Held within the iconic AYU Tipi Village, the AYU Family Office Summit London offered a full day of engaging panels and private meetings designed exclusively for family offices and select investors. The conversations spanned every corner of the modern family office world, from co-investing and governance to careers, technology, and the next generation of leadership. Each discussion brought together thought leaders and principals to share experiences, explore opportunities, and exchange ideas in an open, collaborative setting.

Panel 1 – Direct deals, Co-investments and Inter-office Collaboration

Panel Chair: Dan Page, Cornerman

Speakers:

• Hernan Van Waveren, Grupo Werthein

• Michael Sackler, Supernode Global

• Sam Copley, Peleh Advisors

• Julia Toader, PrinCap

The first panel of the day delved into the increasing trend of family offices engaging in direct deals and co-investments - a strategy driven by the pursuit of greater control, shared expertise, and reduced fees. Panellists discussed the many benefits of collaboration, highlighting how families can pool knowledge and resources to access more attractive opportunities while maintaining strategic flexibility.

However, they also cautioned that without robust governance, clear exit plans, and independent due diligence, co-investing can expose families to risks such as misalignment and reputational challenges. As one speaker aptly noted, “Exits are rare and complex - entering is easier than leaving.”

Through real-world examples, including one Bahraini family office managing over 1,800 line items, the discussion illustrated how structure and discipline are essential to success. Sector preferences leaned toward defence, nuclear, cybersecurity, and real estate, while areas like biotech and cosmetics were flagged as high-risk without deep expertise. The panel concluded with a look at differing ESG philosophies, from separating philanthropy from investment to fully integrating impact, underscoring the diversity of approaches among modern family offices.

Panel 2 - Remuneration and Reward in Family Offices: Attracting and keeping talent

Panel Chair: Bilal Jafar, Dow Jones

Speakers:

• Paul Westall, Agreus

• Mark Somers, Somers Partnership

• Mush Ali, One Ten Associates

• Matt Legg, Baker McKenzie

This insightful discussion explored how family offices are redefining what it means to attract and retain top talent in an evolving investment landscape. While compensation in family offices often falls short of hedge fund and private equity benchmarks, panellists noted that professionals are increasingly drawn to the lifestyle, purpose, and long-term stability these roles offer.

Speakers discussed how culture fit and shared values frequently outweigh technical expertise, with retention driven by career development, purpose, and a strong family-oriented culture. Examples of successful strategies included three-year rolling bonuses, selective equity participation, and investment in external training opportunities.

The panel also touched on performance benchmarking, with over half of family offices lacking formal ROI targets, and the importance of structured progression to avoid mis-hires. As one speaker put it, family office careers often evolve like a “mushroom,” beginning with specialist expertise and expanding into broad, multidisciplinary leadership over time.

The Fireside Chat - The United Kingdom for Family Offices: Friend or foe?

Panel Chair: Gus Morison, AYU

Speakers:

• Jeremy Dunn, UBS Global Family Office

• Marcus Baker, Rothschild and Co.

• Alan Mak, MP, Conservative Party

• Mark Somers, Somers Partnership

The lunchtime fireside discussion explored the UK’s position as a prime location for family offices, highlighting its strong rule of law, central timezone, talented workforce, and well-established financial infrastructure. Speakers discussed key challenges, including tax reforms, short-term residence rules, and political uncertainty, emphasizing that families make decisions with a long-term horizon and need clarity, stability, and simplicity.

The UK was considered alongside competing hubs such as Dubai, Switzerland, Milan, and Florida, with Milan’s predictable lump-sum tax regime cited as an attractive alternative for principals. The discussion also highlighted the economic contributions of family offices, including job creation and local regeneration, and noted that principals often relocate individually rather than moving entire teams.

Overall, the panel offered a clear, nuanced view of the UK’s strengths, risks, and evolving role in the global family office landscape.

Panel 3 - Manager Selection - How do family offices assess fund investments?

Panel Chair: Thomas Pontin, QuantStream

Speakers:

• Agnes de Royere, ex IPGL

• Doug Noble, The Binnacle Group

• Tom Cheesman, Stable

This session explored how family offices approach manager selection and portfolio allocation, highlighting that investment strategy is often a direct reflection of the principal’s DNA, values, and network. Panellists discussed the growing demand for alignment, co-investment opportunities, and enduring partnerships over transactional relationships.

Speakers discussed a practical due diligence framework built around the “5 Ps”: People, Performance, Process, Purpose, and Price, alongside the increasing importance of peer networks such as AYU and YPO in sourcing and validating opportunities.

The conversation also touched on allocation trends: smaller family offices are turning to external platforms for diversification, while larger ones are deepening relationships with trusted GPs. With typical return targets of 10–12% IRR, families emphasised that trust and access, rather than cold outreach or lengthy decks, are what truly open doors in the current investment environment.

Panel 4 - Next Gen Family Offices: What matters to tomorrow's principals?

Panel Chair: Catherine Grum, Catherine Grum Consultancy

Speakers:

• Alex Fink, Fink Family Office / Empirical Ventures

• Ne Lwin, Next Gen and FO Advisor

• May Wu, Wu Family Office

• Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk, UTF Holdings Llc & The Memnosyne Institute

• Natalie Meyer, ArcHealth Foundation

This forward-looking discussion explored how the next generation is redefining the future of family offices amid the largest wealth transfer in history, an estimated $84 trillion. The conversation highlighted a clear shift from traditional wealth preservation toward purpose-driven investing, impact, and responsibility.

Next Gen leaders are global in outlook and collaborative in spirit, with a growing preference for investments that create long-term, systemic change across sectors such as clean tech, healthcare, fintech, AI, and space. They are also forming their own trusted peer networks, including AYU and Nexus, to share insights and co-invest.

Speakers emphasised that governance, alignment among siblings, and shared values will be key to success. The next generation is set to transform family offices into platforms that balance purpose, legacy, and innovation, where curiosity and culture are valued just as highly as financial returns.

Panel 5 - AI for Family Offices - How to harness it for return and efficiency

Panel Chair: Thomas Forest Farb-Horch, Cappello Global

Speakers:

• Christian Mussard, Canoe

• Karem Levent, AlphaSense

• George Ralph, RFA

• Vadim Toader, Stealth AI

The final panel of the day explored how artificial intelligence is reshaping the landscape for family offices - not as a futuristic concept, but as an essential, practical tool for competitive advantage. While AI has existed for years in areas like fraud detection and medical imaging, generative AI has made it mainstream, accessible, and transformative.

Speakers emphasised that the real risk lies not in using AI, but in ignoring it. Early adopters stand to gain lasting advantages by treating AI as core infrastructure rather than a passing feature. Family offices that invest in owning their data, building proprietary tools, and integrating AI deeply into operations are best positioned to lead.

Examples shared included automated due diligence processes reducing workload from 500 hours to 16, predictive models correlating real estate prices with crime patterns, and AI agents accelerating product design cycles. The panel concluded that clean, proprietary data is the true source of edge, and that those who master AI governance, security, and internal capability will compound wealth far faster than passive adopters.

A huge thank you to our fantastic MC, Andrew Frost, for steering the day with such professionalism, insight, and energy. We’re also sincerely grateful to our exceptional speakers for sharing their expertise and bringing such depth to the discussions. To all who attended, thank you for sharing your insight, experience, and willingness to collaborate. We look forward to continuing the conversation at our upcoming Family Office Summit in Switzerland.