Insights

Sun Tzu’s 'The Art of War' has inspired military commanders from around the world to succeed in battle, since being written some 2,500 years ago by the master tactician and philosopher. How can we apply his learnings to the “battle” we face today, as we defend and prepare our real estate portfolios for the continuing onslaught of the pandemic, and help to mitigate the risks that will ensue?

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Every year, thousands of startup founders set out in search of funding for their business ideas, offering the promise of substantial returns for family offices. We explore how family offices can mitigate risk and avoid pitfalls by taking a diligent and considered approach to venture investing.

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Family offices come in many shapes and sizes, as do the advisors who serve them. Increased competition, technological changes, and an increasing desire for niche investment opportunities are changing the way that family offices work with wealth advisors. We explore what the future might hold for this market.

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Gold has long been seen as an effective way to pass on family wealth throughout generations. However, bitcoin is quickly becoming a worthy competitor. As we continue to move into a digital world, family offices are no exception to this and must embrace digital value.

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Family offices today must embrace diversity, inclusion, and empowerment of women, if they are to thrive. Our twenty-first-century business world is highly disruptive and challenging, and diversity of thought is key to navigating these successfully. We explore how families can involve female members in wealth decision-making.

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All investments deliver impact. However, in order for a family office to really drive impact, they need to clearly define it and then propose how they plan on achieving it. An impact thesis gives family offices a higher chance of achieving the intended impact – both financial and non-financial – through a process of co-creation.

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As 2020 has shaken the world and with fundamental assumptions being challenged, many female leaders have been celebrated for their ability to successfully manage successfully the crisis. Within the private wealth space, self-made women are becoming the fastest-growing segment. How can these changes be leveraged to create a more integrated and balanced approach to leadership?

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Family businesses are built with a core vision that, which has continuity, renewal, longevity, and legacy of the enterprise in mind. These visions are oftentimes built around a specific competency or industry which is intimately tied to a family's identity. But in an ever-changing marketplace, how might family businesses embrace generalism for strategic advantage?

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The stock exchange and family firms – two irreconcilable terms upon first glance. Going public seems to mark the beginning of the end for family firms and to entail an entirely different type of governance. But the book “Successful on and off the stock exchange – Governance practices in family firms” written by Dr. Sonja Kissling and Dr. Bianca Braun shows that this is not true.

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Banks are often the institutions that operate closest to family offices. For this reason, family offices also look to banks more frequently for guidance to ensure they're equipped to facilitate the growth and sustainability of the family enterprises that they serve. But what do banks believe family offices should focus on?

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The need for privacy and more control over wealth and assets has seen the number of family offices grow. Research reported that by the end of Q2 2019, there were 7,300 offices worldwide – a number that has continued to grow. However, family offices may be plagued by unseen governance risks that could seriously jeopardise their future.

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European startups have come a long way in the last 10 to 15 years. Back in the 1990s and 2000s, when many of the world’s biggest tech companies, such as Amazon, Google and Facebook were founded, Europe didn’t even feature on the global tech landscape. But with European startups now making their mark on the global stage, the time is right for family offices to get involved.

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As the greatest wealth transfer in history is underway, noteworthy heirlooms such as important art collections, historic real estate are being taken over by a new generation. Can these inheritors embrace their new ownership and find ways to make it a meaningful relationship – or will the family jewels be destined for the auction houses? We explore some options.

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2020 was the year we all became suddenly aware of the interconnectedness of our global challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed how climate change, health disparities, racial discrimination, housing injustice, population displacement, and other factors all act and interact in complex adaptive systems. How might investment and design principles embed value in impact investing from day one?

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What made family offices in Germany successful and how are they resetting for the new normal? We navigate the top challenges transforming the transgenerational wealth creation of German enterprising families.

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For family offices looking to protect and grow family wealth, a time-horizons’ tiered approach to wealth management is paramount. For those charged with financial decision making, these time projections are arguably the most sensible strategy to preserve, grow and transfer wealth within a family context. We look at how pine nuts, pine trees and oak trees can secure wealth for future generations.

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After 11 years of its existence, bitcoin has gone from a fringe to a mainstream concept. A recent wave of corporations and HNWI’s have been buying bitcoin as a way of combating the inflation that central banks are currently producing. So, how can family offices navigate the bits and bytes in the ether?

