Family Office Summit Dubai agenda

Family offices are increasingly drawn to private equity and direct deals as they pursue control, alignment, and the potential for outsized returns. Yet these opportunities come with long horizons, illiquidity, and unique risks that demand careful navigation.

This panel explores how family offices are structuring access to high-quality deal flow, weighing co-investments versus fund commitments, and balancing ambition with caution. How do they underwrite opportunities in unfamiliar sectors, build governance to protect their capital, and avoid buyer’s remorse in a seven- to ten-year lock-up?

The model of family holdings is shifting. Where older generations focused almost exclusively on wealth preservation and traditional industries, the next generation family is steering toward innovation, diversification, and active participation in new markets. Holdings are no longer just passive structures for real estate or listed securities—they are becoming dynamic platforms for venture-building, strategic partnerships, and cross-border expansion.

With $18 trillion set to change hands by 2030, families are rethinking how governance, operations, and succession planning work together to safeguard wealth and enable opportunity. Today, compliance is not just about meeting legal requirements—it’s about creating confidence in decision-making and freeing families to focus on long-term growth.

Family offices are increasingly focused on healthcare and biotech as the next great wealth
frontier. From gene editing and precision medicine to digital health platforms, the road from
laboratory breakthroughs to listed healthcare giants is accelerating—and families are positioning
themselves to capture both early innovation and public-market upside.

Valuations are stretching, growth stories are uneven, and geopolitics won’t sit still. For family offices, international equities are both a familiar anchor and a source of new complexity. Is this the moment to double down on global exposure, refine allocations, or reframe expectations altogether?

AI and digital transformation are no longer future bets—they are reshaping how family offices operate, allocate, and compete today. But the impact doesn’t stop at the office door: technology is also redefining the growth trajectory of portfolio companies themselves.

This discussion explores how family offices are moving from cautious spectators to active catalysts in the tech revolution—using AI to optimize reporting, compliance, and risk management internally, while also equipping their portfolio businesses with cutting-edge tools in automation, data analytics, and digital customer engagement. From assessing which frontier technologies are worth backing, to embedding innovation into governance and operating models, panelists will highlight how technology has shifted from the margins to the very core of family wealth strategy and portfolio value creation.

The rising generation of family leaders faces a unique paradox: how to honor legacy while
pushing boundaries. Across the globe, next gens are reimagining family enterprises, blending
entrepreneurial drive with a respect for tradition. But the journey looks very different depending
on cultural context.

Setting up a family office is no longer a simple question of administration—it’s a strategic decision that defines how wealth, values, and legacy are carried forward. For some families, it’s about consolidation: creating a single entity to manage investments, philanthropy, and governance. For others, flexibility across trusts, partnerships, and corporate vehicles offers better resilience.

As global transparency initiatives tighten, tax treaties shift, and families increasingly span multiple jurisdictions, the “should we” has evolved into “how should we.” Establishing a family office is now as much about governance, values, and cultural alignment as it is about technical structure.

Private credit has quickly moved from a niche allocation to a core pillar of family office portfolios. As traditional fixed income struggles to deliver meaningful yield, families are increasingly looking to private credit managers for higher returns, diversification, and bespoke deal access. But with opportunity comes complexity—these partnerships require more than just capital; they demand trust, governance, and alignment over the long term.

From powering AI models to securing global cloud infrastructure, data centres have quietly become the backbone of the digital economy—and one of the most capital-intensive plays of our time. For family offices, the question isn’t whether this sector matters, but how to engage: as infrastructure investors, sustainability stewards, or opportunists riding the next supercycle.

The days when purpose and profit lived in separate silos are fading fast. Family offices are increasingly shaping portfolios that not only generate returns but also reflect the values, vision, and responsibilities of their principals. From climate resilience to social equity, impact is no longer a philanthropic side project—it is becoming a core pillar of capital deployment.

As 2026 approaches, the leadership of family offices—CEOs, CIOs, CFOs, principals, and investment leads—faces an increasingly complex landscape. The role of the C-suite has expanded well beyond administration; today, it is about orchestrating strategy across investment, governance, operations, and values alignment.

This roundtable will provide an inside look at how senior decision-makers are adapting portfolio construction and strategic priorities in response to seismic shifts in the global environment:

• Macro Shifts: Navigating higher-for-longer interest rates, inflation pressures, and diverging global growth trajectories.
• Geopolitical Tension: Adapting strategies to a world defined by regional conflict, supply chain realignment, and fragmented global trade.
• Technology & AI: Integrating digital tools to modernize reporting, risk management, and deal sourcing—while weighing exposure to disruptive sectors like AI, biotech, and energy transition.
• Portfolio Strategy: Rethinking allocations across private markets, listed equities, private credit, and alternatives—balancing yield, resilience, and opportunistic growth.
• Governance & Succession: Ensuring decision-making frameworks keep pace with both generational transition and global transparency initiatives.
• Operational Resilience: Building the right teams, reporting structures, and partnerships to ensure that family offices remain agile while scaling complexity.

