Affiliations

John Warnick

John is the founder of the Purposeful Planning Collaboration, a virtual community of some of the world’s leading wealth psychologists, family governance experts, family business advisors, estate planning attorneys, and many other disciplines and professions which serve families of wealth and families in business. The Purposeful Planning Collaboration sponsors weekly interviews with thought leaders and innovators who are expanding best practices that allow families to flourish. John also developed the Seven Keys of Purposeful Trusts and Six Paradigms of Purposeful Planning, a group of concepts that can ensure that the impact of a family’s wealth will be a positive force in the lives of rising generations. John founded the Purposeful Planning Collaboration after practicing law for thirty years and acting as a tax and legal advisor to wealthy families at a large law firm, where he chaired the Private Client Services Group.

John spends a considerable amount of his time facilitating family retreats and providing wealth counseling, fiduciary and philanthropic consulting services. He is especially focused on educating and training children, adolescents and emerging adults in financial literacy, philanthropic service, and holistic family wealth principles. In 2010, John was certified as a facilitator for the Family Business Assessment Tool and the Family Wealth Dynamics Assessment Tool, both of which were developed by Dr. Dean Fowler in collaboration with Marquette University. These tools are used to objectively measure how effectively a family is performing in twelve critical areas of success in the transitioning of a family business or family wealth.

John is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He has served as the philanthropic editor of the Journal of Practical Estate Planning, a CCH publication, and serves on the board of directors of the International Association of Advisors in Philanthropy. John is the author of two BNA (Bureau of National Affairs) Tax Management portfolios. He also co-authored “Selecting a Trust Situs in the 21st Century” as well as numerous professional journal and law review articles. John received a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from Brigham Young University and his Juris Doctor with honors from George Washington University. He is fluent in Spanish.

Scott R. Peppet

Scott is an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado School of Law in Boulder, Colorado, where he teaches negotiation, conflict resolution, contracts, ethics and family business law.

Before moving to Colorado, Scott was a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School and a Senior Fellow on Negotiation at the Harvard Negotiation Research Project. At Harvard, Scott taught the Negotiation Workshop for several years and co-taught a new course titled Arbitration, Mediation, and Dispute Systems Design. He was also a faculty member for Harvard’s Program of Instruction for Lawyers.

In addition to his academic work, Mr. Scott has an active negotiation training and consulting practice. He has worked with such companies as Goldman Sachs, Manulife, Lexmark, IBM, MasterCard, Monsanto, Xilinx, LL Bean, Conoco, BP, the CIBC, Bank of Montreal, and Genentech to help them improve their negotiation results and manage their strategic relationships more effectively. His practice also includes organizational interventions in situations of team or executive-level crisis, where he provides negotiation and communication coaching and advice. He also consults to families and foundations on a variety of matters and has hands on experience with family offices and private trust companies.

Scott is the author of several articles on legal ethics and dispute resolution ethics. He is the co-author of an award-winning book on negotiation titled Beyond Winning: Negotiating to Create Value in Deals and Disputes (Harvard University Press, 2000) and of a textbook titled Processes of Dispute Resolution: The Role of Lawyers (Foundation Press, 3d edition, 2002). He serves on the Supreme Court of Colorado’s Standing Committee on the Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct, and was the Director of the Leeds School of Business First Annual Japha Symposium on Business and Professional Ethics.

Scott did his undergraduate studies in International Conflict Resolution at Cornell, and received his law degree from Harvard Law School, magna cum laude, where he was an editor of the and the co-founder and co-editor-in-chief of the Harvard Negotiation Law Review.

Kathryn McCarthy

Kathryn has over 20 years experience advising wealthy families and managing family offices and other entities; she is a consultant to families and family offices. She is also a Director of the Rockefeller Trust Company and serves on its Audit and Trust Committees. Kathryn serves on several private family investment committees, is on the board of directors of a family office and acts as a strategic advisor and/or trustee to several family groups. Additionally, she is a member of the Board of Directors and member of the Compensation Committee of SEI Investments, a public company (NASDAQ) whose business is investment technology and asset management.

