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Daniel Channing, Director, Crestbridge Family Office Services, examines the growing importance of luxury assets in investment portfolios, and the need for strategic governance to align them with a family’s wealth strategy.

This article was published in ALM’s The Month – Luxury Assets Magazine – May 2023

 

The indications are that wealthy families continue to hold some form of luxury asset within their investment portfolios. Such assets make up some 5% of investable wealth on average – that’s the same proportion as gold and crypto assets combined (Knight Frank Wealth Report 2023).

And possibly with good reason – the latest Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index rose by a healthy 16% during 2022, beating inflation and outperforming most mainstream investment classes. Art was the top performer, growing by 29%, according to the Index, with classic cars rising 25%.

There is, however, some differential within the sector – wine grew 10% (down from 16% the previous year), while whisky was up just 3%.

Often for families, returns when it comes to luxury assts are not necessarily the be all and end all – they are ultimately investments of passion, sentiment, interest and lifestyle. Yachts and private planes, for instance, may meet the lifestyle requirements of a family, but they are notoriously expensive assets to hold, depreciating in value and delivering very little, if any, income return.

But when do non-income generating luxury assets become a problem for the family strategy more widely – particularly with total UHNWI wealth having been eroded by some 10% last year against challenging and high inflation versus previous years market conditions (Knight Frank), and with the nextgen continuing to take more of an interest in driving family portfolios?

Fresh Look

With almost a third of wealthy private investors targeting capital growth this year (Knight Frank), the role of luxury assets within a portfolio may well become part of the conversations between advisers and their clients in the coming months, as they take a fresh look at how hard their investments are working and how they could be put to work harder to generate returns.

Crucial in this scenario is looking at where luxury assets sit within the wider portfolio and the family’s wealth strategy holistically. Often, of course, family wealth creators are emotionally tied to their luxury assets and may well consider them to be part of their family legacy. At the same time, though, those assets may well be at odds with the shifting priorities and values of the increasingly influential nextgen.

In any situation, of course, a family will want to avoid the potential for future disputes – and advisers have a crucial role to play in putting in place measures from the outset that can reduce that risk.

At the heart of this is good governance. Advisers with a focus on nurturing close, positive relationships with their clients are best placed to deliver on that. By understanding their clients, bringing all stakeholders to the table, advisers can establish clearly what a family’s fundamental values are and what its shared vision is.

Is there, for example, a mismatch between what a family says its core values are, and what is reflected through its existing portfolio allocation and the luxury assets within it? Does it ‘fit’?

Equally, deep conversations with an adviser can reveal whether there is a concentration risk when it comes to luxury assets, which often have high or fluctuating valuations. One piece of art can significantly shift in value, up or down, for instance, and make a considerable impact on the total wealth valuation – which in turn could impact its risk profile. An adviser can in this instance guide a family as to whether there is a need to think about diversifying to meet its overall wealth objectives.

Indeed, when it comes to luxury assets, families should see it as an opportunity to make sure they have robust, independent, good quality legal and advisory frameworks in place to avoid current and future intergenerational disputes.

All this can subsequently be documented through the family charter, investment strategy, letters of wishes and other documentation, providing a clear framework that should help guide them in an area that is so easily impacted by individual sentimental and emotional preferences.

Practicalities

Balancing the growth, purpose and legacy objectives can be a tricky task but, with a foundation of good governance and sound documentation, there is still undoubtedly a place for luxury assets within a wider portfolio.

There are some practicalities, though, that can help ensure such assets are properly managed and structured.

First and foremost, luxury assets frequently require specialist expertise if they are to be managed effectively. That might mean, for instance, getting specialist insurance advice where family art may be moved across borders, or drawing on yacht management services to administer crew and ensure adequate marine insurance is in place. Bringing in the right expertise early can dramatically reduce risk in the long run.

Taking a view on a family’s structures and whether they offer enough, or too much, flexibility in terms of holding assets is another practical point that should be addressed.

Luxury assets are often acquired to be enjoyed by a family – art, jewellery, or vintage cars for example. Others, such as fine wine or whisky, may form part of a collection. Whatever the approach, choosing the right structure is an important factor in achieving the desired and proportionate flexibility – protecting the assets while allowing a family to enjoy those assets too.

