear indicators of the approach’s success.

In April 2025, Fort reached another significant milestone with the completion of its acquisition of Cogent Limited, an independently run and owner-managed trust and corporate services provider based in Guernsey. This strategic move reflects Fort’s commitment to thoughtful, sustainable growth and further enhances its capabilities to serve a global client base with continuity, expertise, and integrity.

A key driver behind Fort’s success in acquisitions has been its steadfast focus on cultural alignment and integration excellence. Integration is not simply a technical process following a transaction—it is a strategic bedrock that enables long-term value creation. By aligning systems, cultures, operational frameworks, and client delivery models, Fort fully captures the value of each acquisition while sustaining momentum post-deal—without compromising the director-led, personalised service clients expect.

When executed effectively, integration creates real, measurable value. It transforms potential into performance—bringing people, processes, and platforms together to drive greater efficiency and deliver a seamless, enhanced client experience. It unlocks both cost and revenue synergies by streamlining operations, eliminating duplication, and opening up cross-selling opportunities. Integration also minimises disruption, accelerates returns, and safeguards the strategic intent behind each deal. Ultimately, it ensures that newly acquired capabilities enhance—rather than dilute—the broader business, supporting sustainable growth and long-term strategic alignment. Through this focused, intentional integration strategy, Fort continues to build on its position as a leading, independently owned financial services provider. This not only presents acquisition opportunities in Guernsey and further afield, but also drives organic growth. Being independently owned, offering a director-led service model, and having an average staff length of service of over 10 years all contribute to the continuity of service that clients seek in a fragmented market. Client and employee experience are key, and we are aligned and experienced in consistently delivering a model that achieves longevity with both parties alike.

Whilst we recognise the strategic advantages that come with increased scale, we remain deeply committed to preserving the personalised, high-quality service that has long defined Fort and its trusted partner firms. We are ambitious with our growth plans, and with over 50 years of history behind us, we are confident we will achieve them—while staying true to the values of Fort, where our clients and staff come first.