Introducing the millennial family office
With the great wealth transfer beginning to hit family capital, managers will be faced with new generations which have their own investment priorities, experience, and approach to doing business.
As the great wealth transfer unfolds, a new breed of family office leaders are emerging to guide the next generation of capital. According to Bank of America's 2026 Family Office Study, successors to these firms typically come into leadership roles at around 45 years old. Currently, only 7% of single-principal family offices are led by millennials, but this is expected to change as older millennials assume control.
Generation Z is set to follow, bringing their own unique priorities and approaches to the family office landscape.
These new leaders bring different perspectives shaped by their experiences. Many lack the structures needed to accommodate them, with 36% of family offices still lacking an investment committee, according to a 2025 KPMG and Agreus survey. To bridge this gap, 73% of family offices plan to adopt new governance structures within the next three years.
Gen Z leaders are well-versed in best practices due to their formal education from elite universities and business schools, but they often face a capability gap rooted in a lack of practical experience. Some family offices have implemented mentorship programs to provide hands-on training. Robin Lauber, a 34-year-old heir to a Swiss real estate fortune, exemplifies this shift.
He built investment experience by making deals himself and now runs a family office. Lauber has moved the investment focus beyond real estate to explore sectors like biotech, defense, energy, and sports, committing capital to both funds and direct company investments.
This new generation of family office leaders is ambitious and seeks to make their own mark, unlike their grandparents who built the family's wealth. They are more willing to embrace higher-risk, higher-reward sectors and are drawn to investment opportunities in digital technologies such as AI and cryptocurrencies. As family offices mature, their investment priorities must evolve to preserve and grow the capital they have accumulated.
The next generation's higher risk tolerance may also help win over family offices that have traditionally been more conservative in their approach to private markets. However, not all generations will embrace this change. Gen Z, while living through Silicon Valley unicorns, has also witnessed the end of multiple expansions and a period of public market outperformance. This mix of experiences could influence their investment approach, making them more cautious and focused on private markets.
Written by urgent.news from Private Equity Wire's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
