Family Office Intel

In this insightful episode of Family Office Intel, host Edward Marshall sits down with Henry Brandts-Giesen, Global Co-Chair of Dentons Family Office & High Net Worth Group, to explore the dramatic transformation of family wealth management over the past 25 years.Henry shares his unique journey from traditional trust attorney to pioneering family office consultant, revealing how the industry has evolved from informal Excel spreadsheets to sophisticated, professionalized operations.Key topics covered:Three major trends reshaping family offices: wealth concentration, professionalization, and succession planningWhy "simplicity" is the secret weapon for multi-generational wealth preservationThe critical shift from managing just financial capital to protecting human capitalHow technology is democratizing family office operationsCross-border strategies and residency planning in an uncertain worldThe growing talent challenge for global family offices—and a look at how outsourcing can helpWhether you're a family office executive, wealth advisor, or business owner considering establishing a family office, Henry's practical insights on governance, risk management, and succession planning offer valuable guidance for navigating today's complex wealth landscape.Henry's refreshing approach—focusing on "software over hardware"—challenges conventional legal thinking and provides a roadmap for families seeking to professionalize their wealth management while maintaining flexibility for future generations.

In this episode, Edward Marshall, Global Head of Dentons Family Office Group, is joined by Dentons partner, Bob Richards. Bob is chair of Dentons' Global Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy practice group and practices in the areas of bankruptcy and insolvency-related transactions and litigation. His practice includes Chapter 11 representations, distressed asset acquisitions, distressed loan purchases and foreclosure sales, and out of court transactions and transaction structuring. Eddie and Bob discuss the issues most likely to impact a family office in a financially distressed situation. Bob provides further insight into the sectors that are most affected from real estate to automotive to health care and offers actionable recommendations for family enterprises faced with direct investments that are struggling, persons serving as directors or officers of a financially challenged business, and family offices which are looking for distressed acquisitions opportunities at a bargain price.

In this episode of Family Office Intel, Edward Marshall is joined by Nike Anani for a second interview focusing on educating families on qualitative issues via a cultural lens. They discuss the alignment of ideas stemming from varied cultural exposure in NextGen family members with the traditional concepts promoted by the family founders in order to successfully resolve conflicts and refine the vision of the family office. Transparent communication, dynamic policies and a common purpose are emphasized as keys to a promising family business operation. Nike Anani is an accomplished family business strategist and published author of “Lifetime to Legacy,” a practical guide helping family enterprises connect, collaborate and co-create successful businesses of the future from an African perspective.

In this episode, Edward Marshall is joined by Jonathan Cantor, a partner in Dentons' UK corporate practice. Jonathan has more than 25 years of experience advising on corporate transactions, including domestic and international structured complex corporate real estate acquisitions. Jonathan discusses the processes, issues and decisions involved when investors elect investing into private fund vehicles. Focused on high net worth individuals and family offices, the conversation also highlights the key questions and decision-making points needed for evaluation of fund performance and position based on the current market landscape.

Edward Marshall is joined by William Akridge, who helps lead the early stage investments of single family offices. Together, they discuss the development of his family office, how to align ROIs with philanthropic goals, and the priorities of the NextGen family members. William also identifies trending topics in family office portfolio investments and shares his insights on the advantages and challenges of families collaborating on investments.

Edward Marshall is joined by William Akridge, who helps lead the early stage investments of single family offices. Together, they discuss the development of his family office, how to align ROIs with philanthropic goals, and the priorities of the NextGen family members. William also identifies trending topics in family office portfolio investments and shares his insights on the advantages and challenges of families collaborating on investments.

In this episode, Edward Marshall is joined by Ronald Varney, a prominent fine art advisor and former Sotheby's Senior Vice President in the Trusts and Estates Department. Ron runs Ronald Varney Fine Art Advisors and has written widely on the arts for such publications as Esquire, the Smithsonian, House & Garden and The Harvard Business Review. Ron and Edward discuss changes in the art/collectible market post-COVID, the auction world, NFTs, risk management and diligence around art investments, transportation and security, technology, intellectual property considerations, and engaging the next generation with art and art education.