Ownership is a key question too when it comes to structuring luxury assets – regrettably there can be instances where question marks over ownership of an asset can lead to inter-family disputes. The case of Robert Tibbles, a collector of contemporary art, and one of his pieces of artwork, a Damien Hirst painting entitled ‘Beautiful tropical, jungle painting (with pink snot)’, is a case in point. Robert’s father, Nigel, and twin brother, Sebastian, sued him over ownership of the piece when it was sold, leading to an unfortunate and bitter family dispute – clear structuring played a key part in resolving that case.

In addition, if structured appropriately, it may well be possible for non-income generating luxury assets such as art to be used as leverage to generate capital liquidity – thereby meeting the needs of both the wealth creator and the nextgen, without directly impacting the asset itself.

Evolution

As families look to a new era of investment, shaped by the need to balance their own growth ambitions with the desire for purpose-driven investment and a need to integrate the values of the nextgen, advisers have a responsibility to ensure luxury assets are managed and structured appropriately as part of a family’s holistic wealth management strategy.

Really understanding the needs and ambitions of a family as a whole by cultivating a close relationship with them is critical in establishing a robust governance framework that can cater for the appetite to hold luxury assets on the one hand with the need to generate returns on the other. By taking a number of practical steps -from establishing good oversight models and structuring to seeking specialist expertise where needed – luxury assets can continue to provide both the family enjoyment and legacy they promise, and play a role as part of a wider investment portfolio.

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Daniel Channing, Director in Crestbridge’s Family Office Services team, explores how the current inflationary environment is impacting family office decisions and how making sure they have robust, independent, good quality legal and advisory frameworks in place can help support families through an uncertain landscape…

Global inflation hit almost 9% last year, according to the IMF. What’s the initial reaction been like from families in response to that inflationary environment?

Daniel Channing (DC): From an investment point of view, the response from families has largely revolved around how their portfolios can adapt to beat market conditions. It’s certainly brought about added scrutiny around returns and put added pressure on investment performance.

The reaction has been reflected to a certain extent in the ESG investment space. While families might previously have been happy to accommodate perhaps lower-yielding ESG investments as part of a wider high-performance portfolio, in the current environment returns have taken on greater significance, prompting families to review their strategies with a view to achieving inflation-beating investment performance. Achieving that has become more difficult – though actually what we’ve seen is ESG-rated investments continuing to deliver decent returns. Morningstar, for example, found that sustainable investing generated returns similar to those of the overall market in 2022.

The point here is more about avoiding knee-jerk reactions to the environment, rather than ESG investments themselves. The IMF is predicting global inflation to fall from 8.8% last year to 6.6% this year, and then 4.3% in 2024 – which, although still above pre-pandemic levels of about 3.5%, provides some useful medium-term context. Families are keen to take that longer-term view and, although some have seen the current conditions as an opportunity to review their portfolios, what we’ve seen play out on the whole is actually a sustained commitment to ESG, and a disciplined approach to their strategies. In that context, the environment has actually helped reinforce family investment strategies and risk-return appetite as a whole.

Are market conditions impacting succession planning too?

DC: Another implication of the high inflation environment is the challenge of determining real asset values – or, more accurately, managing a decline in asset values in real terms. And that makes the transition or allocation of wealth to nextgen family members more complex.

For families who are currently putting in place plans for significant wealth transfer, for instance, the environment has thrown up some interesting challenges – for example, creating the potential for difficult conversations with nextgen beneficiaries whose expectations may be wildly off the mark because of the current impact on asset values. It is definitely providing an opportunity for families to make sure they have robust, independent, good quality legal and advisory frameworks in place to avoid current and future intergenerational disputes.

Are families putting in places certain mechanisms to mitigate inflationary conditions?

DC: What’s become clear is that those families that have already got in place robust governance structures and frameworks are in a good position to navigate the challenges of a high inflation environment. Having those good governance protocols in place – a clear vision, comprehensive family documentation such as letters of wishes, and robust support from external advisers – is putting those families in a strong position to avoid the temptation to make knee jerk, emotively-driven decisions.

It can ensure that families are capable of making pragmatic, rational decisions that are in line with agreed family values. That’s good for the long-term sustainability of family wealth planning.

Are there opportunities too in the current environment?

