Christina Wing says her father — “a serial entrepreneur” — inspired her interest in and passion for family-owned businesses. The native of The Woodlands, Texas, earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Southern Methodist University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Wing held a variety of finance and management jobs, including running a large family office, before returning to Harvard to research what she saw as a lack of governance best practices that family businesses should adhere to. To address the gaps, she founded the family office advisory firm Wingspan Legacy Partners. Wing talked about Wingspan and why governance and succession planning are important for family offices.
What are some of the top challenges facing family offices right now?
Lack of governance, succession planning and preparing the next generation.
Many family offices come about organically and are not thoughtfully designed or managed like a real business. That’s a mistake. Every business needs a clear mission, and it has to build a team to execute on that mission. Too often, a business will hire a CIO before thinking through the kind of business they’re building, which results in a misalignment between mission and team.
Succession planning needs to be built around purpose. The next generation typically has very different attitudes — around social good, for instance. While the older generation typically sees investing and philanthropy as separate, the next gen wants to combine doing good with making money. They’re more interested in impact investing.
That’s triggering the need for hard conversations about shifts in strategy and purpose. These conversations need to happen now to ensure a smooth transition. People need to learn how to give throughout their lives and create metrics to evaluate the results.
Why are so many families resistant to governance planning? What are some best practices they should be following? And how does the next generation view governance, and are these views incorporated into the planning process?
Family offices should have clear decision-making processes, a clear mission that guides all decisions, incentives to maintain a high-performing team and quantifiable metrics.
Family offices also need clear investment policy statements that the team can execute against. Good talent needs room to fly.
Families are hesitant to discuss family offices, as money has been a taboo subject for many years. But it’s important to onboard the next generation and consider their views. Education and dialogue around the importance of governance need to be prioritized, and it needs to start early.
How are family businesses in general doing with succession planning? What should they be thinking about?
There’s a lot of room for improvement. We encounter a lack of planning in many of the businesses we work with, and it’s also evident in industry studies. Only 34% of family businesses had documented and communicated succession plans in place in 2021, according to PwC.
Succession is one of those topics that’s difficult for families to talk about, and they tend to put it off until they are forced to address it. Families should always be thinking about the next crop of leaders. It’s also important to have a solid onboarding plan to ensure the succession succeeds. Some of the best succession plans come from people already serving on a company’s board, as trust is a top priority.
What are the trends in the family office space? Do you see the number of family offices continuing to expand?
We believe there will continue to be growth. Families want differentiated service. And as the number of family offices grows, so will the number of external providers. Finding the right balance between insourcing and outsourcing is an important consideration and one that will be different for each family.
What prepared you for your current role? Have you faced challenges being a woman in wealth management? What’s your advice for women looking to enter or advance in the field?
I believe the length and breadth of my experience has positioned me to help families ensure their legacies. I love this work and the journey many families in business have gone through. I’m honored that families put their trust in me and my team to help them achieve their goals.
I have never felt that being a woman has hindered my success — although I know that not every woman feels that way. The industry has changed, though, and I think there’s never been a better time to be a woman in the wealth industry. We can continue to contribute to society and have fun doing it.
A family foundation manifests its legacy through philanthropy
By MARTA FERRO
For wealthy families, there is arguably no better way to manifest their legacy than through philanthropy. With the right planning and strategy, family foundations can create a lasting impact on their communities while strengthening inter-familial relationships.
So how can family offices build foundations that leave legacies? It all starts with the “why.” Developing a strategy to help define a family foundation’s mission — and understand and tap into their purpose — is essential to the impact of their funding.
A thoughtful framework and plan can provide the foundation guiding principles and focus for their philanthropic initiatives, while enabling families to come together to align their goals and values. This strategic approach ensures that the foundation leaves a lasting impact and establishes an enduring legacy.
However, while family foundations are increasingly common in the United States (an estimated 40,000 are currently in operation) only 56% of high-net-worth investors have a philanthropic giving strategy, according to a recent BNY Mellon study.
As the philanthropic adviser to the Berman Family Foundation, it’s my pleasure to share a snippet of their story about how they’ve utilized philanthropy to create a legacy.
COMING TOGETHER TO FIND THEIR ‘WHY’
Established by Muriel and Philip Berman in 1960, the foundation did not become active until 2004. It was only then that the second generation began to develop the foundation, guided by the legacy and example of the Bermans in their lifetime of personal giving. Its work is grounded in the founders’ belief in the Jewish value of "tikun olam," which calls for actively “repairing the world” — encompassing the Earth and its inhabitants. The foundation initially directed its initiatives toward funding the arts, education and Jewish causes while supporting underresourced communities.
Despite having given millions to partner with and help uplift communities, no formal, professional strategy work had been undertaken until they enlisted an external philanthropic adviser. This collaboration allowed both the foundation and family to embark on a journey aimed at discovering their “why” — their shared purpose, mission and vision. In pursuit of their philanthropic goals, the Berman Family collaborated with us to foster open dialogue and ignite passion across generations, as well as codify its road map for the future.
Through meaningful, facilitated conversations, the family aligned their values and developed a shared plan for the next iteration of their philanthropic work. This inclusive approach ensured that multiple family members’ voices were heard, inspiring a sense of leadership and ownership in the next generation. Through this process, the family strengthened their philanthropic strategy, setting the stage for impactful giving.
The foundation's commitment toward advancing equity, celebrating diverse cultures and preserving nature through strategic investments in social justice and the arts has always been unwavering — and now the entire family is enthusiastically on the same page. The issues the Bermans address are intersectional and woven together quite beautifully, taking each family member’s perspectives into consideration.
AN INTENTIONAL MISSION TO RESTORE THE EARTH
By involving multiple generations and engaging in thought-provoking conversations, the foundation successfully established a plan that reflects their collective values and embraces the causes that hold special significance. This joint effort enabled them to prioritize issues that also resonate with the younger generation, directing their philanthropic efforts accordingly.
By carefully assessing the impact of their giving on both beneficiaries and the wider community, they found themselves creating a significant and enduring legacy, built upon their previous decades of engaged funding. Consequently, the foundation has continued to direct and hone its funding toward community initiatives that promote social justice, provide access to art and support youth development.
By putting a strategy around their giving, the Bermans have been able to achieve meaningful and lasting change while aligning their philanthropic vision with the evolving needs of the community and establishing a positive legacy for future generations. Since their strategy sessions, the foundation has been a regular touchstone of conversation for the family and has become an important outlet to share the impact of their passions, ethos and activism.
Embarking on this journey together, involving multiple generations — all with a seat at the table — has empowered the founders’ descendants to build and deepen connections within their family. Adding further meaning to their work in restoring the Earth helps ensure that their legacy will last generations.