There’s no denying that the pattern of equities and bonds in global markets has become more unpredictable than ever before. No wonder then, that family offices are turning to technology for help.
That was just one of the investment themes from Sir Anthony Ritossa’s exclusive 9th Global Family Investor Summit in Monaco recently. Supported by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, other popular topics at the invitation-only summit ranged from artificial intelligence to fintech, and philanthropy to female empowerment – to name just a few.
But taking centrestage at Sir Anthony’s two-day gathering, was the acknowledgement that sustainable investing means caring for financial return, social responsibility and environmental impact.
The CEO Magazine film – 9th Global Family Office Investment Summit, Monaco. 18-20 June 2019 from The Globe-Trotting PR (AB) on Vimeo.
Summit highlights included Monaco resident Nico Rosberg’s speech describing his transition from Formula 1 Champion in 2016 with Mercedes AMG Petronas, to heading the Nico Rosberg Family Office. Nico’s comments about improving the world through activities such as his Greentech Festival in Berlin received a standing ovation from the enthusiastic audience.
The new financial titans
The CEO Magazine sat down with Sir Anthony to find out how his unique investment summits are essential for global family offices.
“There’s an understanding that those with the most resources have the most responsibility for improving the world. For this reason, I carefully curate my events and I spend a lot of time getting to know my attendees,” Sir Anthony says. “The waiting list is long and I need to make sure that every participant is a perfect fit and that they share core values with the other members.”
“I cherrypicked the best aspects of different conferences I attended in the past, and created my first summit in Dubai with 60 delegates. Since then, we have grown to become the largest family gathering in the world.”
Sir Anthony says the number of family offices is “booming”, something that he puts down to a combination of factors including “continued global uncertainty, new investment opportunities, and multigenerational wealth preservation”.
“The biggest have become deal powerhouses, capable of competing with global banks and private equity firms on big transactions,” Sir Anthony continues. “Family offices are the new financial titans.”
It’s evident that the global gathering for like-minded leaders Sir Anthony’s worked hard to put together holds immense significance for him.
“Being part of a family office myself, understanding what is important to families and corporations, and including this in the conference agenda, creates a unique environment and a lovely ambience,” he explains. “It’s a passion project of mine, it’s been a great journey. I love hearing the stories that come out of these events. It’s really interesting bringing wonderful people together, and it’s an honour to have the support of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.”
New summit chairman announced
Sir Anthony recently appointed Markus Lehner, Principal of the Markus Lehner Family Office based in Monaco, as chair of the summit.
“It’s an honour and a privilege,” says Markus. “Anthony’s summits are one of the best seminars in this field, if not the best, and I was delighted to have been asked to be chair.
“The timing of the summit is perfectly chosen. Right now, we are living in a very interesting time – meaning that there are chances that you could do a lot of things wrong, not just right,” he explains. “Many crucial elements are shifting in the investment industry and in the family office space.”
Markus is particularly interested in co-investment opportunities “because it’s about partnering with people who are like-minded, who have done their due diligence, and who would also have skin in the game.”
“It is always better to team up with other experienced and dedicated family offices to find the right investment opportunities, especially when interests and targets are aligned. Co-investment is the way to go for smart investments. Remember, nobody wins alone.”
Latest investment news from Dubai
The CEO Magazine also sat down with Adam Ladjadj, CIO of the Private Office of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nehayan at the summit to discuss the current investment landscape in Dubai.
“Mandates backed on a macro/micro level by the Dubai government, such as agriculture and technology, are the current investment opportunities we are looking into, as well as alternative investments and distressed assets that are penetrating the market as we speak,” says Adam.
“The United Arab Emirates is not a huge market, the population is not that of Saudi Arabia or Egypt, but maybe people should start looking at it as not only a capital-raising hotspot but also a launching pad into other markets. If you take this approach, you are not only adding value to your products and services but also looking at scalability and what else you can do in the region.”
Adam has one final word of advice for investors. “Know your market, and know who you are looking to do business with,” he says. “On the capital-raising side, your business should be synchronised with the portfolio of the family office in question. Know the person you are approaching and remember they may not always know your type of product as they would in Europe, the US or Asia.”
Read more about Anthony Ritossa’s 7th Global Family Office Investment Summit
Read more about the insights from the world’s largest gathering of family wealth
Interviews: Vanessa Eriksson
Photographer: Cyril Bailleul
Film Director: Olivier Ronot
