Family Office CEO Recruitment

Family Office CEO Recruitment — Senior Leadership at Single-Family Offices, Multi-Family Offices and Family Investment Companies

Exec Capital provides retained Chief Executive Officer search for UK family offices across the spectrum of family office structures — single-family offices serving one principal family, multi-family offices serving multiple ultra-high-net-worth client families, family investment companies operating as commercial investment vehicles for family wealth, and the broader senior family office leadership community across London, the Home Counties, and the wider UK private wealth corridors. The Family Office CEO appointment is one of the most consequential single hires made across the family office community — directly affecting investment platform direction, family governance dynamics, generational wealth transfer planning, talent attraction across the family office team, and the longer-term institutional development of the family wealth platform.

The UK family office community is one of the largest and most concentrated in Europe, reflecting London’s position as a principal global wealth management centre and the UK’s continuing role as a residence and operating jurisdiction for international ultra-high-net-worth families. Industry researchers such as Campden Wealth track a substantial UK single-family office community alongside the multi-family office community operating across London. Family office structures vary materially across the community — from compact single-family offices with a handful of staff serving the operating, investment, and lifestyle requirements of one principal family, through to large multi-family offices with substantial teams serving multiple client families across investment management, wealth planning, philanthropy, and family governance dimensions. CEO appointments across this community require understanding of the specific family office structure, the governance arrangements between the CEO and the principal family or client families, and the operating model that defines the CEO’s day-to-day responsibilities.

This page covers permanent family office CEO search. It sits within our wider family office executives practice, which also covers the operating, investment, finance and compliance seats beneath the CEO. If you are still deciding whether the office needs a CEO at all, or whether a senior operator or investment lead would serve the family better, the comparison tables further down this page set out the differences.

What Makes Family Office CEO Search Different

Family Office CEO search has three specific dimensions that distinguish it from broader senior CEO recruitment, and each one shapes how we run the brief.

The role is relational before it is operational

The CEO role at a family office is fundamentally relational rather than purely operational. The CEO operates as the principal interface between the family office team and the family principal (at single-family offices) or client families (at multi-family offices), with associated requirements around discretion, family governance, generational transition support, and the personal trust dimensions that define successful family office leadership. The role typically requires the CEO to engage directly with family members across multiple generations, including in matters relating to investment policy, distribution decisions, philanthropy, family education and next-generation development, and the broader family wealth governance arrangements. Search engagement that doesn’t articulate these relational dimensions at the brief stage produces poorly-fitting shortlists where candidates with strong purely-commercial CEO backgrounds lack the family-facing capability the role actually requires.

Compensation is built differently

Family office CEO compensation operates with a structure materially different from corporate CEO compensation. Family office CEOs typically receive a base salary plus performance bonus, with structured arrangements around investment carry participation (where the family office operates with co-investment or fund-style structures), long-tenure recognition arrangements, and (at some offices) deferred compensation or family-equivalent arrangements that reflect the long-term nature of the relationship. Compensation calibration at family office level requires understanding of the specific economic structure the office operates under and the family or client family expectations around senior compensation.

The regulatory position varies office by office

The regulatory framework varies materially across the family office community. Multi-family offices operating as FCA-authorised firms operate under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SMCR), with associated senior management function pre-approval requirements — at most such firms the CEO will need approval as SMF1 Chief Executive. Single-family offices operating as private companies may sit outside FCA authorisation entirely or operate under selected FCA permissions depending on activities. CEO appointments across the community need to recognise the specific regulatory framework applicable. At Exec Capital we run UK family office CEO searches with the relational dimensions, compensation structure considerations, regulatory framework, and family governance dynamics worked through carefully at the brief. Every search is run by our specialist team, with Adrian Lawrence FCA overseeing each mandate.

How a Family Office CEO Search Works

Every family office is different, but the stages of a well-run CEO search are consistent. We agree the timetable with you at briefing, because it depends on the office structure, the confidentiality required, how many family members need to be involved in interviews and, for authorised firms, the FCA approval step.

Family Office Structures and CEO Role Variation

The family office community spans several structurally distinct office types, each with materially different CEO role definitions, governance arrangements, and operating models. Understanding the office structure is essential at the brief stage because CEO role expectations vary fundamentally across the structures.

