At an evening hosted by Channel Islands law firm Collas Crill in London last week, Seychelles-based British entrepreneur Robert Gaines-Cooper shared his life story with an audience of 100 London-based private wealth professionals, drawn from law firms, barristers' chambers, private banks and investment management firms. Mr Gaines-Cooper is extremely well known by name in the wealth advisory market following his 14 year court battle with HMRC over his residence and domicile status, but this was the first time he had publicly told his story. Still active at 76, Mr Gaines-Cooper recounted how he has encountered both adversity and good fortune throughout his entrepreneurial career. The multi-millionaire, whose healthcare company Venner International Industries is based in Jersey, had small beginnings: having started trading hamsters at school, he went onto sell juke boxes, build golf courses in Canada and sell social housing in San Jose before creating a highly successful business specialising in medical devices. Collas Crill's Edward Stone, who is part of the new Collas Crill legal team in London which officially starts today (2 December), said: "Hearing Robert Gaines-Cooper speak was illuminating; it was a rare treat to hear the story behind the man and how he made the money which HMRC was so desperate to tax. "It was fascinating to hear first hand how he believes that integrity is vital to business, as are choosing the right partners, and having opportunity and good luck in equal measure."
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