Jack Quinn of Quinn Gilliespie and Assoc.	Manuel Ortiz of Quinn Gilliespie and Assoc.	Anthony Travers, Chairman, Cayman Islands Financial Services Association.

The Cayman Islands Financial Services Association (CIFSA) will host an industry dinner featuring Washington DC lobbyists Jack Quinn and Manuel Ortiz on Tuesday, 7 July at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.

A CIFSA press release said the organisation is hosting its first business dinner so guests “will learn from the source about efforts being made in Washington to tackle widespread negative perceptions about the Cayman Islands and the jurisdiction’s role as an offshore financial services centre.”

Mr Quinn and Mr Ortiz are the main drivers behind Washington-based lobbyist firm Quinn Gilliespie and Associates (QGA), who have been retained by CIFSA to represent the Cayman Islands’ financial services industry.

Event organiser and CIFSA Vice Chairman, Eduardo D’Angelo P. Silva, said, “The dinner presents an unrivalled opportunity for the industry to hear first-hand how Cayman is perceived in Washington, the challenges we face, and the strategies being used to address them.”

He added, “In the wake of a lot of recent negative publicity, CIFSA is a major proponent of Cayman’s financial services industry among international audiences and is playing a critical part in enhancing its reputation on the world stage.”

The event follows on from a series of CFISA-hosted business luncheons last year, during which influential industry figures, such as the Wall Street Journal’s John Fund, addressed a range of important issues before Cayman’s financial services community.

The 7 July dinner is expected to draw international media coverage and attract high attendance numbers, the CIFSA press release said.

Jack Quinn is the co-founder and chairman of QGA and the firm’s chief strategist. He has been a long-time advisor to Democratic leaders and has served as counsel to numerous Democratic campaigns. Mr Quinn served as Counsel to the President of the United States from November 1995 to February 1997. Before his government service, he was an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center.

Manuel Ortiz is a leading Democratic strategist who helps his corporate clients negotiate Washington’s changing environment and is widely recognised as one of the capital’s top lobbyists. He is also an experienced advisor to corporate leaders in developing advocacy style campaigns to help achieve their goals. Prior to joining QGA, Mr Ortiz was a transactional attorney with an international law firm.

CIFSA was founded in November 2003 to represent the Cayman Islands’ financial services industry and to promote the jurisdiction as a quality international financial services centre. A not-for-profit association, CIFSA is funded by its private sector members.

The CIFSA board and membership comprises the Cayman Islands’ key associations including:

the Cayman Islands Society of Professional Accountants (CISPA), the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), the Cayman Islands Fund Administrators Association (CIFAA), the Company Managers Association (CICMA), the Bankers Association (CIBA) and the Insurance Managers Association (IMAC). CIFSA seeks to work alongside these associations to ensure that promotion of the jurisdiction is consistent and effective.