Understanding clients' issues and offering them solutions is key to making headway in the family office field, believes Ahmed Husain from Lombard Odier Investment Managers

Many wealthy families are finding it useful to bring in external advisers to help them formulate plans for succession and identify transitional challenges 

As investment opportunities become ever more global, private banks and multi-family offices seek to broaden jurisdictional capabilities and expand their range of services

A swathe of new family offices are springing up across Asia, adding further struggles to recruiting the best talent

The mindset at boutique wealth manager Stanhope is to put all its clients on an equal footing, says CEO Daniel Pinto, with its focus on direct deals and private equity a big draw

Family offices’ long-term investment horizons make them ideally suited to private equity investing, but many lack the internal expertise to succeed in the asset class, creating an opportunity for third-party investment boutiques

Most successful business families have a good governance framework in place which evolves through generations and adapts to changing circumstances

As global banks struggle with damaged reputations, smaller investment firms sense an opportunity to win market share and the recent M&A activity could be a sign of things to come