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In conversation with… CIBT Visas
Mercator® by Citco (Mercator) speaks with Donald Lehman, Corporate Controller at CIBT Visas, about operating in the pandemic and how Mercator helps CIBT Visas to keep on top of the changing regulatory landscape.
What motivated CIBT Visas to choose Mercator as their global service provider?
A: CIBT Visas is a global business and we wanted a single partner with the capability to service us across every market we operate in currently. We needed a firm that could ensure compliance with all the regulation applicable for each process, across several jurisdictions.
The fact that Mercator can service more than 170 jurisdictions is what initially attracted us – alongside knowing they are already set-up to support us when we plan to expand into a new territory.
How was your onboarding experience given CIBT Visas is a global business with entities spread all over the world?
A: Collaboration and communication were key to onboarding a global organization like ours, with so many entities. I was particularly impressed that it was not too big a job for Mercator to onboard 97 entities in one go, and how the Mercator team liaised with our different team members across regions to ensure a smooth transition.
Mercator had the structure in place to absorb all of the workload across multiple jurisdictions and the one point-of-contact meant that I was easily able to resolve any queries.
The only challenge in the beginning was amending our internal processes to keep the Mercator team in the loop.
What are the three main benefits you have experienced since working with Mercator?
A: The first is ensuring compliance with all laws and regulations: our business is growing and, in turn, is naturally keeping our internal team busy juggling different requirements and priorities. Mercator brings oversight and organization to the table that our teams need to stay compliant. It also helps us beat the exorbitant stress of meeting deadlines, with our Mercator client service team always being attentive and focused on all the little details and timelines.
The second is we have truly global coverage: since working with Mercator, I don’t worry about what we might miss or have the fear that somewhere, in a much smaller market where we might not have the same focus or local capability, there is a deadline or local company law that we didn’t even realize existed.
The third is invaluable organizational tools: Entica™ helps us to self-monitor 24/7. The range of tools available gives our global team access to a lot of information on our various entities, such as upcoming deadlines, information requested from various parties, directors’ information, and more. The platform also provides several touch points with the client service team and helps reduce email traffic.
How was your experience of our partnership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic?
A: The Mercator team proved their ability to continue supporting us regardless of the challenges and ensured we did not miss a beat during the pandemic.
It was extremely useful to have a steady stream of legal updates coming from Mercator, keeping us up-to-date and helping us to comply with the changing rules and regulations as the result of the pandemic.
What is the main reason you would recommend Mercator to others?
A: It is incredibly useful having a single point-of-contact and having all entity details readily available via Entica. Knowing that Mercator has the capacity to draft any legal documents in various languages and proceed with all necessary filings – no matter the location – is incredibly reassuring.
The added bonus is the people and level of service; we have a great relationship with our client service team and they are always available and reachable to answer our questions.
In summary – one partner, one point of contact, one platform.