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Imagine a seemingly healthy 35-year-old family member assumes the CEO position of a core global family enterprise. On the second day of his tenure, he sustains a cardiac arrest and dies immediately. Could the risk of his tragic death have been mitigated using currently available actionable DNA medical science of genomics? The answer is resoundingly yes.

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Family offices rarely think about their operating costs in basis points – surprising when such a measurement is a common component of determining expense vs value when comparing investments. Navigating your supplier universe can help you gain a much-needed system overview.

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Singapore might be the answer for many Western family offices looking to bridge family values and forthcoming disruptions.

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Over the past 5-10 years, there has been an increasing focus on the importance of women in leadership positions, including on boards. Aside from the obvious reason of legal equality, why is a policy of mixed-gender board representation important?

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Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Every great institution is the lengthened shadow of a single man (or woman)." Within the private wealth space, this is especially true with no two family offices being the same. Service design makes an ideal bedfellow for family offices looking to move beyond 'palace politics' and re-engineer their family office structure to meet the changing needs of the market.

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Economic uncertainty and stock market volatility mean family offices are reviewing their investment strategies with a view to safeguarding their portfolios for the future. Covid-19 has thrown all the chips in the air and, while the arrival of a vaccine gives hope that the end of the pandemic is in sight, nobody knows where the pieces will eventually land, for the public markets, property and other mainstream investment classes.

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A changing set of realities, norms and values are underway in the face of an accelerating climate crisis. Within the family wealth space, the next-generation are particularly attuned to these changes and placing demands on family business leaders to act. A new family governance method which targets a family’s collective unconscious could be the key to successful intergenerational transition.

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The next generation today must influence a range of stakeholders if they are to be effective change agents. Family enterprises are facing a 21st-century volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world that has given rise to a new style of leadership. We explore how the next generation can embrace a persuasive leadership style in order to be effective change-makers and propel the family enterprise into the future.

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Bitcoin and family offices very logically compliment each other. Family offices aim for long-term wealth preservation throughout generations, while bitcoin is a form of money that can’t be inflated and can therefore retain its value over time. We explore how the history of fiat currencies and the recent adoption from UHNW investors presents a compelling case for this new financial revolution.

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Since it’s capabilities were first promoted to underpin and support Bitcoin over a decade ago Blockchain has experienced a great deal of hype. While the fintech industry remains the blockchain leader, organizations in other sectors including healthcare, technology, media and telecommunications are expanding their blockchain initiatives.

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Though the family office market in Australia continues to go from strength to strength, it is a challenge for software providers to see the value in expanding to a vast country with a highly idiosyncratic financial system. At the same time, there are also challenges to helping established Australian family offices to invest in a high-performing tech stack. We explore solutions to this technological stalemate.

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Intergenerational succession represents a significant challenge to family business. Though a common problem, misalignment between generations needs to be addressed for businesses to thrive into the future. Emotional intelligence could well be the key to bridging the gap. We take a look at how mentorship – and increasingly mindfulness – are helping family businesses to cross the chasm.

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Though family offices vary in size and shape, every organization shares a common origin: entrepreneurship. Without the first generation of pioneering entrepreneurs, they simply wouldn’t exist.

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For many family offices, succession is the most complex and significant challenge faced over the course of their life cycle. Next-generation engagement is fundamental in ensuring that their legacy continues well beyond their tenure. Here are five approaches to aid next-gen engagement.

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Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) have been credited by many as the backbone of business management. But how do these metrics fair in a rapidly evolving world? Research suggests that a focus on soft (as well as hard assets and predictive technology is the answer.

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As a growing number of asset owners question whether they can manage their assets for more than financial returns, impact investing receives mounting attention. In spite of this, many still believe that impact investments constitute higher risks. We explore how by reframing their relationship to risk, family offices can take bigger bets and win in the long run.

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Many businesses with humble beginnings have been able to weather change and grow into empires. Could professionalization hold the key to continued success?

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Although certain business challenges are universal to family offices across the globe, the way in which Asian family businesses experience, prioritise, and tackle them is unique. We deep dive into four key global family office challenges and how they are experienced within the Asian context, reflecting upon the unique set of underlying influences that shape the Asian response.

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In this day and age, content is king. Brands in the 21st century have more cultural and social capital than ever before. With the rise of influencer marketing and the proliferation of social media platforms, branding has become an ever more important aspect of business. 'Primal branding' offers family businesses with a guide on how to get started.

