Succession planning and achieving a smooth transition of wealth from one generation to the next can be a messy process. Feuding siblings in the shadow of a controlling (usually) father make for fun soap opera but can quickly dissipate hard-earned riches and forge lasting enmities.
HSBC Private Bank is one of several wealth managers who recognize that their role extends beyond portfolio management or simply finding the best investment returns.
The UK-based bank recently hosted events entitled “Exploring the Future of Wealth as part of its Next Generation Programme” in London and Miami where opportunities and obstacles faced by the children of family business owners were discussed.
Topics on the agenda included the latest entrepreneurial trends, leadership best-practices, sophisticated investment strategies, philanthropy and social awareness, explained Gerry Joyce, US head of private wealth solutions at HSBC Private Bank in an interview.
“Equally important, they were a chance for young people to share their experiences with their peers,” he said.
Managing inevitable conflicts, especially when business and family interest overlap, and creating and communicating a clear framework for succession that is then committed to by all parties is critical, he added.
“The transference of control is the acid-test for a wealthy business family,” he stressed.
But, the big challenge for HSBC and other banks will surely be Asia. Here, maneuvering and scheming for position as an octogenarian patriarch’s powers decline is as much a staple of tabloid coverage as are the daily dramas of the Kardashian clan in the US.
Photo: Tom Brandt