The driving force behind RifCom has been a combination of individuals including Matt Butler from Adventurebug, whose years of experience at leading wilderness expeditions into Morocco had led him to befriend and want to help many Berber people and whose passions for Morocco and its people led him to like-minded individuals such as Julian Camble from STM Group. Julian and Matt had previously organised three tremendously successful charity challenge treks in Spain and Morocco which led them to develop a vision to reach out and help the people of the Rif Mountains. They shared that vision with others such as Lyanne Danino and Mari Bell-Jones from Finsbury Trust & Corporate Services Ltd, both of whom had participated in those charity challenge treks and had also witnessed the needs of the Rif Communities. Believing in the vision with hope and enthusiasm, Lyanne and Mari readily added their time and efforts to assist Matt and Julian turn RifCom into a reality. Today they and the many others who have given time, energy and inspiration, have created a very real opportunity for people from Gibraltar, Spain and beyond to help the people of the Rif to help themselves (and maybe to enhance their own lives at the same time). RifCom simply wouldn't be here without them.
Members of the Board of Trustees
Our Board of Trustees meet every month, with RifCom volunteers present to report on specific matters. Those volunteers also meet at least monthly and work in sub-committees focusing on areas such as needs assessments, training and school liaison, fundraising, marketing and website development. Trustees are appointed on the basis of recommendation according to experience, key skills and commitment and they act in an entirely voluntary capacity.
RifCom's highly reputable and committed Board of Trustees are:
Kieran Power has been head of the Fiduciary Services Supervision & Enforcement Division of Gibraltar’s Financial Services Commission for more than ten years, before which he gained experience in financial services with the audit practices of PriceWaterhouse and KPMG. Kieran is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, Member of the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners, and Associate of the Compliance Institute. He actively contributes, under the auspices of various international bodies, to the development of accepted best practice standards in the regulation of Trust and Company Services providers and therefore makes an ideal trustee for RifCom. Outside of his professional life, Kieran enjoys his motorcycle, a variety of sporting activities and has also been actively involved with charitable events in the Rif Mountains so is highly conscious of exactly what it is that RifCom is seeking to achieve.
Les Roberts worked as an accountant and professional company secretary in England until moving to Gibraltar in 1990 to work for Ernst & Young. Les served as Secretary and then Chairman of The Association of Trust & Company Managers, was a founding member of The Finance Centre Council (an advisory body to the Government of Gibraltar), a founding member of the Gibraltar Association of Compliance Officers, established his own business providing corporate and business advisory services and was awarded Commissioner-for-Oaths status. He was the Founding Trustee of “The Association for Kids In Need (AKIN)”, a registered charity providing aid to children in developing countries, and he established and acted as Founding Chairman of “Childline Gibraltar”, a registered charity for the operation of a telephone helpline service for children, so he brings a wealth of relevant knowledge and experience to RifCom.
Tim Revill (FCA TEP) is the founder and now CEO of what has become STM Group PLC. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1975 with PKF in London and then moved to their Isle of Man office, establishing his own professional practice there and subsequently moving to Gibraltar in 1982 to open the Gibraltar and Spanish offices of his partnership before establishing Fidecs in 1989 which grew to one of Gibraltar’s largest trust and company service providers and then listed on the London Stock Exchange (AIM). He has also lectured widely and served on international financial and tax steering committees. Tim’s reputation for straight forward honesty and his passion for Morocco are two amongst many attributes which serve RifCom well.
George Felipes was born in Tangiers, Morocco, and although he moved to Gibraltar when he was six he spent all his school holidays at his grandmother’s house in Morocco and has retained a deep affection for the country. He read Accounting and Financial Management at Loughborough University and then worked with the American multi-national Mobil Oil in Madrid and the Canary Islands, becoming Mobil’s IT Manager for the whole of Spain. In 1988 George returned to Gibraltar and has worked for Hambros Bank (Gibraltar) Limited and later for ABN AMRO Bank N.V. During this time George has also served in various local committees devoted to sports and charities, the most notable being a Trustee of and Vice Chairman for the Gibraltar Heritage Trust for 4½ years. In 1994 George married, and since then most of his spare time has been dedicated to his children but he manages to spend some time on his other hobbies of hiking, bird watching and golf.
Adrian T. Mansfield (MA) is the Managing Director of Merchant Corporate Services Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary company of Deloitte in Gibraltar. Adrian is responsible for the provision of private client services within Deloitte. A banker by profession with ABN AMRO Bank N.V. for over 15 years, he has extensive experience in private banking, operations, risk management and compliance. He holds a Masters in Enterprise Management and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Management and Institute of Directors. Adrian has been a member of Round Table Gibraltar for over 14 years and during that time has been involved with many local community based and international projects. He also served as its President for two consecutive terms. A dynamic and experienced fund raiser he brings a wealth of experience and know-how to the charity.