In previous roles, Kathryn was a Managing Director of Rockefeller & Co., Inc. as well as a member of the Management Committee and the Director of Client Advisory Services. She was the founding president of Marujupu, LLC – the family office of the Sulzberger Family (The New York Times Company) – and formed their multigenerational family office. She was also a member of the Board of Directors and the Investment Committee of Marajupu and was the Manager of the Sulzberger Foundation. Before moving to Marujupu, Kathryn was the Senior Financial Counselor at Rockefeller & Co., Inc. In that position, she advised Rockefeller family members and other families on asset allocation, investment manager selection, personal financial planning and strategic wealth management.

Kathryn holds a B.A. from Rosemont College and earned her M.B.A. in finance from New York University’s Graduate School of Business Administration. She completed her education at New York Law School, where she received her J.D. with honors. Kathryn’s not for profit activities include serving as a Trustee of the Greenacre Foundation and as a member of the Professional Advisors Council of Lincoln Center. She is on the Editorial Advisory Board, HNW Families and Family Office Committee of Trusts & Estates. Kathryn is a frequent lecturer on topics relating to Family Education and the Management and Governance of Family Offices.

Ricardo Leonardos

Ricardo has over thirty years of professional experience in finance, investments and corporate governance. He is the founder and managing director of Symphony Consultoria e Participações, a family business consulting firm based in Brazil, with expertise in governance, succession, wealth planning, and family offices. On a recent assignment Ricardo served for four years as CEO of the family office he structured for a prominent Brazilian family.

For more than a decade Ricardo was a partner of Brasilpar, a corporate finance and investment firm in Brazil. As a venture capitalist, he was involved in financing and helping entrepreneurs structure and develop their businesses. He assisted shareholders and executives in defining and implementing strategies, managerial standards and corporate governance structures. As a financial consultant, Ricardo assisted companies going public by working at the side of the shareholders to evaluate the best alternatives and prepare them for the after market. Ricardo was the leading partner in the creation of the first independent asset management company to operate in Brazil.

Ricardo was also CEO of Sul America Investimentos, the asset management arm of Brazil’s largest insurance company. He was CEO of ING Investment Management, where he was responsible for launching the investment operations of the Dutch group in Brazil. His activities focused on the design and management of investment portfolios for family offices, wealthy individuals and institutional clients. He also served as CFO for Tivit, an IT outsourcing company of the Votorantim Group.

Ricardo received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Faculdade de Economia São Luis and his MBA in Finance and International Business from NYU – Leonard Stern School of Business. He currently serves on the board of directors of Tecnisa S.A. (a construction company listed on the São Paulo Stock Exchange), Hospital Samaritano – São Paulo, and on the advisory board of Peninsula family office. Ricardo is a certificate holder in family business advising from the Family Firm Institute; a certified Board Member by the Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance; CFA (CNPI) certified by APIMEC – Associação dos Analistas e Profissionais de Investimento do Mercado de Capitais; and a Registered Portfolio Manager with the CVM – Comissão de Valores Mobiliários (Brazilian SEC). He is fluent in Portuguese and English.

Mollie H. Niess

Project Manager and Research Associate
Mollie manages diverse projects for the Strategy Group. Her responsibilities include writing, editing, project development, proposal writing, research and digital interface, as well as event planning for family and other functions.

Mollie comes to the Strategy Group from an editorial, marketing and events background where she served in a variety of roles at multinational publishing and event companies. She has been a Group Show Director, managing large teams of marketing, sales, operations and conference staff that planned and executed global trade shows. She has also held client account management and editorial positions. Mollie has a global perspective on business and has worked with clients, speakers, authors and teams from all regions of the globe. She has on-the-ground work experience in Canada, The Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Isreal, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands and all regions of the United States, as well as long distance client and team management experience in México and Brazil.

Mollie has a Bachelor of Arts in English & American Literature from Dartmouth College. She has a working knowledge of French.

René Sonneveld

René has extensive experience in wealth structuring, complex trusts and general international business development through his deep exposure to international banking and wealth structuring throughout Europe and South America with major wealth management organizations. Additionally, he served as CEO of a family business in Argentina. He is currently an independent advisor and investor.