Single-family offices (SFOs)

Single-family offices serve one principal family — typically a UHNW family with assets ranging from £100 million through to multi-billion pound family wealth platforms. SFO structures vary materially with family wealth scale and family complexity. Compact SFOs operate with a CEO, investment lead, and operations/finance lead, with frequent outsourcing of specialist functions to external advisers (tax, legal, investment management). Larger SFOs operate with full investment teams, dedicated tax and legal capability, family governance and lifestyle support, and (at some offices) direct private equity or real estate investment teams. The largest SFOs operate with institutional-quality investment teams, family governance frameworks, and full-service capability across investment, wealth planning, philanthropy, and family operations. Our single-family office recruitment page covers hiring across the whole SFO team.

SFO CEO roles vary across this structure spectrum. At compact SFOs the CEO frequently operates as a player-coach with direct involvement in investment decisions, family interaction, and operational matters. At larger SFOs the CEO operates as institutional senior leadership coordinating across investment, family governance, operations, tax/legal, and external relationship dimensions. At the largest SFOs the CEO operates with structures resembling institutional asset management or PE firm leadership, with senior team management responsibilities alongside family governance and external interface roles.

Multi-family offices (MFOs)

Multi-family offices serve multiple UHNW client families typically through a combination of fee-based wealth management services and (at the larger MFOs) discretionary investment management, family wealth planning, philanthropy advisory, and family governance services. MFO structures range from compact MFOs serving a small number of client families through to large MFOs serving many. UK-based MFOs operate principally through London-based offices including dedicated MFOs (Stonehage Fleming, LJ Partnership, Stanhope Capital, Cazenove Capital, Lord North Street, and the wider UK MFO community) alongside the family office services arms of major private banks (UBS, Pictet, Lombard Odier, JPMorgan Private Bank, Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management, HSBC Global Private Banking, Coutts).

MFO CEO roles operate with the senior leadership dimensions of running a multi-client wealth management business — covering investment platform management, client family relationship management at the most senior tier, business development and new client family acquisition, regulatory and compliance leadership under FCA SMCR, senior team management, and the firm’s strategic direction across organic growth, acquisition activity, and platform development. For the wider MFO team, see our multi-family office recruitment service.

Family investment companies and family-controlled investment platforms

Family investment companies operate as commercial investment vehicles for family wealth, typically structured as limited companies with the family as principal shareholders alongside (at some structures) selected co-investors and senior team carry participation. Family investment companies frequently focus on direct private equity, direct real estate, public market investment, or specialist sector strategies aligned with the family’s commercial interests. Examples in the UK community include the family investment platforms of major UK families across property, technology, financial services, and broader commercial sectors.

CEO roles at family investment companies typically combine investment leadership with the commercial dimensions of running an investment business, with family governance dimensions varying across companies depending on the family’s involvement structure (active family chairmanship vs. passive ownership with non-family CEO leadership).

Family office advisory and consulting structures

The wider family office advisory community — including specialist family office consultancies, family governance advisers, and the family office advisory practices of major professional services firms — supports the principal family office structures with specialist advisory services. Senior leadership roles at these advisory structures frequently overlap with family office CEO career trajectories, with senior advisory practitioners moving into family office CEO roles and vice versa.

The Day-to-Day CEO Role at a Family Office

The Family Office CEO role spans several functional dimensions, with relative time allocation varying materially across single-family vs multi-family vs family investment company structures. Common CEO functional responsibilities include the following.

Family principal interface and family governance — at single-family offices, regular direct engagement with the family principal across investment policy decisions, distribution decisions, family business matters, philanthropy, and the broader wealth governance arrangements. At multi-family offices, senior interface with the most senior client family principals across the firm’s client family base. Family governance support frequently extends to family education and next-generation development, family meeting facilitation, family wealth governance documentation, and (at some offices) intergenerational wealth transition planning.

Investment platform leadership — overseeing the family office or MFO investment platform across asset allocation, manager selection, direct investment activities (where applicable), and investment performance management. CEO direct involvement in investment decisions varies materially with office structure — at compact SFOs the CEO is frequently the principal investment decision-maker alongside the family principal, while at larger SFOs and MFOs the CEO operates as senior oversight of dedicated investment teams led by a CIO or Investment Director. Cross-references with our Chief Investment Officer recruitment practice support senior CIO appointments at the larger family offices.

