Creating purpose & direction for a new Investment Office
OWNERS’ STRATEGY
Context
Facing the challenge of stewarding wealth across generations, a third-generation family had decided to set up their own investment office in an international financial centre. The aspiration was to emulate a world class endowment.
As the new board came together, it became clear that a compelling purpose and a clear strategy was essential; a strategy that would energise the family stakeholders on the new entity while being grounded in the reality of the local market situation. To turn this vision into a concrete plan, a structured and insightful advisory process was required.
Work
To lay the groundwork for this transformation, our partner conducted a series of in-depth interviews with a wide range of stakeholders. This included board members, trusted executives, and the third-party advisory firms that had been involved in architecting the holding structure for the assets.
Building on these insights, detailed supporting analysis was conducted to pinpoint the success factors behind a number of well-regarded aspirational peers. The findings shaped a series of workshops that enabled the stakeholders to work towards their bespoke purpose and direction.
The outcome was a clear, actionable roadmap presented to the new Board, outlining the proposed approach and the pre- and post-launch phases in detail.
Impact
The initial Board meeting endorsed the proposed purpose and strategy, triggering hiring processes and the operationalisation of the investment model. United behind a shared vision, the Board and employees focused first on building credibility with the family stakeholders through a funds-based approach, then on building experience in market niches.
With trust established, the family accelerated the allocation of capital to the investment office and gave the green light to gradually increase investment risk. The firm continues to go from strength-to-strength today, guided by the purposeful foundation laid at the start.