In this episode, we are joined by Greg Mech, Managing Director at Caprock, a US-based MFO with clients all over the world. Greg was a former Regional Managing Director for Bank of America Merrill Lynch and was a founder of eMaxx Partners, a virtual advisory firm.  In this episode of #FamilyOfficeIntel, Greg discuss the importance of family business and family office transitions, growth, values and expectations, as well as tips on navigating conversations around family member motivations and concerns.  

Neil Kreuzberger joins us to discuss the family office search and compensation space. Neil is a renowned executive search and staffing expert who has decades of experience working with family offices. In this episode, Neil discusses the challenges that family offices encounter across the family office human capital landscape, ranging from the future of work to building competitive compensation packages and everything in between.

In this episode, Edward Marshall is joined by Brian Adams, president and founder of Excelsior Capital. Brian leads investor relations and capital markets arms of the Excelsior. Brian has extensive experience in real estate private equity. Prior to forming Excelsior Capital, Brian co-founded Priam Properties, an institutional real estate private equity sponsor.  Brian and Edward discuss the current state of the family office ecosystem on a global level, including tips for the NextGen to successfully maintain the family office structure, how to choose family office solutions and advisors, and how to develop the requisite culture needed to ensure that the family office attains its goals.

Edward Marshall is joined by David Clark, founder of Integris Aviation with a dual aviation major from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. He has been in the aviation industry for over 30 years in a variety of roles, bringing his unique blend of technical expertise and transactional knowledge to some of the world's largest family offices. Together, they discuss how to make decisions around private aviation, the types of private aviation ownership available, as well as issues around human capital and sustainability in this area. The conversation includes strategic tips that family offices and family businesses should consider when dealing with aviation matters.

Edward Marshall is joined by Julia Chu, Head of Family Governance Advisory at J.P. Morgan Private Bank. As a former practicing tax attorney, Julia leads the practice in guiding wealthy families to convey their values and priorities through future generations. She serves as an experienced sounding board to share effective practices leveraged by significant families worldwide. Edward and Julia discuss the landscape of public trust levels, how to build trust among family members, elements of trust, the interplay of trust between principals and family offices, and the cultivation of trust in a virtual and post-pandemic world.

Edward Marshall, Global Head of the Family Office Group, is joined by April Rudin. April is a widely acknowledged marketing strategist for the financial services sector. Her firm leads marketing campaigns for some of the largest wealth management firms and family offices. Together, they discuss how single family offices, multifamily offices, and advisors to the private client space should think about marketing and strategy. They also discuss how advisors and multifamily offices can present unique value propositions in a crowded space. The conversation includes April's ideas on strategic communication tips for single family offices and families who want to develop a brand strategy.

Edward Marshall, Global Head of Dentons' Family Office Group, is joined by Jon Preizler. Jon helps manage the investment arm at a single family office in New York. We discuss the evolution of the current family office industry, getting a role in a family office, direct investing, his insights on providing critical analysis behind investments, as well as the strategies required to structure and operate a successful family office.

Edward Marshall is joined by Edmund Leow. Edmund is the Head of the Dentons Tax and Trusts, Estates and Wealth Preservation practices in Singapore. He has three decades of experience in advising multinational organizations on cross-border tax planning, transfer pricing and tax disputes. He also advises on international trade issues such as customs, WTO and free-trade agreements. Together, they discuss the advantageous tax landscape in Singapore, a major business hub, which attracts substantive transactions and a plethora of foreign investments.

Edward Marshall, Global Head of the Family Office Group, is joined by Seth Morton, Director at The Family Office Association (TFOA). Seth has served family offices in areas of investment diligence, execution, and management; governance; research; communications; and multi-generational, sustainable legacy planning. Seth has a PhD in Literature from Rice University and was a Fulbright Scholar. In a series of podcasts, Edward and Seth analyze classical literature and applications to understanding and improving family dynamics and family office operations. In this episode, they focus on the Shakespearean tragedy, King Lear. They examine the Bard's comments on several areas including next gen succession: “How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is To have a thankless child!”