The discussion will be candid, practical, and peer-driven—an exchange of lessons from the front lines of family office leadership. The goal is not only to compare models but to surface the strategies that will define successful family office portfolios in 2026 and beyond.

As family offices professionalize, one of the most pressing questions isn’t just about capital—it’s about people. The war for talent is heating up, and the dynamics inside a family office are unlike those of any corporate environment. Recruiting a CIO, CFO, or COO requires more than technical expertise; it demands cultural fit, discretion, and alignment with the family’s long-term vision. At the same time, the presence of cousins, siblings, and next-generation principals introduces a unique blend of governance and interpersonal complexity.

This roundtable explores how families are:

• Attracting & Retaining Talent: Competing with private equity firms, asset managers, and corporates for world-class executives while still offering the intimacy and agility of a family office.
• Defining Roles & Titles: Striking the balance between professional hierarchy and family influence—when does a “family advisor” become a CIO, and when does a cousin become an investment lead?
• Building Trust: Creating an environment where staff feel empowered to speak openly, but also understand the nuances of discretion, loyalty, and alignment with family values.
• Generational Dynamics: Managing the blend of professional executives and family members, ensuring decisions don’t get stuck between expertise and emotion.
• Culture & Governance: Using governance frameworks—charters, councils, or boards—to clarify responsibilities, avoid conflict, and give staff the space to perform.
• The Future Workforce: Considering new skills (AI, digital reporting, ESG expertise) that are becoming essential in the next decade of family office operations.

The discussion will be candid and practical—drawing on both successes and pitfalls in hiring, structuring, and managing talent in a space where personal trust often matters as much as technical performance.

Family offices were once designed primarily for capital preservation and administrative efficiency. But the world has changed—and so has the mandate. Today’s family offices must grapple with far more than asset allocation. They are expected to serve as hubs for innovation, governance, purpose, and intergenerational alignment. Legacy remains essential, but relevance is now equally critical.

This roundtable will bring together principals, executives, and advisors to explore how family offices are redefining their role in a fast-moving world:

• From Preservation to Purpose: How families are expanding beyond protecting wealth to shaping impact, values-driven capital, and global influence.
• New Operating Models: Hybrid structures, co-investment clubs, and technology-driven systems that are reshaping how family offices function day-to-day.
• Generational Shifts: Next-gen voices bringing new priorities—sustainability, entrepreneurship, and digital-first strategies—while still respecting tradition.
• Global Complexity: Navigating multi-jurisdictional families, mobility, and regulatory change while keeping governance practical and adaptable.
• The Expanded Role: Family offices as incubators, conveners, and strategic platforms—not just financial administrators.

The conversation will look ahead: What should the modern family office stand for in 2026 and beyond? How can it remain true to its roots while evolving into an agile, forward-looking structure that is both resilient and relevant?

As families grow more global and regulations evolve, structuring and tax planning have become cornerstones of sustainable family office strategy. Getting these decisions right requires balancing efficiency, control, and flexibility while anticipating the needs of future generations. This panel will bring together tax advisors, lawyers, and family office leaders to explore the frameworks that protect wealth, enable cross-border mobility, and safeguard family legacy.

Key Themes for Discussion:

• Global Structuring Choices: How families are using trusts, foundations, partnerships, and corporate entities to balance control, succession, and tax efficiency across multiple jurisdictions.
• Cross-Border Complexity: Practical approaches to handling residency issues, tax treaties, and multi-jurisdictional reporting (FATCA, CRS, OECD BEPS) without overwhelming family members.
• Generational Transition: Ensuring tax-efficient wealth transfer while building structures that give the next generation room to lead, innovate, and diversify.
• Governance Meets Structuring: Integrating tax and structuring strategies into family constitutions, shareholder agreements, and governance protocols to avoid future disputes.
• The ESG and Impact Lens: How philanthropic structures, donor-advised funds, and impact investment vehicles can be aligned with tax efficiency.
• Risks & Regulation: Preparing for increased scrutiny of ultra-high-net-worth structures, including beneficial ownership registers, economic substance rules, and digital asset taxation.
• Case-Based Insights: Real-world successes (and mistakes) in structuring family offices for resilience—what families would do differently if they could rewind.

This discussion will give attendees a practical framework for evaluating and refreshing their own structuring strategies—ensuring compliance, sustainability, and continuity while remaining flexible for the unknowns of tomorrow’s tax environment.

Technology promises efficiency, transparency, and speed—but in the family office world, the adoption journey is rarely straightforward. While vendors pitch sleek AI-driven platforms with real-time dashboards and predictive analytics, many CIOs and CFOs still trust Excel as the ultimate control tool. For family offices, the dilemma is not just about software—it’s about culture, cost, and control.