Previously René served as Global Wealth Structuring Director at Citibank Private Bank Latin America based in Montevideo, Uruguay advising ultra-high net worth clients/families regarding wealth preservation structures, family and corporate governance. He was the link between private, corporate banking and investment banking in the region. Leading a specialized growth strategy in that segment based on integrity, business sense and financial prudence, René developed an impressive penetration in the Uruguayan and Regional business community becoming a confidential and valued source of financial advisory, strategic vision and value-added business intelligence for wealthy entrepreneurial families and regional businessmen throughout the Southern Cone Region of South American concentrated in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil.

René developed his senior financial career in large, well-regarded European Financial institutions including ABN-AMBRO, UBS and Deutsche Bank. In the latter he became Head of Private Wealth Management in Geneva, reporting to the CEO and the Board of the bank. At that time he led a multicultural team of more than 500 financial professionals worldwide, who achieved remarkable growth and exceeded its goals for three consecutive years.

Prior to his financial institution experience René worked in Geneva as CEO and the leader of the international operations of a regional family-owned company, Oleaginosa Moreno, with headquarters in Bahia Blanca Argentina and Geneva, Switzerland. It was one of Argentina’s most important regional food industry conglomerates and export leaders with turnover of US$ 900 million and with five industrial facilities and more than 1500 employees. He managed the business until the family sold its controlling position to Glencore International Group, in the late 1990s. This experience gave René practical knowledge of regional business, foreign trade, local and international financial institutions, trade unions and regulatory relationships in a complex financial environment, as well as a particularly keen insight into regional family businesses facing transition events.

René earned a law degree in the Netherlands with a concentration in tax and holds a Master in Business Administration from the University of Chicago. He has been a regular keynote speaker in specialized International forums. He is member of the International Fiscal Association, the Alumni Club of the University of Chicago a member of the Yacht Club Punta del Este. He resides in Montevideo, Uruguay. René is Honorary Consul General of the Netherlands in Uruguay. He is fluent in English, Dutch, Spanish, French and German and has a general knowledge of Portuguese.

Roman Edelmann

Roman is a founder and principal of STG Family Transition Group, S.C. a Mexican firm specializing in family business and family office advisory. Roman has more than 30 years of experience in international finance, having worked for the two most important Swiss banking groups. In this capacity he has advised multinational companies and family businesses, as well as their owners, on financial and strategic matters. After a successful career in Switzerland Roman was called to participate in UBS’s international expansion as part of its organization in Paris. Following completion he relocated to New York where he was given responsibility for the Mercosur region and transferring operations from Switzerland to the US. His main task consisted of developing business and relationships with the bank’s clients including multinational companies, the most important family business clients, financial institutions and governments. After the merger between UBS and SBC he headed the team in charge of managing and streamlining the bank’s USD$ 10 billion+ Latin American loan portfolio. Despite multiple emerging market crises Roman and his team reduced the bank’s exposure without any major loss. He then moved on to coordinate UBS’s high-yield business in Latin America.

Subsequently, Roman was a Co-Founder and Managing Director in a Madrid Corporate Finance Boutique. This entity provided advice to the owners of small and middle-sized companies, thus providing Roman in-depth exposure to the complexity of family businesses. At the same time he advised one of Switzerland’s most important family offices (Fortune 500) in the restructuring and sale of their banking operations in Central America.

Roman’s close family links with Mexico ultimately took him to Mexico-City in 2005. There he worked for both Credit Suisse and UBS, heading the latter’s Representative Office focusing on Wealth-Management services for ultra-high-net-worth clients. During this period he gained further knowledge about the pivotal issues facing family businesses in México and around the world.

Roman holds a Federal Advanced Banking Diploma and a Degree from the Swiss Finance Institute and an Executive MBA from the Instituto de Empresa (IE), Madrid where he is now a guest lecturer. He is fluent in Spanish, English, French and German. He lives in México City.