DC: As well as challenges, there are opportunities created by the inflationary environment, for those families that are agile, have the right frameworks already in place and have put the preparatory groundwork in to their structuring.

We’ve seen a number of occasions where families have looked at direct investment opportunities, for instance, or explore co-investment opportunities, where they can identify co-investors that bring additional expertise to the table and enable them to access high quality deals that might otherwise have been out of their reach. Private equity has seen particularly stark rises in allocations from family offices in recent years and that is expected to be a trend that persists, despite the inflationary market.

There are opportunities, for instance, for those families that have ensured they have cash available to allocate at short notice – though those opportunities are as bespoke as the families themselves. From a structuring point of view, there is real benefit to not having overly complex structures, or having sufficient flexibility built into their structures to make sure they can react quickly as they arise – but at the same time backed up by the family values and governance processes outlined above.

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Daniel Channing, Director in Crestbridge’s Family Office Services team, explores how the current inflationary environment is impacting family office decisions and how making sure they have robust, independent, good quality legal and advisory frameworks in place can help support families through an uncertain landscape…

Global inflation hit almost 9% last year, according to the IMF. What’s the initial reaction been like from families in response to that inflationary environment?

Daniel Channing (DC): From an investment point of view, the response from families has largely revolved around how their portfolios can adapt to beat market conditions. It’s certainly brought about added scrutiny around returns and put added pressure on investment performance.

The reaction has been reflected to a certain extent in the ESG investment space. While families might previously have been happy to accommodate perhaps lower-yielding ESG investments as part of a wider high-performance portfolio, in the current environment returns have taken on greater significance, prompting families to review their strategies with a view to achieving inflation-beating investment performance. Achieving that has become more difficult – though actually what we’ve seen is ESG-rated investments continuing to deliver decent returns. Morningstar, for example, found that sustainable investing generated returns similar to those of the overall market in 2022.

The point here is more about avoiding knee-jerk reactions to the environment, rather than ESG investments themselves. The IMF is predicting global inflation to fall from 8.8% last year to 6.6% this year, and then 4.3% in 2024 – which, although still above pre-pandemic levels of about 3.5%, provides some useful medium-term context. Families are keen to take that longer-term view and, although some have seen the current conditions as an opportunity to review their portfolios, what we’ve seen play out on the whole is actually a sustained commitment to ESG, and a disciplined approach to their strategies. In that context, the environment has actually helped reinforce family investment strategies and risk-return appetite as a whole.

Are market conditions impacting succession planning too?

DC: Another implication of the high inflation environment is the challenge of determining real asset values – or, more accurately, managing a decline in asset values in real terms. And that makes the transition or allocation of wealth to nextgen family members more complex.

For families who are currently putting in place plans for significant wealth transfer, for instance, the environment has thrown up some interesting challenges – for example, creating the potential for difficult conversations with nextgen beneficiaries whose expectations may be wildly off the mark because of the current impact on asset values. It is definitely providing an opportunity for families to make sure they have robust, independent, good quality legal and advisory frameworks in place to avoid current and future intergenerational disputes.

Are families putting in places certain mechanisms to mitigate inflationary conditions?

DC: What’s become clear is that those families that have already got in place robust governance structures and frameworks are in a good position to navigate the challenges of a high inflation environment. Having those good governance protocols in place – a clear vision, comprehensive family documentation such as letters of wishes, and robust support from external advisers – is putting those families in a strong position to avoid the temptation to make knee jerk, emotively-driven decisions.

It can ensure that families are capable of making pragmatic, rational decisions that are in line with agreed family values. That’s good for the long-term sustainability of family wealth planning.

Are there opportunities too in the current environment?

DC: As well as challenges, there are opportunities created by the inflationary environment, for those families that are agile, have the right frameworks already in place and have put the preparatory groundwork in to their structuring.

We’ve seen a number of occasions where families have looked at direct investment opportunities, for instance, or explore co-investment opportunities, where they can identify co-investors that bring additional expertise to the table and enable them to access high quality deals that might otherwise have been out of their reach. Private equity has seen particularly stark rises in allocations from family offices in recent years and that is expected to be a trend that persists, despite the inflationary market.