This roundtable will explore:

• Digitization Pressures: The growing expectation from principals and next gens for instant reporting, consolidated dashboards, and AI-driven insights.
• Excel vs. Platforms: Why some offices cling to spreadsheets for flexibility and privacy, while others see purpose-built systems as essential for scaling complexity.
• Integration & Operations: The challenge of stitching together accounting, reporting, compliance, and investment workflows without creating tech bloat or “tool fatigue.”
• AI & Automation: Where machine learning and automation can genuinely add value—from risk monitoring to predictive portfolio analytics—and where it may still be hype.
• Costs & Trade-Offs: Evaluating whether the benefits of enterprise-grade tech justify the price tag and implementation headaches, especially for smaller or leaner offices.
• Human Capital vs. Tech Capital: How to balance the promise of automation with the reality that trust, judgment, and culture remain at the core of family office decision-making.

The discussion will be candid, practical, and sprinkled with humor—because sometimes, the most sophisticated dashboard still ends up exported to Excel for the final call.

Legal frameworks sit at the heart of how family offices preserve wealth, govern succession, and manage risk. Yet the debate is ongoing: are complex structures empowering families to protect and grow assets, or are they adding layers of rigidity, cost, and exposure to unintended consequences?

For some, legal architecture—trusts, foundations, holding companies—represents security, clarity, and multigenerational continuity. For others, the proliferation of legal vehicles feels like overengineering that restricts agility and adds friction to decision-making. The balance between flexibility, control, and compliance is anything but straightforward.

This roundtable will explore the evolving legal landscape for family offices, including:

• Structuring Wealth: The role of trusts, foundations, and corporate vehicles in achieving tax efficiency, succession planning, and asset protection.

• Cross-Border Complexities: How international families navigate conflicting legal regimes, regulatory exposure, and compliance obligations.

• Dispute Prevention: Governance frameworks, family constitutions, and shareholder agreements as tools to avoid costly conflicts.

• Liability & Risk Management: The extent to which legal entities shield principals, directors, and trustees—and where personal liability may still pierce the veil.

• Next-Gen Expectations: How younger family members view legal structures—balancing transparency, flexibility, and ethical considerations.

• Evolving Regulation: The impact of tightening global standards on reporting, beneficial ownership, and fiduciary duty.

The conversation will highlight both best practices and cautionary tales, with an eye toward answering the key question: is legal structuring the key to clarity—or just another layer of complexity?

Real estate has long been the bedrock of family office portfolios, but the world around it is shifting rapidly. Rising interest rates, changing demographics, remote work, sustainability demands, and geopolitical volatility are rewriting the rules of property ownership and valuation. For family offices, the challenge is no longer just holding real estate—it’s understanding what it’s really worth, how it fits into a modern portfolio, and where the next cycle of opportunity will come from.

This roundtable will explore:

• Valuation Dynamics: How current market conditions, financing costs, and regulatory changes are reshaping both commercial and residential valuations.
• Sector Trends: From logistics hubs and data centres to urban redevelopment and sustainable housing, which areas are emerging as long-term winners?
• Cross-Border Perspectives: How global families balance exposure between local markets they know intimately and international opportunities that promise diversification.
• Integration with Business Holdings: How operating businesses and real estate assets interact—and how to value them together in succession planning or liquidity events.
• Portfolio Strategy: Is real estate still the cornerstone of long-term wealth, or is it becoming one piece of a more flexible allocation model?

This is not just a valuation workshop—it’s a conversation about relevance. In a fast-changing world, family offices must decide whether real estate remains their strongest foundation, or whether it needs to be reimagined as part of a broader, more adaptive portfolio strategy.

Philanthropy in family offices is undergoing a quiet revolution. What was once a side activity—often led by a single family member writing cheques to favored causes—has become a strategic pillar of wealth stewardship. Today, philanthropy is about measurable impact, long-term partnerships, and embedding purpose into the very DNA of family capital. With next generations pushing for climate action, inclusion, and ESG alignment, the conversation has shifted from generosity to systemic change.

This roundtable will explore:

• From Traditional Giving to Catalytic Impact: How families are evolving from charity and grant-making into scalable, market-based solutions that drive measurable change.
• Aligning Capital with Mission: Ways to integrate philanthropic objectives with broader investment strategies, ensuring portfolios reflect family values without sacrificing returns.
• Generational Perspectives: How next gens are reshaping what “impact” means, and how families can bridge divides between legacy priorities and new causes.
• Governance of Purpose: Designing family charters, councils, and structures that institutionalize values-driven giving while avoiding mission drift.
• Global vs. Local Impact: Balancing highly visible international causes with deep, meaningful engagement in local communities.
• Beyond Reputation: Shifting philanthropy from being a reputational shield to a core driver of identity, influence, and legacy.

The discussion will highlight practical approaches and lessons learned from families who have successfully redefined philanthropy—not as a separate bucket, but as a unifying force that ties together wealth, purpose, and intergenerational alignment.