A corporate and trust services provider based in the island is looking east for growth.

Ten people work for Sentient International Limited from offices at the Jet Centre, Isle of Man airport.

The company was previously known as Intrust Manx.

But Paul Murtagh led a full management buy-out whichculminated in a full re-branding as Sentient in January.

Mr Murtagh, who is managing director, has announced his newly established Asia operation of the same name, has been granted its trust or company services provider (TCSP) licence in Hong Kong.

Following the full management buy-out of the long established and well respected Intrust Manx, his expansion plans have gone from strength to strength.

The company changed its name and undertook a full re-brand to better reflect what the company has become as a business since its inception in 1985 as well as to celebrate the company’s expanded capabilities and provide a clear pointer to its direction of travel, its forward thinking and aspirational culture.

This has been further illustrated by the establishment of two additional offices in addition to the headquarters based here in the Isle of Man; a European operation based in Malta and an Asia operation in Hong Kong.

Sentient International Limited, registered in Hong Kong, has been formally granted its licence under Hong Kong’s new TCSP licensing regime having satisfied its ’fit and proper’ test and statutory customer due diligence and record-keeping requirements. It also passes anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing regulations which allows for the company to provide trust or company services as a business in Hong Kong.

Mr Murtagh said: ’We are delighted to have been granted our licence in Hong Kong, which is an integral step forward in Sentient’s wider growth strategy.

’We believe that this is not only good news for us as a business, but also for our clients as it naturally expands our service proposition, making us well positioned to better serve our existing clients as well as new ones.

’It is an exciting time for us - we are looking forward to building and developing new relationships within the Asia and Pacific market via our Hong Kong office, and can now push forward with the promotion of our full service offering more efficiently and effectively, having got a fully established and licensed operation there.’

With a solid track record of more than 30 years providing bespoke international business solutions to a broad spectrum of international clients, between them, the three Sentient companies offer a full range of services in the corporate and trust arena.

They hold in-house expertise and experience in a number of niche industry sectors, including aviation, fintech, natural resources, property, shipping and yachting, and can provide a full range of back office and ancillary services to both corporate and private clients.