Senior team leadership and talent management — leading the family office or MFO senior team across investment, finance and operations, tax and legal, family governance, philanthropy, and lifestyle support functions. Senior team management at family offices includes specific dimensions around long-tenure retention (family offices typically value senior team continuity given the relational and confidential nature of the work), family-fit assessment (senior team members at SFOs need to operate effectively in the family-engagement context), and the talent succession planning that supports long-term office institutional development.

External relationship management — senior interface with the office’s principal external advisers including private banks, investment managers, tax advisers, lawyers, real estate advisers, philanthropy advisers, and selected service providers. The CEO operates as the principal external face of the family office across these relationships, with associated representation responsibilities and external community engagement dimensions.

Operational and financial management — oversight of the family office or MFO operating budget, financial reporting, technology platforms, premises and physical operations, and the broader operational dimensions of running the office. Family Office CFO appointments typically support the CEO across these operational dimensions.

Regulatory and compliance leadership — at FCA-authorised MFOs, senior responsibility for regulatory compliance under SMCR with associated personal regulatory accountability. At SFOs operating with selected FCA permissions, comparable but more constrained regulatory responsibilities. At fully-private SFOs, regulatory dimensions principally relate to tax, immigration (where the family or family members hold non-UK residence positions), and corporate compliance matters rather than financial services regulation.

What a Family Office CEO Typically Delivers in the First 90 Days

A new family office CEO is judged first on whether the family trusts them, and only then on what changes. The first three months are mostly about listening, establishing the governance rhythm and agreeing priorities, not restructuring. A typical first 90 days looks like this, adjusted for the office’s size and the reason the appointment was made.

Days 1 to 30: listen and map

• Meet the family properly. One-to-one conversations with the principal and with each family member or branch the office serves, to understand their objectives, concerns and how they want to be communicated with.
• Read the governing documents. Family constitution or charter, investment policy statement, shareholder or trust arrangements, delegated authorities, board and committee terms of reference.
• Meet every adviser and service provider. Private banks, investment managers, tax and legal advisers, auditors, administrators and property managers: who does what, at what cost, and who the family actually trusts.
• Understand the team. Individual meetings with every member of staff, with particular attention to long-serving people who hold the office’s memory.

Days 31 to 60: diagnose

• Reporting. Whether the family receives a single, consolidated and timely view of its wealth, and what it would take to get there.
• Investment governance. Whether decision rights between the family, the investment committee, the CIO and the CEO are clear and written down.
• Cost and adviser review. The total cost of running the office and of external managers, and where overlap or drift has crept in.
• Risk and compliance. At an authorised office, the CEO’s own Statement of Responsibilities, the compliance monitoring plan, and whether the SMF16 and SMF17 roles are properly resourced.
• Cyber, privacy and security. How family data, travel and personal information are protected, which is often under-invested in smaller offices.

Days 61 to 90: agree the plan

• A written priorities plan for the next 12 to 24 months, agreed with the principal or board, covering governance, investment, people and cost.
• A governance calendar of family meetings, investment committee meetings and reporting dates that the whole family understands.
• A people plan identifying any gaps beneath the CEO, typically in the COO, CIO, CFO or compliance seats, and how they will be filled.
• A succession and next-generation agenda where the appointment is linked to generational change.

We use this framework during interviews too: asking shortlisted candidates how they would approach their first 90 days in your office is one of the clearest tests of whether they understand family office leadership. Our executive onboarding guide covers the wider onboarding process.

The CEO Candidate Pool and Career Pathways

UK Family Office CEO candidates typically reach the role through one of four career trajectories, each with distinct candidate dynamics and search engagement implications.

Internal succession from senior FO leadership — CEO appointments where the candidate has previously held a senior role at the family office (Investment Director, CFO, Head of Family Office Operations, Head of Wealth Planning) and progresses to the CEO role through internal succession. Internal succession candidates bring deep office-specific knowledge, established family relationships at SFOs, and continuity for the office. Internal succession is the most common CEO appointment route at established UK family offices but requires a strong internal candidate to support the appointment.

