The Office Behind the Office
Family office conversations tend to centre on capital: structures, portfolio allocations and tax.
The work that keeps a complex family’s life moving sits somewhere else, in the calendars, obligations and recurring work that need someone looking ahead and coordinating across every part of the family’s affairs.
The Chief of Staff sits at the centre of it all, deciding what reaches the Principal, what is handled without them and what can wait, so the Principal’s time and attention go where they matter most.
This function matters even more in a Lean Family Office, where a small accountable core does the work an institution would otherwise absorb. Someone has to hold the whole picture, connect advisers, staff and decisions, and protect the Principal’s room to think.
Adam Russell has spent two decades in that position. Before his current role, he worked alongside the Founder and CEO of Ted Baker. Now, as Chief of Staff in a single family office, he oversees more than 30 household and estate staff across major UK properties, private aviation, complex trusts and foundation set-ups.
On 17 November, we speak with Adam about what the role actually covers, how it earns the Principal’s trust, and how it turns noise into clear decisions.
One hour, online. One expert, one focused conversation.
What makes these sessions different is two things:
— The experts have done the work, not just studied it
— The room stays small enough to actually be in the conversation
We cap these sessions at a limited number of seats, so we can run them as a meeting, not a webinar. That means you can join the conversation, ask questions, and get to know the others in the room.
See you then