Family Office Intel

In this thought-provoking episode of Family Office Intel, Henry Brandts-Giesen, Global Co-Chair of Dentons Family Office & High Net Worth Group, sits down with renowned family governance expert James E. Hughes Jr. for a rich conversation on the foundations of long-term family success. James reflects on his journey from a multi-generational legal background to becoming a trusted advisor to families. Together, he and Henry explore what it truly means to help families thrive across generations, with a focus on governance, purpose, and human connection. Key topics covered: Whether you are a family office executive, advisor, or part of a generational family, this episode offers practical insights into how families can move beyond wealth management to build lasting legacies. Henry and James invite listeners to rethink what true wealth means and how families can nurture it with purpose, clarity, and shared values.

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: Whether 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 Shaun Parkin, founder and principle consultant at Hall Road Investments. Shaun brings several decades of experience in the financial services industry, including serving over six years at State Street Global Advisors where he held numerous roles including Australian Head of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and Vice President within the Institutional Client Group. The discussion highlights the contributing factors defining the increased recognition and growth in the family office and multi-family office space over the past few years. In particular, they discuss the role that technology, data analytics and reporting tools play in building strategic operations. Shaun shares his vision for fostering innovation and leveraging cloud-based platforms in order to problem solve challenges faced in organization, data customization, securitization and aggregation for the family and multi-family office space.

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.