Lateral move from peer family office CEO role — CEO appointments where the candidate has held CEO or senior leadership at a peer family office (typically same-tier SFO, comparable MFO, or family investment company) and is moving laterally. Lateral CEO moves between family offices are uncommon but occur where the candidate’s family-engagement capability is portable to the receiving family or families and the office’s circumstances support the move. Search engagement at lateral CEO level requires careful confidentiality management given the relational nature of family office leadership.

Senior private banking and wealth management background — CEO appointments where the candidate has held senior leadership at private banks, wealth management firms, or related senior wealth advisory roles. Private banking and wealth management senior candidates frequently bring strong client-family-engagement capability, comprehensive understanding of UHNW wealth planning frameworks, and the senior team management experience required at the CEO level. The candidate pool at this trajectory is materially larger than the family-office-internal pool, with senior private banking and wealth management professionals frequently representing the principal external candidate pool for family office CEO searches.

Adjacent senior leadership backgrounds — CEO appointments where the candidate has held senior leadership in adjacent fields — senior partner at major professional services firms (typically Big Four tax practice, family business advisory, or related specialist practices), senior asset management leadership, or senior commercial leadership where the candidate’s profile aligns with the specific family office requirement. Adjacent lateral CEO appointments are uncommon but occur where the family or client families value specific complementary capabilities the candidate brings.

Whichever pathway a candidate comes from, the questions we test hardest are the same: have they worked directly for a principal or family before, how have they handled disagreement between family members, how do they behave when the family wants something the CEO thinks is unwise, and can they run a small team without the infrastructure of a large institution behind them. Candidates who have only ever led inside large banks or asset managers can find the absence of support functions difficult; candidates from smaller advisory firms can find the breadth of the CEO seat demanding. The brief needs to be honest about which of those gaps the office can tolerate.

Family Office CEO vs COO vs CIO: Choosing the Right Senior Hire

Many families who start a CEO search are really looking for one of three different people. Getting this right at the brief saves months. The table below sets out how the senior seats usually divide at a family office of meaningful size; in a compact office one person may combine two of them.

If the main gap is operational, our family office COO recruitment service is the better starting point; if it is investment leadership, see family office CIO recruitment. Many offices hire a CEO and a CIO in sequence, and the order matters: a CEO hired first usually wants a say in choosing the CIO, while a strong CIO already in post will want to meet CEO candidates before the family decides.

Permanent, Interim, Fractional or Part-Time: When to Hire a Family Office CEO

Most family office CEO appointments are permanent, because the role depends on trust that builds over years. But there are good reasons to use a different format for a period, and the right choice depends on what the family is trying to solve.

Other ways to hire a family office CEO. If you need cover quickly, an interim CEO can hold the office steady while the family decides on the long-term appointment. If the office is new or small, a fractional CEO can put governance, reporting and adviser management in place for a few days a month before a permanent hire is justified. Interim and fractional leaders are usually engaged through their own company, so the off-payroll working (IR35) rules may apply; HMRC has said the raised company-size thresholds have no practical impact for off-payroll working until 6 April 2027 at the earliest (HMRC Employer Bulletin, April 2025). At an FCA-authorised office, any interim or fractional CEO performing the SMF1 role still needs approval, or must fall within the temporary cover rules described below.

Compensation Calibration at Family Office CEO Level

UK Family Office CEO compensation varies materially with office structure, AUM scale, family circumstances, and CEO experience. Realistic compensation calibration at the brief stage requires understanding of the specific economic structure the office operates under. We do not publish ranges here because family office packages are rarely comparable line for line; we calibrate each brief against current market conversations, and our family office executive compensation guide sets out how packages are structured.

Compact single-family office CEO — a base salary, a discretionary bonus linked to the office’s objectives, plus pension and benefits. Compact SFO CEO compensation is often supplemented by long-tenure recognition arrangements, family-equivalent arrangements (in selected offices), or co-investment opportunities in family-led investments.

Mid-tier single-family office CEO — a higher base and a larger bonus opportunity, plus pension and benefits. Mid-tier SFO CEO compensation frequently includes structured carry participation in family co-investments and (at some offices) firm-equivalent long-term incentive arrangements.

Largest single-family office CEO — packages comparable to senior institutional investment leadership, with material long-term incentive arrangements that frequently include investment co-participation, deferred compensation, and (in selected cases) arrangements that align CEO economic interests with family wealth growth.