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The transition from a family business to a business family is not an easy one. Without a clear, strategically implemented plan to preserve both its wealth and legacy, the family faces a progressive dispersal of its assets. We outline the key factors that spark a transition from family business to business family – and offer advice on how to handle this.

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Impact investing has caught the attention of families, family offices, and private investors alike in recent years. In spite of this impact-led zeitgeist, there exists uncertainty on how to approach this field. How do you begin? Here are a few points to consider.

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HBO’s mega-series Succession follows the decaying empire of a dysfunctional media family - a template on precisely how not to run your family office. Here are five lessons that we can learn from Succession, before putting them into practice in the process of running family offices.

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Financial institutions, once regarded as the cornerstones of business, are now facing unprecedented changes and challenges that could not even have been conceived of a decade ago. We explore how banks can remain relevant within the private wealth space through a customer-centric approach.

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Only 3% of family-owned businesses survive until the fourth generation and beyond. There appears to be a cross-generational disconnect with family owned business succession. We explore past and present trends and cast a glance to the future regarding successful planning to help ensure legacies live on and thrive.

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It would appear that some Family Offices are now showing a predilection for direct investing to diversify portfolios and build new equity investment. Whether investors are motivated by high returns or other factors, it begs one important question: how best to enter the deal flow slipstream?

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Remaining relevant and competitive in a rapidly evolving marketplace is no mean feat. Whilst innovation methodologies and speed-to-market are fundamental business tactics, how do we ensure we’re solving the right kind of problems? Foresight and trend analysis provide us with the necessary tools to do so.

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Statistics reveal that cybercrime is becoming one of the biggest commercial and reputational risks to family offices, a threat that is expected to grow well into the future. With businesses shifting more into the online and digital space, cyber criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their methods.

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Globalisation, digital transformation and climate change have transformed the way we live, work and conduct business today. Inheriting this radically transformed world are the millennials, a new generation with distinct priorities from their baby-boomer predecessors. Their north star? Purpose.

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Gone are the days of the 'Five Forces Framework', the Four P’s of 'the Marketing Mix' and the 'Seven C’s Compass'. It's time for brand frameworks which are reflective of, and adaptive to, an ever-changing business climate. We've selected the top new-age frameworks for developing a cohesive brand for your family business.

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Africa marches to her own rhythm. Besides her unrivalled natural beauty, the continent is blessed with numerous natural resources and knowledge power. Despite these riches, even the wealthiest African cities are home to the greatest numbers of people living in poverty worldwide. The emergence of a healthy Family Office ecosystem remains lacklustre.

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Video content is dominating the digital media space, with 100 million hours of video content watched on Facebook, 10 billion videos watched on Snapchat every day with countless more on Instagram and TikTok. What better option is there to really speak with the next generation of owners?

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Running a hotel is very much like running a big family. Every day there will be something new. Perhaps today the internet is down, tomorrow you’re awarded some prestigious award, next week an unexpected family member is arriving where the hotel is full, or one day the police are at the door to speak to one of the family members.

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Many family businesses are born of the practice of merely "doing something," like tackling a problem or seizing an opportunity. It's often a matter of an entrepreneur spotting a gap and taking it.

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The Mitsubishi model of a company built to last the ages still exists, but with the advent of the tech industry and the accompanying startup culture, many old-school concepts of a generational business lineage, past and future, are harder and harder to find.

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In an exercise reminiscent of “If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?” imagine that tomorrow you go to your place of business but there’s no one at the front desk, no one at the phones, no one in IT, no one filing or filling orders, no one manufacturing or selling your widgets… If there’s no one to run it, would you have a company?

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Family offices have evolved from the mega-money-centric, often hidebound institutions of a bygone era (by which we mean a few decades ago). Today the services offered by an energetic family office more closely resemble those of a life coach/creative director/spin-doctor, than a financial advisor.

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The common misconception is that the family office asset management style only suits ultra-high-net-worth individuals and companies. But how about the less-high-net-worth ones? Here are a few suggestions on implementing top-notch financial management practices on a business of virtually any size to take a load off your staff and enhance productivity.

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While most successful families consider heritage branding extremely beneficial, not everyone takes full advantage of this extraordinary marketing tool. According to statistics, only one-third of the top 100 family businesses focus on their brands as family-owned, even though purposefully highlighting your multi-generational story comes with a solid set of bonuses.

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