There are opportunities, for instance, for those families that have ensured they have cash available to allocate at short notice – though those opportunities are as bespoke as the families themselves. From a structuring point of view, there is real benefit to not having overly complex structures, or having sufficient flexibility built into their structures to make sure they can react quickly as they arise – but at the same time backed up by the family values and governance processes outlined above.

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Daniel Channing, Director in Crestbridge’s Family Office Services team, explores how the current inflationary environment is impacting family office decisions and how making sure they have robust, independent, good quality legal and advisory frameworks in place can help support families through an uncertain landscape…

Global inflation hit almost 9% last year, according to the IMF. What’s the initial reaction been like from families in response to that inflationary environment?

Daniel Channing (DC): From an investment point of view, the response from families has largely revolved around how their portfolios can adapt to beat market conditions. It’s certainly brought about added scrutiny around returns and put added pressure on investment performance.

The reaction has been reflected to a certain extent in the ESG investment space. While families might previously have been happy to accommodate perhaps lower-yielding ESG investments as part of a wider high-performance portfolio, in the current environment returns have taken on greater significance, prompting families to review their strategies with a view to achieving inflation-beating investment performance. Achieving that has become more difficult – though actually what we’ve seen is ESG-rated investments continuing to deliver decent returns. Morningstar, for example, found that sustainable investing generated returns similar to those of the overall market in 2022.

The point here is more about avoiding knee-jerk reactions to the environment, rather than ESG investments themselves. The IMF is predicting global inflation to fall from 8.8% last year to 6.6% this year, and then 4.3% in 2024 – which, although still above pre-pandemic levels of about 3.5%, provides some useful medium-term context. Families are keen to take that longer-term view and, although some have seen the current conditions as an opportunity to review their portfolios, what we’ve seen play out on the whole is actually a sustained commitment to ESG, and a disciplined approach to their strategies. In that context, the environment has actually helped reinforce family investment strategies and risk-return appetite as a whole.

Are market conditions impacting succession planning too?

DC: Another implication of the high inflation environment is the challenge of determining real asset values – or, more accurately, managing a decline in asset values in real terms. And that makes the transition or allocation of wealth to nextgen family members more complex.

For families who are currently putting in place plans for significant wealth transfer, for instance, the environment has thrown up some interesting challenges – for example, creating the potential for difficult conversations with nextgen beneficiaries whose expectations may be wildly off the mark because of the current impact on asset values. It is definitely providing an opportunity for families to make sure they have robust, independent, good quality legal and advisory frameworks in place to avoid current and future intergenerational disputes.

Are families putting in places certain mechanisms to mitigate inflationary conditions?

DC: What’s become clear is that those families that have already got in place robust governance structures and frameworks are in a good position to navigate the challenges of a high inflation environment. Having those good governance protocols in place – a clear vision, comprehensive family documentation such as letters of wishes, and robust support from external advisers – is putting those families in a strong position to avoid the temptation to make knee jerk, emotively-driven decisions.

It can ensure that families are capable of making pragmatic, rational decisions that are in line with agreed family values. That’s good for the long-term sustainability of family wealth planning.

Are there opportunities too in the current environment?

DC: As well as challenges, there are opportunities created by the inflationary environment, for those families that are agile, have the right frameworks already in place and have put the preparatory groundwork in to their structuring.

We’ve seen a number of occasions where families have looked at direct investment opportunities, for instance, or explore co-investment opportunities, where they can identify co-investors that bring additional expertise to the table and enable them to access high quality deals that might otherwise have been out of their reach. Private equity has seen particularly stark rises in allocations from family offices in recent years and that is expected to be a trend that persists, despite the inflationary market.

There are opportunities, for instance, for those families that have ensured they have cash available to allocate at short notice – though those opportunities are as bespoke as the families themselves. From a structuring point of view, there is real benefit to not having overly complex structures, or having sufficient flexibility built into their structures to make sure they can react quickly as they arise – but at the same time backed up by the family values and governance processes outlined above.

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Daniel Channing, Director, Crestbridge Family Office Services, examines why it may now be the perfect time for families to assess their structures holistically, ensuring they are both future-proofed and fit for purpose…

Q: Why is it particularly important to be proactive in reviewing family structures at the current time?

Daniel Channing (DC): Fundamentally it is always a useful exercise periodically to review structures. This is because, by their very nature, a family’s circumstances and requirements evolve.