Multi-family office CEO — base salary and bonus plus equity participation in the MFO firm where applicable, with the largest MFOs paying at materially higher levels reflecting the firm’s scale and the CEO’s role in driving business development. At an FCA-authorised MFO, the remuneration rules that apply to the firm also shape how variable pay is structured and deferred.

Family investment company CEO — base salary and bonus plus structured carry participation in the family’s investment vehicles. Compensation at family investment companies frequently approximates lower mid-market PE firm compensation, with carry participation operating as the principal long-term economic component.

Across the family office community, CEO compensation also reflects the relational and discretionary dimensions of the role. Senior family office CEOs with strong family relationships frequently negotiate compensation packages that reflect the relationship value alongside formal compensation structures, with material flexibility around bonus arrangements, deferred compensation, and family-equivalent arrangements that don’t apply at corporate CEO level. For wider CEO pay context, see our CEO salary guide.

Regulatory Considerations for FCA-Authorised Family Offices

Whether the CEO needs regulatory approval depends on what the office does. Many single-family offices manage only the family’s own assets and are structured to sit outside FCA authorisation; whether that holds for a particular office is a question for its legal advisers. Multi-family offices that manage or advise on investments for unconnected client families are typically FCA-authorised, and then the Senior Managers and Certification Regime applies to the CEO.

Which senior management functions apply

Most authorised multi-family offices are solo-regulated firms in the FCA’s Core category; only firms above the Enhanced thresholds (for example, assets under management of £65 billion or more on a three-year rolling average) fall into Enhanced, and some smaller firms qualify as Limited Scope (FCA: SM&CR categorisation for solo-regulated firms). At a Core firm:

• SMF1 Chief Executive is held by the CEO.
• SMF3 Executive Director is held by other executive directors on the board, which often includes a CFO, COO or CIO who sits on the board. SMF2 Chief Finance does not apply at Core firms.
• SMF9 Chair applies where the firm has a chair of the governing body.
• SMF27 Partner applies to partners at firms structured as partnerships or LLPs, which is common among multi-family offices.
• SMF16 Compliance Oversight and SMF17 Money Laundering Reporting Officer are separate functions that must be filled; in a small office they are sometimes combined in one person, but rarely in the CEO.

Approval timing and temporary cover

The CEO cannot perform the SMF1 role until the FCA has approved them. The FCA must decide a complete application within three months under section 61 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, and its published median for senior manager approvals in 2025/26 was about 25 days; incomplete applications and follow-up questions extend this. Since the SMCR Phase 1 changes (PS26/6) took effect on 24 April 2026, the temporary cover rule in SUP 10C.3A.6R gives a firm 12 weeks to submit an application for someone covering an unexpected vacancy, with cover continuing until the application is decided. Our guide to how long FCA SMF approval takes covers the process in detail.

What the current SMCR consultation means for family offices

The FCA’s Phase 2 consultation (CP26/37, closing 22 January 2027) proposes moving several senior management functions at dual-regulated and Enhanced firms to a notification basis, removing the Certification Regime and extending the temporary cover period to 18 weeks. It states that the FCA is not proposing changes to SMF roles in Core and Limited Scope firms, so at a typical authorised multi-family office SMF1 and SMF3 remain subject to pre-approval, as do SMF16 and SMF17. Offices should plan CEO appointments on that basis until final rules are published.

Filling the compliance seats around the CEO

A new CEO at an authorised office often finds that compliance oversight and the MLRO role are under-resourced. Smaller multi-family offices rarely need a full-time compliance officer, and a fractional SMF16 or SMF17 is a common and FCA-recognised way to fill the functions properly. See our fractional compliance officer and fractional MLRO services, our interim CCO service for urgent cover, or family office compliance recruitment for permanent hires.

Common Triggers for a Family Office CEO Appointment

Family offices rarely hire a CEO on a whim. The reason for the appointment shapes the profile more than any other single factor, so we start every brief by understanding what has changed.