Edward Marshall, Global Head of the Family Office Group, is joined by panelists Joseph Guagliardo, Howard Neiswender, Adrian Stewart, and Rich Williams to discuss wealth planning tips for digital asset entrepreneurs and investors. They discuss a blockchain and digital asset market update, as well as information on the tax implications and structuring considerations for those active in this space. The conversation continues with insights on creating an estate plan for cryptocurrency and digital assets, evaluating fiduciary considerations and maximizing philanthropic contributions with crypto assets.

Edward Marshall, Global Head of Dentons' Family Office Group, is joined by John Crain and Li Chuan Hsu. John is the CEO and Founder of digital art marketplace SuperRare Labs. Li Chuan is a Dentons Corporate Senior Partner and Co-Head of the Fintech/Blockchain practice in Singapore. His main areas of practice encompass corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, blockchain and distributed ledger technology for clients across Asia-Pacific, Oceania and Europe. Together, they discuss the current state of blockchain and what the future holds, including its impact on use cases, NFTs, and art/digital art. The conversation continues with insights on tax and policy considerations, as well as the investable opportunities in this space.  

Edward Marshall is joined by Frazer Rice, Regional Director of Pendleton Square. Frazer works with families and individuals in developing and implementing fiduciary structures to achieve family goals. Frazer is the author of Wealth Actually and hosts an affiliated podcast where he interviews experts in the wealth space. Frazer provides insight into valuable lessons learned, including properly communicating with professional services advisors, successful wealth planning around cryptocurrency, the impact of artificial intelligence, and the modified family office landscape in a post-pandemic world.

Edward Marshall, Global Head of Dentons' Family Office Group, is joined by Tom Burroughes, Group Editor of Family Wealth Report (FWR). Prior to FWR, Tom was the Wealth Management Editor for The Business, a UK-based publication owned by the Telegraph Group, as well as a correspondent for Reuters. Tom shares his unique insights on family offices and the wealth management industry, including the evolution of this industry to its prominence today due to the influence of media and technology, as well as the future trajectory of this industry.

Edward Marshall is joined by Francois Botha and Doug Fritz. Francois is the founder of Simple, a NextGen market intel and insights lab focused on family offices and private investors.  Doug is the founder of F2 Strategy, a leading boutique management consulting firm helping complex RIA, wealth and multi-family office firms improve their technical capabilities.  Together, they discuss the top pain points in the family office technology space, including potential remedies. They provide insight on designing technology platforms for single family office and multi-family offices, as well as the trends in the family office technology space globally, consolidated reporting, and the future of family office technology.

Key tax and wealth planning insights for Ukrainian business owners, entrepreneurs, and family offices (Available in Russian only) Edward Marshall, Global Head of Dentons' Family Office and High Net Worth group, is joined by Valeria Tarasenko, tax advisor in the Dentons Kyiv office and member of the firm's Global Tax team. Valeria specializes in tax law and tax dispute settlements. She advises national and multinational companies on tax structuring and tax planning, assessment of tax risks, cross-border taxation and application of international tax treaties. Together, they discuss the taxation regime affecting Ukrainian entrepreneurs and business owners, the taxation of high net worth families, controlled foreign corporation structures, asset ownership considerations, as well as asset protection and estate planning. Ключевые вопросы налогового планирования и управления собственным капиталом для украинских собственников бизнеса, предпринимателей и управляющих семейным капиталом к Эдварду Маршаллу, Глобальному руководителю подразделения по вопросам управления семейным капиталом и лиц с высоким уровнем собственного капитала компании Dentons, присоединилась Валерия Тарасенко, Налоговый консультант киевского офиса Dentons и член Глобальной налоговой группы компании. Валерия специализируется на налоговом праве и разрешении налоговых споров. Она консультирует национальные и международные компании по вопросам налогового структурирования и налогового планирования, оценки налоговых рисков, международного налогообложения и применения международных налоговых соглашений. Вместе они обсуждают налоговый режим, влияющий на украинских предпринимателей и собственников бизнеса, налогообложение семей с высоким уровнем собственного капитала, контролируемые иностранные корпоративные структуры, факторы, которые необходимо учитывать в связи с владением активами, а также вопросы защиты активов и наследственного планирования.

