Family Business Audiocast

Josh Baron, Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School and co-founder of Banyan Global Family Business Advisors, joins R. Adam Smith to explore why the field has moved beyond succession planning toward something broader. Baron argues that ownership, not inheritance, is the most powerful force in business, and that capable owners look very different depending on whether they operate, govern, or inv...

Tom McCullough, founder and Chairman of Northwood Family Office, joins R. Adam Smith to unpack what a full-service family office actually does and why so few families know where to begin. Drawing on four decades in wealth management, McCullough lays out the five pillars of family office services, planning, investment management, governance, family wellbeing, and administration, and makes the case...

Susan R. Schoenfeld, JD, LLM, CPA, MBA, CEO and founder of Wealth Legacy Advisors, joins R. Adam Smith to explore the human dimensions of multigenerational wealth. Drawing on a career that spans tax law, trust administration, and service as a family ambassador at a $600 million single family office, Susan discusses how families can build governance structures, develop next gen leaders, and navigat...

Dennis Jaffe — organizational psychologist, senior research fellow at Banyan Global, and one of the founding voices in family enterprise consulting — joins R. Adam Smith to explore why succession so often stalls between intention and execution. Drawing on decades of work with global families and his recent collaboration with J.P. Morgan Wealth Management, Dennis reframes succession not as a single...

Stephan Gerwert, Head of Family Office Services at PwC Deutschland, joins R. Adam Smith for a wide-ranging conversation on what it takes to build and sustain a modern family office — particularly within Germany's uniquely secretive ultra-high-net-worth landscape. Stephan draws on a career that spans big-bank wealth management, leading a Swiss single-family office, and co-founding a fintech platfor...

Luke Jernagan, Director of Family Learning and Culture at Matter Family Office, joins R. Adam Smith for a conversation about the relational and human dimensions of managing multi-generational wealth. Luke traces his unusual path from Episcopal ministry to family advisory work, and describes how Matter structures its engagement model around communication, shared values, and generational learning —...

Amy Griman — founder of Delta Creative Group and former global president of the BMO Family Office — joins R. Adam Smith to explore what she calls the readiness gap: the distance between technically sound estate and governance structures and a family's actual preparedness to act on them. Drawing on more than 30 years at the intersection of trust law, family office services, and human capital, Amy u...

Kelly Pollock, CEO of the Burgess Family Foundation, and Betsy Cohen, philanthropic futurist and founder of FutureGood, join R. Adam Smith for a wide-ranging conversation on strategic philanthropy, community impact, and the evolving role of family enterprise in shaping long-term social change. Drawing on decades of experience in nonprofit leadership, trust banking, and futurism, Kelly and Betsy ex...

Philip Marcovici — international tax lawyer, author, and advisor to ultra-high-net-worth families — joins R. Adam Smith to explore what it takes for a family enterprise to endure across generations. Drawing on decades of advising families across Asia, Europe, and beyond, Philip challenges the assumption that culture determines planning outcomes, arguing that wealth's destructive potential is unive...

James Rosebush — Reagan White House veteran, author, and family office advisor — draws direct lines between presidential leadership and multigenerational stewardship. Having worked alongside Reagan as Chief of Staff to the First Lady, Rosebush witnessed firsthand how indifference to public opinion, deep spiritual conviction, and a relentless drive to understand "what is really going on" shaped one...

Emily Balentine Barbour, Partner and Head of Client Engagement and Family Legacy at Balentine, shares her unique perspective as a third-generation member of an Atlanta-based wealth management firm. The conversation explores Balentine's journey from sale to major bank during the financial crisis back to independence in 2010, now managing $8.5 billion under advisement. Emily discusses the evolution...

Jeremy Cheng, Principal at Lansberg Gersick Advisors, shares his approach to building learning capacity for enterprise families across Asia and beyond. Broadcasting from Hong Kong, Jeremy discusses the evolution of family business enterprise education, the importance of continuous curriculum development, and how families can embrace portfolio thinking for rising generations. He explores cultural d...

David Werdiger returns to discuss his Power of Pause Institute and the concept of time as a critical leadership asset. Drawing from his experience as a second-generation family business enterprise member and decades advising high net worth families, David explores how family enterprise leaders can create clarity through intentional pause rather than constant urgency. The conversation covers stewar...