However there is currently a heightened sensitivity to political tensions, geopolitical instability, and inflationary pressures, as well as greater public scrutiny. Families, who were already becoming more sophisticated and multijurisdictional in their outlook and behaviours, need to navigate through it and find clarity in what is a complex environment.

For this reason I feel that right now is an unprecedented opportunity for family advisers to demonstrate their capabilities and ensure their clients are comfortable and prepared for the future. Being proactive now – reviewing existing structures and documents, revisiting family values – could really help families focus on their future direction, and future-proof their strategies.

 

Q: Does this indicate a different approach to what family office advisers have done in the past?

DC: It feels like this new context is a bit different. Families have faced pressures, challenges, and crises in the past. However a generally increased sophistication within a family’s understanding of their structuring, and what it truly seeks to achieve, is focusing minds at the moment. There are two major drivers behind this – a greater focus now on sustainability, and acceleration of digital adoption. Both are evolving constantly and at increasing speed.

For some families this is exciting, revealing new possibilities that they are keen to embrace and explore. For others, though, it’s really challenging, and is questioning their traditional values and disrupting business as usual.

Our ethos remains to work as an extension of our clients’ teams. But this new context gives us added impetus and rationale to be proactive in ensuring every aspect of their structure, model and approach is future-proof.

 

Q: So what does this mean in practice?

DC: It’s a bit of a cliché, but it’s true that all families are different, and advisers have always needed to adapt to make sure they are able to give independent advice tailored to the individual, and to their circumstances.

It’s the greater complexity of the environment families are now operating in, and the pace of change within that environment, that means that being proactive, and not waiting until the next challenge comes around, is so important. Ultimately, what families want is certainty.

We’ve seen this in several ways in recent months – from working with families to enable them to address specific challenges to managing the migration of decision-making to the next generation.

Governance and oversight is a key area where families are looking for greater support as they gear up for the future. The regulatory, reporting and disclosure requirements families now face are a million miles from where they were just five years ago, and they’ve needed to ramp up expertise quickly. Getting expert advice to inform that journey is vital.

 

Q: Can you give any examples of how the team has been proactive?

DC: We’ve seen a definite trend towards looking carefully at succession planning and instilling a robust governance framework, but in our experience, families don’t want that to be at the expense of maintaining an element of flexibility for the future. They still want their structures to be able to accommodate future shifts in investment and succession strategies.

In some cases, that’s required the team to take on a more project management role – working hard to make sure governance protocols are watertight, but maintaining a close relationship with the family office
team to develop further governance frameworks as structures have evolved and a family’s desire has shifted to institutionalise their portfolio.

In one case, the team established a new regulated advisory firm in another jurisdiction and relocated part of the local office to achieve the aim. That included providing support around IT and operations, so a really holistic team-based approach.

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Daniel Channing, Director, Crestbridge Family Office Services, examines why it may now be the perfect time for families to assess their structures holistically, ensuring they are both future-proofed and fit for purpose…

Q: Why is it particularly important to be proactive in reviewing family structures at the current time?

Daniel Channing (DC): Fundamentally it is always a useful exercise periodically to review structures. This is because, by their very nature, a family’s circumstances and requirements evolve.

However there is currently a heightened sensitivity to political tensions, geopolitical instability, and inflationary pressures, as well as greater public scrutiny. Families, who were already becoming more sophisticated and multijurisdictional in their outlook and behaviours, need to navigate through it and find clarity in what is a complex environment.

For this reason I feel that right now is an unprecedented opportunity for family advisers to demonstrate their capabilities and ensure their clients are comfortable and prepared for the future. Being proactive now – reviewing existing structures and documents, revisiting family values – could really help families focus on their future direction, and future-proof their strategies.

 

Q: Does this indicate a different approach to what family office advisers have done in the past?

DC: It feels like this new context is a bit different. Families have faced pressures, challenges, and crises in the past. However a generally increased sophistication within a family’s understanding of their structuring, and what it truly seeks to achieve, is focusing minds at the moment. There are two major drivers behind this – a greater focus now on sustainability, and acceleration of digital adoption. Both are evolving constantly and at increasing speed.

For some families this is exciting, revealing new possibilities that they are keen to embrace and explore. For others, though, it’s really challenging, and is questioning their traditional values and disrupting business as usual.