Edward Marshall, Global Head of Dentons' Family Office and High Net Worth group, is joined by acclaimed journalist Paul Sullivan. Paul created and writes the New York Times' “Wealth Matters” column and is the author of The Thin Green Line: Money Secrets of the Super Wealthy and Clutch: Why Some People Excel Under Pressure and Others Don't. He also writes for Golf Magazine and previously has written for Financial Times, Conde Nast Portfolio, Fortune, Money, Barron's and Bloomberg. In this episode of Family Office Intel, they talk about how covering the world of wealthy families has changed over the last 20 years, industries supporting the high net worth space, public policy and public perception changes, the pandemic, NFTs, and important valuation techniques that leverage Barbie dolls.

Edward Marshall, Global Head of Dentons' Family Office and High Net Worth sector, is joined by Chris Cunningham and Sam Frankfort. Chris is a media and tech veteran, entrepreneur and early-stage venture capital investor. Sam is the founding partner of Benvolio Group, which focuses on direct investing in early stage disruptive consumer facing concepts. Sam now sits on several boards of early stage companies and is actively involved in a number of early stage venture companies. They discuss best practices for family offices evaluating venture opportunities, how families offices collaborate in the venture space, ideas around sourcing of deals, how to support early stage companies, and other lessons learned from venture investing.

Edward Marshall, Global Head of Dentons' Family Office practice, is joined by Deborah Little and Sam Braver, colleagues in the Firm's Litigation and Dispute Resolution group, as they share their insights on a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision, concerning the fiduciary exception and its effect on attorney-client and work-product privileges, including the impact of this decision on clients in Pennsylvania, Florida an beyond.

Edward Marshall is joined by Andrea Fiorelli, partner and head of the Dentons Italian Tax practice in Milan and Rome. Andrea sits on several boards of directors for financial institutions, focusing also on high net worth and wealth/asset management as part of his practice. He advises key managers, shareholders and individual investors of financial institutions, as well as entrepreneurs who focus on estate and succession planning matters. Together, they discuss the Italian family office and high net worth landscape, including what entices a family office to set up shop in Italy, the effect of Brexit on the Italian marketplace, and how non-Italians are obtaining residency as part of their business planning. Family offices e HNWIs in Italia. Considerazioni sistemiche, best practice e trend di sviluppo Edward Marshall è assistito da Andrea Fiorelli, partner e responsabile del dipartmento tax dello studio legale Dentons in Milano e Roma. Andrea è membro di consigli di amministrazioni in diverse istituzione finanziarie, focalizzando una parte rilevante della propria attività professionale nell'assistenza a clientela high net worth e nel wealth/asset management. Presta consulenza a managers apicali, azionisti e investitori in rilevanti istituzioni finanziarie, così come a soggetti imprenditoriali focalizzati su tematiche di pianificazione patrimoniale e successoria. Congiuntamente si confrontano a tutto campo sul fenomeno dello scenario domestico italiano dei family offices e dell'assistenza ai grandi patrimoni, non negligendo inoltre le esigenze organizzative dei family offices operanti attivamente in Italia, l'effetto della Brexit sui rapporti transfrontalieri e sul trend relativo all'acquisizione della residenza domestica da parte di soggetti non residenti come parte della pianificazione patrimoniale.

Edward Marshall is joined by Gary Gartner of the Dentons Tax Practice and member of the firm's Global Family Office and High Net Worth Steering Committee. Gary also is Managing Director of Alchemy Capital Planning, a strategic joint venture partner of Dentons. He has extensive experience counseling families on the US and international tax consequences of various transactions, restructurings, and securities offerings. Additionally, he advises on strategic joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions and a wide array of liquidity transactions, as well as providing them with general business and strategic advice. They discuss the evolution of the international tax base from a family office perspective, as well as various case studies from the field providing insight into the best practices that can be implemented from understanding the complexities of those international transactions.

