Updated 9 October 2026BG-EXPERT

BRIDGES expert

Hanna Berger

Trusts and Succession Advisor, BRIDGES

I think about what will happen to a family’s capital and status in twenty years: who inherits, who is protected, where the family pays tax and who sees its accounts. Trusts, succession and protecting loved ones. Eighteen years in succession planning, at BRIDGES since 2018.

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Hanna Berger, Trusts and Succession Advisor, BRIDGES

18 yearsin trusts and succession planning

since 2018at BRIDGES, protecting family and capital

Zurichlives in Switzerland, works with families across Europe

4 languagesGerman, Russian, English, French

Path

Omsk, Heidelberg, Vaduz, Zurich

Omsk, Heidelberg, Vaduz, Zurich. First a trust company in Liechtenstein, then a family office, now plans for BRIDGES client families generations ahead.

1979Omsk
Born in Omsk into a family of Russian Germans. In 1992 the family moved to Germany, and at thirteen Hanna went to a German school without knowing the language.
1998-2004Heidelberg
Faculty of law, specialising in inheritance and family law. Thesis on how a family’s move changes the law under which an estate is divided.
2005-2012Vaduz
Seven years at a trust company in Liechtenstein: trusts and foundations for families, protection of heirs, reporting. She saw how a badly drafted trust can divide a family for decades.
2012-2018Zurich
A family office: succession planning, family taxes across several countries, protection of children who need special care.
2018BRIDGES
Joined BRIDGES so that a family’s move includes a plan for generations from the start: who is in the status, who inherits, how those who depend on their parents are protected.
TodayZurich
Trust and succession planning consultant at BRIDGES. Matters where a family’s status must be tied to inheritance and taxes for years ahead go through Hanna.

Approach to cases

Six rules that do not depend on the country

Six rules Hanna applies when building a family plan.

01A plan for generations
We look not at the next deal but at who will inherit the status, assets and obligations, and how.
02The most vulnerable first
Children who need special care, elderly parents. Their protection goes into the plan from the start.
03The country’s law decides a lot
A move changes the law under which an estate is divided. That has to be considered before the move, not after.
04A trust only when needed
A trust or foundation is a strong tool, but not a must. A will and the right status are often enough.
05Lawful privacy
A family has the right to a private life. We achieve it lawfully: through status and data exchange rules, not offshores.
06Agreements on paper
Everything the family agreed is set out in documents that heirs understand and that are recognised in their countries.

Talks and media

Conferences and meetings

Hanna speaks at conferences on trusts, succession and family offices. You can book a meeting in advance.

Upcoming conferences

Hanna online

BRIDGES on Instagram BRIDGES on LinkedIn BRIDGES YouTube channel

Beyond work

Mountains, the cello and family stories

At BRIDGES I handle what families do not like to talk about: inheritance, illness, protecting the most vulnerable. I love the moment when parents breathe out because they know their child will be protected whatever happens.

I am from Omsk, grew up in Germany and live in Zurich with my husband and two children. At thirteen I started school without the language, so I remember well what it is like to start again.

Every weekend we are in the mountains: hiking in summer, skiing in winter. I play the cello in an amateur orchestra and write down my family’s stories, from the Volga to Switzerland.

FamiliesZurichMountainsCelloFamily history

Situations

What people come with

These are the questions clients most often bring to Hanna.

Inheritance after a move: under which law A trust or foundation for the family: is it neededAn adult child with special needs in the family’s status Protecting heirs and elderly parentsFamily taxes across several countriesA US citizen with capital in EuropePrivacy and automatic exchange of bank dataPassing statuses and companies to childrenA will recognised in several countries

Case stories

Three matters in Hanna’s own words

How an adult child with special needs was included in Malta's permanent residence

Malta · PR

An adult son who depends on his parents for everything

Nina’s son is an adult with special needs who depends on his parents for everything. The family feared that, being of age, he would not be included in Malta PR.

The Maltese programme looks at dependency, not age. We proved the son’s financial and actual dependency with documents and medical reports, and also worked out how his rights will be protected when his parents are gone.

Outcome: The son included in Malta PR with the family

Read the full case

How a US Citizen Reduced Tax Burden on Foreign Assets through Malta GRP and DTA Agreement

Malta · tax

An American who paid twice

Michael is a US citizen, and US tax follows him wherever he lives. He had no intention of escaping it, but he was paying twice: in the States and in Europe and Asia.

We arranged GRP status in Malta and aligned his income with the US-Malta double tax treaty. Along the way Michael obtained EU residence for his family.

Outcome: Double tax removed, EU residence obtained

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How Malta's GRP Status Became a Shield Against Automatic CRS Information Exchange

Malta · tax

He hid nothing but was tired of explaining

Ilya from Minsk, a co-owner of an IT company, paid all his taxes. But every year after his bank’s report the same conversation with the tax inspectorate began.

We arranged GRP and non-dom status in Malta, and the bank reporting lawfully moved to where he now lives. Foreign dividends he does not bring into Malta are not taxed there.

Outcome: Privacy restored lawfully, double tax removed

Read the full case

Reviews

What Hanna’s clients say

Client reviews from matters Hanna ran: who the client is, where they are from, which programme - and a link to the full case.

BRIDGES client reviews

GennadiyGennady Petrovich, Investor

Malta · Tax

I am 71 and had no intention of moving. Hanna handled citizenship by merit almost without travel and laid down a legacy for my grandchildren.

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BorisFamily Head

Nauru · Citizenship

We were building an inheritance fund for our children and grandchildren. Hanna made a second Nauru passport its foundation, and the family plan became stable.

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SemenSemyon Mikhailovich, private investor

Turkey · Citizenship

I wanted the inheritance to reach my children without disputes. Hanna built it all through Turkish citizenship and Turkish inheritance law.

Read the case

All client reviews →

Materials

24 materials written by Hanna

BRIDGES knowledge base materials signed by Hanna: inheritance after a move, trusts, family protection and tax across several countries.

Showing 20 of 24

BRIDGES sections

Where this practice applies

Ownership structures Residence by investment Citizenship by investment Who we help Client cases How BRIDGES works

Team

Who runs the work alongside Hanna

A matter is never run by one person: the legal position, the filing, the documents and the work on the ground each have a named owner.

Yan NovakWealth Structuring AdvisorOwnership structures and tax regimes

Dmitry NagyInternational Tax ConsultantThe family’s tax residence

Daniel KovachSenior International Law AttorneyInternational law and legal position

Eva LauriHead of OperationsCompanies and deadlines

All BRIDGES experts

INITIAL ASSESSMENT

Tell us what outcome your family needs

We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.

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Anna Kovalevskaya, lead lawyer at BRIDGES GLOBAL

Anna KovalevskayaLead lawyer, citizenship and residency, 12 years of practice