Our ethos remains to work as an extension of our clients’ teams. But this new context gives us added impetus and rationale to be proactive in ensuring every aspect of their structure, model and approach is future-proof.

 

Q: So what does this mean in practice?

DC: It’s a bit of a cliché, but it’s true that all families are different, and advisers have always needed to adapt to make sure they are able to give independent advice tailored to the individual, and to their circumstances.

It’s the greater complexity of the environment families are now operating in, and the pace of change within that environment, that means that being proactive, and not waiting until the next challenge comes around, is so important. Ultimately, what families want is certainty.

We’ve seen this in several ways in recent months – from working with families to enable them to address specific challenges to managing the migration of decision-making to the next generation.

Governance and oversight is a key area where families are looking for greater support as they gear up for the future. The regulatory, reporting and disclosure requirements families now face are a million miles from where they were just five years ago, and they’ve needed to ramp up expertise quickly. Getting expert advice to inform that journey is vital.

 

Q: Can you give any examples of how the team has been proactive?

DC: We’ve seen a definite trend towards looking carefully at succession planning and instilling a robust governance framework, but in our experience, families don’t want that to be at the expense of maintaining an element of flexibility for the future. They still want their structures to be able to accommodate future shifts in investment and succession strategies.

In some cases, that’s required the team to take on a more project management role – working hard to make sure governance protocols are watertight, but maintaining a close relationship with the family office
team to develop further governance frameworks as structures have evolved and a family’s desire has shifted to institutionalise their portfolio.

In one case, the team established a new regulated advisory firm in another jurisdiction and relocated part of the local office to achieve the aim. That included providing support around IT and operations, so a really holistic team-based approach.

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By Heather Tibbo, Group Head and Daniel Channing, Director

In February this year, the Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC) reported its highest ever annual revenue and operating profit.

Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh is focused on morphing from an oil and gas powerhouse into a business, commerce and finance hub, with experts forecasting that Saudi Arabia will become the preeminent finance hub in the Middle East within the next three years.


On the ground

This is a strong indication that key hubs in the Middle East, such as the DIFC and Riyadh, are being successful in diversifying their proposition and setting out their stalls as global players in cross-border investment.

From an international service provider perspective, it’s long been the case that centres in the Middle East have been active in the private client and family office market – but this is now broadening with investors in the region looking for increasingly sophisticated support to enable them to achieve their global investment aspirations.

At the same time, investors and family offices elsewhere in the world are looking more and more at the cross-border structuring and professional support services available through Middle East hubs like the DIFC and Riyadh to support their international ambitions too.

As local, regional and global investors increasingly put their faith in these Middle East hubs, it is our responsibility as service providers with the experience and expertise in cross-border structuring to support that trend with the same quality service and knowledge that we have applied in other markets too.

It has certainly been the message from family offices that the Middle East market is incredibly busy. Our experience on the ground is that the DIFC and Riyadh are seen as a nexus for investment into key growth markets, specifically Africa and Asia – providing a route from North to South (the UK/Europe to Africa), and from West to East (the US to Asia).

As well as the geographical positioning that plays out well for this sort of structuring opportunity, it is the tax neutral environment they provide that also lends itself perfectly to straightforward collective investment structures – an area where we are seeing particular activity at the moment amongst family offices.

Private equity and venture capital type deals are areas of particular activity, with family offices globally still sitting on significant amounts of dry powder, waiting to be allocated to the right target and put to work. The message is clear, though – it has to be the right target.

Which is why having a tried and tested route to market that can enable them to react quickly when the right opportunity comes along is so important – and the hubs in the Middle East are rising to that challenge.

As well as providing good structuring, attractive tax environments and good mechanisms for upstream investment vehicles needing neutral ground, hubs in the region are significantly enhancing their governance and regulatory frameworks and investing heavily in their hard and soft infrastructures – bolstering their regional stock exchanges, for example, to support listed fund business.

This is where there is significant opportunity for offshore vehicles in supporting the evolution of these hubs. We frequently see, for example, Jersey structures being used to complement activity in the Middle East, whilst the experience in centres like Jersey have in governance and cross border regulation is hugely prized by families and complements the work being done by advisors in the Middle East too.

