CLIENT

Our client is a multi-generational family that owns one of the largest privately held companies in the United States. The operating company is a global leader in its industry, with a significant presence across the U.S. and internationally, employing tens of thousands of people and generating multi-billion-dollar annual revenues.

The Family Office was established to provide comprehensive support to multiple branches of the family, delivering services across governance, investment management, tax and estate planning, and residential operations. It supports members across several generations, tailoring its approach to meet a broad range of personal, financial, and strategic priorities.

Operating in close proximity to the company’s operating headquarters, the Family Office follows an “embedded” model—working in close partnership with the operating company’s leadership in areas such as finance, legal, tax, human resources, security, and technology, while maintaining clear boundaries and discretion where needed.

Its work is organized across five primary functional areas, each led by a seasoned subject matter expert: Finance & Operations (including risk management/insurance), Income Tax, Estate Planning & Legal (including philanthropic support), Investments, and Residential Real Estate.

OPPORTUNITY

This is an exceptional opportunity for a seasoned family office executive to step into an executive leadership role within a well-established, significant, multi-generational private office. The incoming President will succeed the founding executive, who has led the organization for 19 years, and will inherit a capable, cohesive, and highly experienced team.

Despite the size, complexity, and sophistication of the family office model, this is a “hands-on” executive leadership role where the core focus will be providing strategic leadership to advance generational initiatives, as well as guiding, mentoring, and inspiring a group of accomplished professionals to operate at their highest level. Talent development will also be essential, as well as being able to manage with a creative mindset to address the challenges of tomorrow and effectively serve the family in this critical trusted advisor role.

Two defining elements make this opportunity particularly compelling:

Culture of Communication – The Family Office and its affiliated operating company share a values-driven culture built on trust, respect, and open communication. Leaders at all levels work together with a “no surprises” mindset, making decisions thoughtfully and in alignment with the family’s guiding principles. The President will play a central role in sustaining and strengthening this environment—one where high-performing professionals are supported, heard, and empowered.

Collaboration with the Operating Company Leadership – Operating in an “embedded” model, the Family Office works closely with the operating company’s leadership in overlapping areas such as tax, treasury, legal, human resources, security, and technology. These relationships are mutually supportive and highly productive, requiring nuanced judgment to balance transparency and collaboration with appropriate boundaries and confidentiality between family branches. The President must understand these intersections deeply to ensure the right information flows to the right people at the right time.

Success in this role will require the ability to:

• Lead with vision and presence, earning the trust of family members across multiple generations.
• Sustain and enhance a collaborative, high-integrity culture within the Family Office and with corporate counterparts.
• Navigate complex interdependencies with skill and discretion, fostering alignment without compromising privacy.
• Balance strategic leadership with hands-on oversight through functional experts.
• Engage and inspire the next generation to ensure the Family Office remains valuable, relevant, and desired for decades to come.

At its heart, the family office operates on a foundation of trust, integrity, and stewardship. The Family is intentional about preserving and growing its resources for the benefit of current and future generations, while pursuing opportunities that reflect its entrepreneurial spirit and curiosity. Relationships—within the family, with long-standing advisors, and with business partners—are grounded in respect, loyalty, and discretion. Philanthropy is not an afterthought but a deeply held commitment, with a focus on initiatives that create lasting, positive impact. Guided by a long-term vision, the office balances disciplined financial management with a readiness to embrace innovation, all in service of a meaningful legacy.

THE ROLE

The President will be responsible for the overall leadership, strategy, execution, and operations of the Family Office, reporting directly to the principal family members. Acting as the primary liaison to the family in most matters, the President will manage a broad portfolio of responsibilities - personally handling certain projects while delegating others to the appropriate functional leader, ensuring coordination across disciplines when initiatives overlap.

In addition to overseeing all aspects of the Family Office’s performance, the President will provide trusted advice and counsel to family members, helping them make informed decisions and supporting them in advancing and achieving their long-term objectives.