• Generational transition. The founder of the wealth is stepping back and the next generation wants a professional leader rather than a family member running the office day to day. Our article on succession planning in family offices covers this in more depth.
• Retirement of a long-serving adviser. Many offices grew around one trusted accountant, lawyer or banker. When that person retires, the family discovers how much was held in one head.
• A liquidity event. The sale of a family business turns an operating family into an investing family, and the office has to be built or professionalised quickly.
• Changes to residence and tax position. The abolition of the remittance basis and the move to a residence-based regime for foreign income and gains and for inheritance tax from 6 April 2025 (GOV.UK policy summary) has led some internationally mobile families to review where their office sits and who leads it.
• Growth or consolidation at a multi-family office. An MFO taking on new client families, acquiring another firm or preparing for outside investment needs a CEO with business-building as well as client experience.
• A governance or regulatory problem. Weak controls, a regulatory finding or a dispute within the family can make an outside leader necessary to restore confidence.

Where a board or family council is also being formed, it is worth considering independent non-executive input at the same time; our family office NED recruitment service covers those appointments.

How Exec Capital Approaches Family Office CEO Search

UK Family Office CEO search at Exec Capital follows a retained methodology calibrated to the specific dynamics of senior family office leadership recruitment.

Brief development — initial work focuses on defining the family office structure (SFO vs MFO vs family investment company), the AUM scale and operating model, the family or client family circumstances driving the appointment (succession planning, scaling, restructuring, generational transition), the family governance arrangements that will frame the CEO role, the regulatory framework applicable, the realistic compensation envelope, and the candidate-fit dimensions specific to the office. Where the brief involves an SFO appointment, we work through the family-engagement dimensions carefully at the brief stage including the principal family member relationships, family meeting dynamics, and the next-generation engagement requirements where applicable.

Confidential candidate identification — UK Family Office CEO candidate identification operates with careful confidentiality management given the relational and confidential nature of family office leadership. We maintain comprehensive coverage of senior family office professionals across UK SFOs and MFOs, senior private banking and wealth management leadership at the principal UK firms, senior partner-tier advisory professionals with family office experience, and selected senior commercial leadership where the family or client families value specific complementary capabilities. Coverage is structured by office type, AUM tier, and sector specialisation where applicable.

Family-fit assessment — family office CEO search engagement requires explicit assessment of the candidate’s family-engagement capability — the discretion, relational sensitivity, and personal trust dimensions that define successful family office leadership. Family-fit assessment is conducted through structured candidate interaction, references from prior family office or wealth management roles, and (at advanced shortlist stage) carefully managed candidate engagement with the family or client family principals.

Regulatory due diligence — at FCA-authorised MFOs and FCA-authorised SFOs, comprehensive regulatory due diligence covering the candidate’s prior SMF history, regulatory references from previous FCA-authorised firms, fit-and-proper assessment, and any regulatory or conduct issues that could affect FCA pre-approval. SMF pre-approval timeline planning is integrated into the offer construction and start-date arrangement.

Interview process — typically several rounds across firm-internal stakeholders, with family office CEO interview processes frequently including family principal engagement at advanced shortlist stage. Interview process design respects the confidentiality requirements of family office senior recruitment, with careful handling of candidate conversations and reference activity.

Offer construction and onboarding — at family office CEO level offer construction frequently involves complex negotiation around base, bonus, structured carry or co-investment participation, deferred compensation arrangements, family-equivalent long-term arrangements (where applicable), and the specific economic structure that aligns CEO interests with the family or client family circumstances. Successful offer construction at family office CEO level requires understanding of the specific office economic structure and the candidate’s full economic and personal position.

Confidentiality in practice — families often do not want it known that they have a family office at all, let alone that they are changing its leadership. We approach candidates with a description of the role rather than the family’s name, disclose identity only after interest and suitability are established and, where the family asks, under a non-disclosure agreement. References are taken with the candidate’s consent and at the stage the family agrees.

Engagement and Fees

Permanent family office CEO searches are run on a retained basis. A CEO appointment for a family needs a dedicated team, confidential market mapping and structured assessment, and that is hard to deliver on a contingent basis where several agencies race to send CVs. Contingent recruitment can work for some more junior family office roles, but it rarely serves a CEO brief well. Our guide to retained vs contingent executive search explains the trade-offs.

