Family Office Services: Insights from Crain Currency on Hiring Non-Family Executives

Crain Currency recently published an article featuring Todd Kesterson, exploring the growing trend of family offices recruiting non-family executives to manage increasingly complex wealth.

As family offices expand across borders and asset classes, many are professionalizing their operations by bringing in outside leadership. The article notes that offices with 11 or more employees are nearly twice as likely to employ non-family executives as smaller counterparts — 79% report professional leadership compared to 52% among offices with five or fewer staff. External professionals can introduce institutional-grade expertise, stronger governance, and an objectivity that is difficult to achieve within a family-only structure.

For families weighing this transition, the stakes extend beyond technical skill. Successful integration depends on defining a clear mandate, prioritizing cultural fit with family values, building structured onboarding, and tying compensation to measurable performance metrics. Done well, outside talent can help protect and grow a family legacy across generations.

Read the full article in Crain Currency.

Want to explore how professionalizing your family office could affect your wealth strategy? Connect with our Family Office Services team to learn more.