This is a senior leadership role with responsibilities and oversight spanning three key areas:

1. Strategic Responsibilities

• Develop the strategic vision, goals, and priorities for the family office as an enterprise, in collaboration with family members. Clearly and effectively communicate the family office’s strategic vision to family and colleagues, building a culture that embraces and perpetuates this vision.
• Maintain and nurture a culture of unfettered, transparent communication, deep cross-functional collaboration, and mutual respect among colleagues – with the shared objective of harmoniously, seamlessly, and successfully serving the family.
• Assess current family office functionality and determine strategies for a best-in-class future, including functional silos, staffing levels and skills, family office funding structure, technology and systems, risk management, and contingency planning.
• Provide strategic leadership to all functional subject matter experts consistent with comprehensive, enterprise-wide missional objectives. Facilitate and ensure frictionless collaboration among functional disciplines to successfully execute all family projects.
• Lead and facilitate coordination of all transactions among functional disciplines to ensure all diverse functional impacts have been considered and addressed.
• Lead initiative to create, implement, and operate a private trust company to provide consistent generational governance for both (a) trust fiduciary roles and (b) operating company shares.
• Develop the family office team professionally, consistent with the enterprise goal of “continuous improvement” – both individually and as an organization. Identify and provide opportunities to challenge colleagues in their roles and enhance their professional skills, thereby engendering loyalty, career advancement, and adding increasing value to the family office and the family.

2. Leadership Responsibilities

• Establish a relationship of credibility and trust with family members of all generations.
• Schedule, design, develop, coordinate, and lead annual Family Meeting.
• Serve on various operating company fiduciary and advisory committees as needed.
• Primary family office liaison with executive leadership at operating company on diverse matters including finance, income tax, human capital, legal, and information technology.
• Lead family security initiatives in collaboration with operating company subject matter experts including cybersecurity, physical security, travel security, residential security and tactical, real-time threat alerts and mitigation.

3. Operational and Executional Responsibilities

• Serve as a back-up authorized banking agent to execute transactions, as required.
• Collaborate with human resources and residential operations directors to appropriately staff households, oversee domestic employees, and resolve personnel issues.
• Oversee household employee benefit plan offerings, including medical plan structure and pricing configurations.
• Serve as officer of family residential and investment LLCs to facilitate streamlined operations.
• Collaborate with Chief Trust & Estate Counsel to create and implement wealth transfer strategies to protect generational wealth and private ownership of the operating company.

DESIRED CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate will bring a combination of proven leadership, broad technical expertise, and personal qualities that inspire trust and confidence across multiple generations of a prominent family. This individual will be comfortable operating in a complex, multi-entity environment and will have the judgment, discretion, and interpersonal skills to thrive in a highly collaborative, “team first” culture.

Personal Character

• Unquestioned integrity
• Uncompromised trust
• Impeccable judgment
• Respectful of family and teammates
• Upstanding values to match family and family office ethical standards
• Positive personal “chemistry” with family members
• Highly discreet and maintains strict confidentiality
• Professional demeanor with a boardroom to shirtsleeves, “check your ego” at the door mentality
• Multi-generational appeal
• Highly-motivated self-starter
• “No Jerks Policy”

Background

• Bachelor’s degree, minimum
• Advanced degree or professional accreditation preferred
• Minimum of 15+ years of relevant family office leadership experience
• “Expert Generalist” with concentrated knowledge in trust & estate planning, investments, and/or income taxation

Professional Competencies

• Strong strategic leadership experience and vision
• Able to mentor staff to develop professional competencies
• Ability to communicate transparently, clearly, and honestly
• Strong written and verbal communication and presentation skills
• Consummate team player
  • Able to build and maintain cross-functional cohesive teams
  • Able to thrive without personal glory
• Ability and willingness to be “hands-on”, but able to delegate when appropriate
• Highly organized and able to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
• Uncompromising commitment to “client service excellence”
• Experience across a range of topics, including:
  • Trust and estate planning
  • Investments
  • Financial advisory
  • Income, gift, and estate taxation
  • Treasury and credit
  • Accounting, budgeting, and financial reporting
  • Residential real estate operations

LOCATION & WORK MODEL

This position is based in the greater Chicago area and will require a primarily in-office presence—typically four to five days per week—with some flexibility as appropriate. Success in the role will depend on building strong, in-person relationships with both the family office team and the principal family members.

COMPENSATION

An excellent cash compensation package, including a long-term incentive plan, will be designed to attract and retain an exceptional family office leader.