• Fee structure. The fee structure for a permanent search is agreed with you at briefing and confirmed in writing before work starts.
• Interim and fractional. Interim and fractional CEOs are engaged on a day rate, and that day rate includes our fee.
• What is included. Brief development, market mapping, confidential approaches, candidate assessment and written reports, interview coordination with the family, referencing, regulatory due diligence for authorised offices, offer and package support, and contact with both sides through the early months of the appointment.
• Who you deal with. Every search is run by our specialist team, with Adrian Lawrence FCA overseeing each mandate.

Who We Place Family Office CEOs For

We work with the principals, family councils, boards and senior advisers who commission family office leadership hires. Typical clients include:

• Single-family offices appointing their first professional CEO, or replacing a long-serving leader.
• Multi-family offices, usually FCA-authorised, appointing a CEO to lead growth, consolidation or a change of ownership.
• Family investment companies and family holding companies that combine an investment portfolio with operating businesses.
• Private investment offices set up by entrepreneurs after selling a business.
• International families with a London office alongside offices or advisers in other jurisdictions.
• Wealth managers and private banks building or repositioning a family office service line; see our page on family office recruitment for wealth management firms.

Most of our family office work is based in London and the Home Counties, with offices across the wider UK. Our group offices are at 167-169 Great Portland Street in London and in Cannock, Staffordshire. We do not name the families we work for.

Frequently asked questions

What does a family office CEO do?

A family office CEO leads the office on behalf of the family or client families. The role covers the relationship with the principal and family members, family governance, oversight of the investment platform with the CIO, leadership of the team, management of external advisers and, at an authorised office, regulatory accountability as a senior manager.

What is the difference between a family office CEO, COO and CIO?

The CEO is accountable for the whole office and the family relationship. The COO runs operations, reporting, technology and controls. The CIO runs investment strategy and the investment committee process. In a compact office one person may combine roles; in a larger office they are usually separate hires.

Does a family office CEO need FCA approval?

Only if the office is FCA-authorised. At an authorised multi-family office in the Core category the CEO normally needs approval as SMF1 Chief Executive before taking up the role. Many single-family offices are not authorised, in which case no FCA approval is needed, but the office should confirm its position with its legal advisers.

How long does a family office CEO search take?

It depends on the office, the confidentiality required, the number of family members involved in interviews and the candidate’s notice period, which is often long at this level. We agree the timetable with you at briefing. For authorised offices, FCA approval adds a further step: the statutory limit is three months from a complete application, and the FCA’s 2025/26 median was about 25 days.

How are family office CEOs paid?

Usually through a base salary and bonus, with pension and benefits, and often some form of co-investment, carry or deferred award that ties the CEO to the long-term performance of the family’s wealth. Packages vary widely with office size and structure, so we calibrate each brief against the current market rather than quoting standard ranges.

Can we hire an interim or fractional family office CEO?

Yes. An interim CEO works full-time for a fixed period, typically to cover a sudden vacancy or a restructuring. A fractional CEO works an agreed number of days, which suits newer or compact offices. Both are engaged on a day rate that includes our fee.

Where do family office CEO candidates come from?

Mostly from senior roles within other family offices, from private banking and wealth management leadership, and from professional services partners with family business experience. Internal succession from a family office CFO, investment director or head of operations is also common.

How do you keep a family office CEO search confidential?

We describe the role without naming the family, reveal identity only to interested and suitable candidates, use non-disclosure agreements where the family wants them, and take references only at the stage and with the consent agreed.

Do you charge a retained fee for family office CEO search?

Permanent CEO searches are run on a retained basis. The fee structure is agreed with you at briefing and confirmed in writing before work starts.

Can you also recruit the compliance officer or MLRO for our office?

Yes. Many authorised multi-family offices fill SMF16 compliance oversight and SMF17 MLRO on a fractional basis; see our fractional CCO service. We also recruit permanent compliance heads.

Looking for a family office CEO role?

If you are a senior family office, wealth management or private banking leader interested in future CEO opportunities, please register with us as a candidate and keep an eye on our current opportunities. Family office CEO roles are rarely advertised, so registration is the best way to be considered.

Related Services

Family Office Executive Search | Single Family Office Recruitment | Multi Family Office Recruitment | Family Office CFO Recruitment | Family Office CIO Recruitment | Family Office COO Recruitment | Family Office Investment Director Recruitment | Family Office Director Recruitment | Family Office Compliance Recruitment | London Family Office Recruitment | Family Office Wealth Management Recruitment