Dr. Jan-Philipp Ahrens, leading scholar at the University of Mannheim, discusses his groundbreaking research at the intersection of family enterprise, artificial intelligence, and sustainability. As a fifth-generation family business successor, Jan brings personal insight to his academic work leading an interdisciplinary research group that combines data science with traditional business research....

 Suzanne Gyorgy, Partner at Emigrant Bank Fine Art Finance, shares her expertise on the intersection of art and wealth management. With over 35 years of experience advising collectors and institutions, Suzanne explores how family wealth office strategies incorporate art as an asset class. The conversation covers art finance fundamentals, leveraging collections for liquidity without selling, a...

John Koeppel, partner at Lippes Mathias LLP and leader of their private equity and independent sponsor practice, joins host R. Adam Smith to explore how independent sponsors are transforming direct deal making. With over 250 transactions closed, Koeppel shares insights on why family investment office structures are increasingly backing fundless sponsors, the strategic advantages of flexible deal s...

Henry Brandts-Giesen, global co-chair of Dentons' high net worth group, explores the rapid evolution of private wealth in Asia and the professionalization of family office services. The conversation examines Singapore's emergence as a global wealth hub, the complexities of intergenerational transitions, and the critical role of governance in sustainable family wealth management. Brandts-Giesen sha...

Dr. Karen McNeill brings her unique expertise in history and culture to the world of multi-generational wealth advising. As founder of Verdandi and Associates and Dean of Family Stories at the Purposeful Planning Institute, she reveals how family narratives serve as strategic assets for family enterprise continuity. Karen discusses her research into women and philanthropy, highlighting figures lik...

On Episode 51 of the Family Business Audiocast, R. Adam Smith welcomes Rick Holton, a seasoned family business leader, investor, and advisor whose career spans operating companies, venture capital, and private equity. As President of Holton Companies, Rick has guided a multi-generational enterprise while also fostering growth for early-stage and middle-market businesses. In this conversation, Rick...

On Episode 50 of the Family Business Audiocast, R. Adam Smith welcomes Jennifer East, Founder of ONIDA Family Advisors and a globally recognized advisor to family enterprises and family offices. With two decades of experience guiding multigenerational families across Europe, the Middle East, and North America, Jennifer has built a reputation for helping family businesses strengthen governance, ali...

On Episode 49 of the Family Business Audiocast, R. Adam Smith sits down with Dr. Kimberly Eddleston, Schulze Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship and Montoni Research Fellow at Northeastern University’s D’Amore‑McKim School of Business, as well as a Research Fellow with Cornell’s Smith Family Business Initiative. Named in Stanford University’s top 2% of scientists and one of Family Capital’...

 On Episode 48 of the Family Business Audiocast, R. Adam Smith welcomes Roger Vincent, founder and Chief Investment Officer of Summation Capital, a new investment firm delivering endowment-style access to private equity for family wealth offices, multi-generational family businesses, and mission-driven investors. With decades of experience in private markets, Roger previously led Cornell Univ...

 On Episode 47 of the Family Business Audiocast, R. Adam Smith welcomes David W. Burleigh, esteemed family business expert, fiduciary, and author of Take Ownership of What You Own: Build Your Confidence to Navigate the World of Trusts and Family Enterprise. An attorney by training, David has spent his career helping multi-generational family businesses structure ownership—not just what they o...

 On Episode 46 of the Family Business Audiocast, R. Adam Smith welcomes Laura Nanette Gambineri-Giese, LL.M. TEP, founder of Trusted Governance and expert in cross-border family estate planning, Private Placement Life Insurance (PPLI), and family governance. Drawing on her experience with internationally active family enterprises, Laura shares insights on combining technical family wealth str...

 On this episode of the Family Business Audiocast, R. Adam Smith welcomes two of the world's foremost experts in family enterprise research: Luis Gomez-Mejia and Ignacio Requejo. Together, they explore the often-misunderstood dynamics of family business ownership, from the foundational role of socioemotional wealth to the ways family control affects decision-making, family office management,...