Event Review
XLNC Spring Conference 2025
It always starts with hugs and smiles, and you can always feel the joy whenever our members get together.
Led by Louise Lecanda and Sonal Shah, the XLNC Women in Business started early by meeting for drinks on arrival on the Wednesday evening, knowing that by doing so they would help to create a bond between old and new members well before the start of any formal meetings.
Thursday morning allowed for those with an interest in history to explore Monaco Rock: an excellent introduction to our destination city. Participants were taken to the old town and visited the Oceanographic Museum. Inaugurated in 1910 by its founder, Prince Albert I, this exceptional museum of marine science is a monumental masterpiece with a grandiose facade, rising above the sheer cliffs of the sea, to a height of 85m. It took 11 years to build, using 100,000 tonnes of stone from La Turbie. Afterwards, the group walked in the narrow streets of the "Rock", passing by the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception where the Princes and Princesses of Monaco are buried (including Princess Grace). The group also visited Palace Square, dominated by the residence of Prince Albert II.
The XLNC Spring Conference was linked to our member firm Trustconsult's Annual Conference in Monaco, and the Fairmont Hotel was certainly a spectacular backdrop to the double event. The theme of the TrustConsult Annual Conference was “Global threats on you and your assets: How to secure your position, holdings and transmission”, and there was a line-up of notable and impressive speakers. The attendees of both events were able to network together during dinner in the hotel. We were delighted to have XLNC President Martin Sharp extend a warm welcome to everyone.
On Friday morning, XLNC Chairman Richard Kleiner kicked off proceedings with another warm welcome before handing the floor to keynote speaker Dr Daniel Lacalle Fernández. Daniel spoke about "Global Challenges and Opportunities for 2025 and the Next Decade", addressing the challenges that affect the macro, political and monetary landscape and discussing then the tools to understand the most important factors for business.
The focus group meetings, which were led by our attending members, were an absolute highlight – as best practices, experiences and hot topics were presented and discussed.
Before we knew it, it was time for the closing dinner at La Table d'Elise, where the group was also entertained by mentalist Federico Soldati. We're still perplexed as to how he managed to bend a spoon right in front of us!
As if this wasn't enough, the members who wanted to extend their networking were able to visit Nice together on the Saturday, where there was certainly an overdose once again of history, wine and food. Who could want for more?