As hubs in the Middle East continue to evolve and transition at pace from domestic to international centres, IFCs like Jersey can play a positive and complementary role. The fact that Jersey has been visiting the Middle East region for many years, has had a presence in the UAE since 2011 and is ramping up its visibility in Saudi Arabia, puts it in a strong position to support this trend.


The future

Both the DIFC and Riyadh have hugely ambitious but highly achievable growth plans for the years ahead.

2021 saw the approval, for instance, of the DIFC’s Strategy 2030, a new strategy that reflects the DIFC’s role in supporting sustained economic growth. It embraces new legislation relating to the expanded duties and responsibilities of the DIFC and promotes the values of efficiency, transparency and integrity, whilst also placing a real emphasis on innovation.

In Saudi Arabia meanwhile, the Vision 2030 strategy sets out an equally ambitious growth plan, with an aim to rebalance its economy, diversify into new sectors, from financial services to high-end manufacturing, tourism, entertainment and culture.

It’s clear that the Middle East, in particular the UAE and Saudi Arabia, provides significant opportunities to support family office structuring and private market cross-border investment, and the pace of change over the coming years will undoubtedly accelerate.

As a result, there are collaborative opportunities for professionals in IFCs like Jersey who are familiar with the Middle East region and who have so much experience in cross border structuring, to support that growth and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes – for IFCs like Jersey, for those hubs in the Middle East, and of course clients.

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Danielle Cottignies, Director, Crestbridge, talks to Tom Burroughes, WealthBriefing Group Editor, on the firm’s continued excellence.

What do you think gave you the competitive edge this year?
Our focus has always been on listening to clients and colleagues to develop bespoke, tailored and appropriate best-in class solutions, and that’s definitely shone through over the past two years of disruption as we’ve looked to adapt and respond to a rapidly changing environment.
We’ve also placed a focus on managing and motivating the team. That’s been really important, especially with remote working rapidly become the norm. We’ve been agile in our approach, ensuring that colleagues are supported and engaged, being flexible to their needs. Ultimately, our people are our key differentiator, and I’ve been fortunate to have played a part in delivering our learning and development program and our return to work and agile working policy in response to the pandemic.

Describe how your colleagues make a difference to your organisation?
Our combined success is really all about investment in our people and supporting each other – recognising and respecting our strengths, enabling career progression, offering training to open up new skills development opportunities and embedding new technologies to help us support clients. Again, remaining agile has been a fundamental part of our mutual success – it encourages us to work together and ensures we are ready to respond to the changing needs of clients.

Please describe the challenges you needed to surmount to reach your standard?
Keeping the team motivated and engaged was a significant challenge over the past year or so, given the shift to remote working. Finding creative ways to bring together the team remotely was critical. From a client perspective, face to face meetings were of course not possible either, and we adopted a flexible, creative approach to keep in touch with them. The key was to be proactive and we are actually now seeing an appetite for hybrid means of communication, both in person and virtually, to suit client needs.

How did your firm react to the pandemic and what lasting changes do you expect from this period. What might not last?
We were highly responsive to the pandemic – our technology infrastructure was already in place and able to accommodate agile working. A major and lasting outcome, though, has been the heightened focus on colleague support and staff wellbeing. Those are areas where I think we will definitely see a lasting legacy.

What do you see as the prospects for wealth management in general?
The world is definitely becoming more complex and the coming years will undoubtedly bring increased layers of complication, in a regulatory and legislative sense and in terms of geopolitical disruption. This greater complexity will mean that listening to client needs will become more important than ever, particularly as they
move into areas like crypto currencies and digital assets, and as families focus more on succession and legacy planning and the needs of the next generation.

Whom do you look to for inspiration and ideas?
Our belief in the value of mentoring is really important, and I’ve been very fortunate to have had a mentor who has vast amounts of industry experience and is extremely well respected. Getting that sort of advice and guidance has been inspirational and instrumental in terms of my own progress.

What do you hope will be the result of receiving this accolade?
Recognition through these awards is essentially recognition for the team as a whole. To know that we are doing the right thing collectively for clients is really pleasing.

Recognition through these awards is essentially recognition for the team as a whole.
Danielle Cottignies
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A lawyer by training and with over 25 years’ experience in the private client sector, Heather is responsible for Crestbridge’s Family Office Services business. 