Edward Marshall is joined by Jose Munoz (Global COO of Hyundai Motor Company and CEO of Hyundai Motor North America), Elena Mueller (Global Head of Venture Management at Schaeffler), Chris Thomas, (Co-Founder of Assembly Ventures) and Eric Tanenblatt (Dentons' Global Chair of Public Policy and Regulation +head of the firm's Global Autonomous Vehicles Practice). Together, they discuss the current and future states of mobility, the move to full electrification and the infrastructure for making such a successful move. The discussion continues with a focus on global public policy development in the mobility space, autonomous vehicles, and investable opportunities in this area.

Edward Marshall is joined by Nike Anani and Tsitsi Mutendi to discuss the African family business and family office landscape, as well as best practices around working with family businesses and recommendations for avoiding potential pitfalls. Nike and Tsitsi are co-founders of African Family Firms, a pan-African association of family businesses. Nike is a succession specialist with over a decade of experience in Nigeria as a second generation family business owner and leader. Tsitsi is the founder and lead consultant at Nhaka Legacy Planning. She assists family businesses to build out multi-generational businesses which turn into multi-generational legacies.

Edward Marshall is joined by Dr. Jordan Shlain and Dr. Chris Sidford. Dr. Shlain is the Founder and Chairman of Private Medical, a full service family office for healthcare and medicine. Dr. Sidford is the Founder and Medical Director of Black Bag, a private emergency medical consultancy. Together, they discuss what to expect on the healthcare front in the wake of the pandemic, as well as the positive scientific outcomes stemming from the pandemic. The conversation continues with the potential revolution in how we practice medicine, emergency medicine lessons learned around the world, and the manner in which adjacent breakthrough technologies are impacting the healthcare space.

Edward Marshall is joined by Joel Wallenstrom, a global information security expert who is also the CEO and President of Wickr. Wickr offers a robust enterprise secure collaboration platform used by prominent Fortune 500 companies and top US government organizations. Edward and Joel discuss the evolving cybersecurity and privacy landscape as it relates to family offices, including the history of the secured communications space. The discussion continues with Joel's insight into the future of privacy protection for family offices.

Edward Marshall is joined by Molly Simmons, founding partner of McFarland Partners, a boutique firm focused on business strategies and private investments in the family office realm. Molly is a seasoned family office executive and has spent decades working with closely held businesses and has served on over 30 public and private boards. Prior to McFarland, she was a managing director of investments at a large multi-billion dollar single-family office, and served as a general partner in two private equity funds. Edward and Molly discuss the formation of an investment function in a family office and best practices involving the investment team's role in a family office. Molly provides insight into successful direct investing in the family office context, as well as tips on avoiding common pitfalls. They also discuss diligence factors family offices should consider with potential investment ideas.

Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) are increasing in popularity, especially in the realm of family office investment. Why are family offices interested in SPACs? How can family offices take advantage of SPAC vehicles? What are the implications of SPACs on a US and global level? What does the future hold for SPACs? Edward Marshall, Global Head of the Family Office and High Net Worth Sector, is joined by panelists Paul Barrett (Citi Private Capital Group), Richelle Parham (WestRiver Group) and James Woolery (Woolery & Co.), as well as Dentons Corporate partner, Brian Lee, for an informative discussion to answer these and other questions relating to the benefits of family offices forming a SPAC as well as to provide a glimpse of the expected success of SPACs in the future.

Edward Marshall is joined by investor and entrepreneur, Ron Diamond. Ron is the founder and chairman of Diamond Wealth, a firm that represents over 100 family offices ranging in size from $250 million to $30 billion. He serves as the Head of Stanford University's Global Family Office Initiative and Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Disruptive Technology and Digital Cities Program. Earlier in his career, Ron founded a hedge fund called Pinnacle Capital. Previously, Ron served as a Senior Managing Director at Bear Stearns and began his career as an analyst at Drexel Burnham Lambert. They discuss Ron's work with Stanford University to help professionalize and institutionalize the Family Office domain.

Edward Marshall is joined by Martin Roll. Martin is an advisor to several global boards and prominent family businesses, as well as a mentor for next generation leaders in business families, start-ups and high-growth companies. Martin is also an author and teaches at INSEAD, CEIBS, and Harvard. Martin provides insight into the future of family offices in a post-pandemic world, trends in the family business and family office space, as well as his thoughts on the academic study of family offices, and the process for building successful next-gen family enterprise leaders.

Edward Marshall is joined by Joe Farren, President of My Account, a bill payment and personal bookkeeping firm for families and executives. They discuss the challenges that SFOs and MFOs face in developing and maintaining an effective bill payment system and trends in the bill payment and wealth management technology space. They also discuss bookkeeping and bill payment operational best practices, in-sourcing/outsourcing considerations, and potential pitfalls to consider.

Edward Marshall is joined by Andrew Braithwaite, who co-leads the direct private investing efforts at The Cynosure Group, a prominent Utah-based family-backed investment firm. Prior to Cynosure, Andrew was an investment banker at Barclays and private equity professional at The Carlyle Group. They discuss how a family office manages the direct investing process, as well as the benefits family offices achieve when they seek out opportunities to invest together. They also talk about how the family office direct investment domain compares to the private equity approach. Andrew also details how a family office evolves from managing its own capital to partnering with others to raise a committed capital fund.

Edward Marshall is joined by Caren Yanis, a global expert on philanthropy who has built and run foundations for the family offices of Oprah Winfrey and the Crown Family. Caren guides family offices, high net worth families, and businesses to develop philanthropic practices in line with their values. Her work focuses on governance, cross generation engagement, strategic planning, and evaluation. Edward and Caren discuss the philanthropic landscape during the pandemic and provide a glimpse into the post-pandemic world. They talk about the global philanthropic space, how families start their philanthropic journey, and the role of family offices in supporting philanthropic efforts. Caren provides tips on involving emerging generation members in family philanthropy.

Edward Marshall, Global Head of Dentons' Family Office sector, is joined by Henry Brandts-Giesen, partner and leader of the Trusts, Estates and Wealth Preservation team in the Dentons Auckland office, and Melinda Lehman, Investment Market Manager North America for Immigration New Zealand of the New Zealand Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment. They discuss global mobility trends of wealthy families, the residency by investment program in New Zealand, and New Zealand's nascent family office sector. They also cover New Zealand as a global financial jurisdiction and home base for entrepreneurs.

Edward Marshall, Global Head of Dentons' Family Office practice, is joined by Dennis Jaffe for a discussion on resilient family enterprises. Dennis is a pioneer and leader in family enterprise consulting space. They discuss several areas, including the commonalities among families that are able to achieve long-lasting family businesses and enterprises, the role of family offices in supporting successful family enterprises, and developing the next generation to be good stewards of family wealth.

Edward Marshall, Global Head of Dentons' Family Office practice, is joined by Jay Jakub. Jay is a former executive and co-leader of the Economics of Mutuality (EoM) initiative at renowned Mars, Incorporated and currently the Chief Advocacy Officer at the EoM Foundation. They discuss the background of EoM, a new economic school of thought started by the Mars family. Jay and Edward also cover how the EoM works in practice and how it compares to impact investing and other strategies that aim to provide social good while reaching financial goals. The discussion is rounded out by an analysis of how EoM can be applied to running a successful family office.

Edward Marshall, Global Head of Dentons' Family Office practice, is joined by Deborah Little and Sam Braver, colleagues in the Firm's Litigation and Dispute Resolution group, as they share their insights on fiduciary litigation, including the impact on fiduciaries of changes in the alternative investment industry and the steps families and fiduciaries can take to avoid costly litigation.

Edward Marshall, Global Head of Family Office at Dentons, is joined by Kevin Hulbert, for a discussion of the risk and threat landscape for family offices. Kevin, a former senior executive at the Central Intelligence Agency and currently a Senior Advisor at Dentons, provides his insights based on working with family offices around the world. They discuss why family offices face different threats and make attractive targets for criminals and other bad actors and how family offices can better prepare against the variety of threats they face. They discuss numerous threats and how to combat them across many domains including cybersecurity, business disruption, operating in a remote environment, theft of intellectual property and disclosure of personal information, to name a few.