A member of the Crestbridge executive team, Heather also manages the US joint venture, Crestbridge Fiduciary LLC.  One of the most awarded executives in Jersey’s financial sector, Heather is a consistent feature on ePrivateclient’s Top 50 Most Influential list and in 2021 topped the Women in Wealth Management category in the WealthBriefing European Awards.

As Group Head of a professional services organisation, emphasising the importance of building trusted relationships is central to Heather’s leadership philosophy.  She vigorously encourages joined-up and far-sighted thinking throughout her team and promotes regular and open feedback from across the business to nurture a supportive and high-performance culture.

Who has inspired you?

Leading international private client lawyer Richard Hay taught me many important lessons; one of the key ones was that preparation is everything!

I recently read Edith Edgar’s ‘The Choice’.  It tells the true story of an Auschwitz survivor who trained to be a psychiatrist and is a study of resilience and self-determination. Her ethos is that everyone has the choice whether to be a victim or a survivor.

How would you describe your leadership style in three words?

Collaborative, supportive, open.

What makes a successful leader?

Empathy.  I believe in every scenario it is essential to put yourself in the shoes of the person or team you are working with or leading.

What advice would you give to aspiring leaders?

Follow your gut instincts, treat everything as an opportunity to learn and don’t let ‘perfect’ obstruct progress.  Things sometimes go wrong.  When they do, rise, reflect and move forward.

 

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Elliott was one of 39 individuals promoted in the January round of promotions at Crestbridge.

Elliott is now a manager within the Family Office Services team where he supports UHNW individuals, families and trusted advisors. Having worked for Crestbridge for four years, Elliott explained what he enjoys about his role and why Crestbridge stands out for him as a place to build a career.

What has been your career path to date?

My university degree in Finance and Accountancy was the first step on my career path and it really helped me to secure a trainee position in large financial services organisation when I returned to Jersey. After a few years, I moved within the same business, to a role that included both accounting and administration responsibilities. It provided me with an excellent opportunity to develop my skillset in both areas, but I was particularly keen to pursue the accountancy element and so at that point I started studying for my ACCA qualification.

After completing my qualification, I took a short break to travel which was a great time to reflect on my career and I decided to move to Cayman for work. Thanks to my previous professional experience, plus my qualifications, I was able to secure a great employment opportunity and spent two and a half years working in Cayman. I then returned to Jersey and spent a further two years working for a large global services provider before an opportunity arose to join the Crestbridge team. Crestbridge had an excellent professional reputation and I’d also heard good things from friends about the company, so I jumped at the chance.

I love working at Crestbridge and I feel lucky to have be able to expand my experience and understanding of different sectors including private equity, secondary debt, markets, hedge funds and fund of funds in the time I’ve been with the company. Around three years ago, I transferred to a role in the Family Office Services team to support the accounting function. The role is extremely interesting and varied and involves working across different asset classes such as stock portfolios, real estate, super yachts and sometimes fine art and jewellery.

How has Crestbridge supported your career goals and progression?

There’s a fantastic training and development programme and a great deal of support for career development at Crestbridge. As well as professional qualifications there are a range of courses and programmes that support soft skills development. I was lucky to be able to undertake the Crestbridge management development programme which has really helped to reinforce my management skills and support my team and colleagues.

In addition to the training side, there’s a terrific management team at Crestbridge and that’s been key to my own development. I think when you have good relationships with colleagues at all levels, and you feel supported, you have more confidence to step up and take on the tasks at the next level so that you can progress professionally.

What will be your next professional development or career decision?

I’m delighted to have recently been promoted to manager within the Family Office Services team. I think my next focus will be to work on consolidating my position, working with the colleagues that report to me and helping them to progress, but also expanding my own knowledge of the business at a more strategic level, to understand how the business is looking to develop its services and people. I’m really looking forward to the challenge of this role.

Do you have any advice for people considering their own professional development in 2022?

Have the confidence and drive to undertake some kind of professional qualification. In doing so, it shows that you have commitment and can apply yourself, alongside your day-to-day responsibilities. If I hadn’t had my ACCA qualifications, I don’t think the opportunity to work in the Cayman Islands would have presented itself; it really does help to open doors!

If you like the sound of what Crestbridge has to offer, why not check out the vacancies we’re currently offering. Click here to find out how you could make the next step in your career with Crestbridge.