Courtney Pullen

Courtney has more than 25 years of experience in individual and family coaching, business and management consulting, leadership development, communication training and team building. He has extensive experience in small and large group facilitation covering the continuum from corporations to family meetings. He has worked with a variety of businesses from manufacturing to financial services including family and closely held businesses, primarily in the areas of leadership, communication and governance.

Courtney has lectured, conducted workshops and published in the field of individual and organizational change, behavioral finance and family wealth dynamics. He is a contributing editor to the Journal of Financial Planning and the Journal of Practical Estate Planning. He is on the board of the Sudden Money Institute.

Earlier in his career Courtney was a Clinical Associate at the School of Professional Psychology at the University of Denver and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Colorado. He was a full-time practicing psychotherapist for ten years and then maintained a part-time practice for six years.

Courtney received his undergraduate degree in psychology from Missouri State University and his Masters degree in psychology from the University of Northern Colorado. He is a graduate of the Newfield Coaching Program and is a Certified Professional Coach. Courtney has spoken at regional and national conferences of the Financial Planning Association, National Association of Personal Financial Advisors and the YPO, as well as at estate planning symposiums and family foundation conferences. He and his family have been involved in philanthropic activities in México.

Tiffany Jones

Tiffany is the Founder and CEO of Momentum Advisory Group that was established in response to the growing demand for advice on leadership, change and family business in Australia. There comes a time when the pace of change requires new urgency, whether redefining a leadership role, realigning a business model or reconnecting generations to ensure a lasting legacy. Tiffany has over fifteen years experience advising institutions and family offices in the art of leading with confidence and building momentum.

Bringing a unique set of capabilities to deliver bespoke advisory services, Tiffany assists families in learning effective communication and conflict resolution skills, resolving generational issues, facilitating family retreats and designing programs on family education and philanthropy, with a view to increase each family member’s individual contribution and connection for future generations. Tiffany collaborates with a group of partners with targeted expertise to provide a quick response to the unique challenges each family faces and to create and support an agreed set of goals.

Tiffany received a B.S. in Organisational Change and Learning from Northwestern University. She has jointly authored several leadership and team effectiveness models and is accredited in a range of tools including the General Electric Change Acceleration Process and Work Out, TKI Conflict Mode Instrument, Coaching Mastery and Contention Style Inventory. She was an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs in New York, where she helped build the globally recognised Pine Street Leadership Development Group and is a regular speaker with The Executive Connection in Australia and New Zealand.

During her time at Goldman Sachs JBWere, Tiffany was responsible for launching the first corporate-led programs on family business and nonprofit leadership in Australia, the latter in partnership with Harvard Business School, and continues to advise leaders and boards in both sectors. Tiffany provides advice to a select group of Australia’s multi-generation families and has an international portfolio of clients. She and her husband reside in Sydney with their daughter.

María de la Paz Sáenz de Soberón

María de la Paz Sáenz de Soberón performed her basic studies at the “Colegio Francés del Pedregal” and her professional studies at the “Escuela Libre de Derecho”, where she graduated as a lawyer.

She was General Counsel, Trust Director and Director of Planning and Quality at various financial institutions such as Banamex, Bancomer and “Procesar”, where one of her main achievements was the active involvement in the team that established the Savings for Retirement System, which was at the origin of today’s “Afores”.

She served as a member and secretary of various Boards of Directors of financial institutions, insurance companies, industrial companies, family owned companies, commercial and service companies, among which are: “Promociones Industriales Banamex, S.A. de C.V.”, “Administradora de Fondos para el Retiro Bancomer; S.A. de C.V.” (“Afore Bancomer”), “Banco Nacional de Obras y Servicios Públicos, S.N.C.” (“Banobras”), “Bureau Veritas Quality International” as well as several civil associations and private welfare institutions such as “Fundación Rafael Dondé”, “Patricio Sanz” and the “Instituto Mexicano de Doctrina Social Cristiana”.

She has served as General Counsel and special project consultant to the “Fundación Rafael Dondé”, at which she consolidated major projects and developed niche financial projects for the population without access to banking institutions; and as Legal Director and “Representante de Calidad de la Junta de Asistencia Privada del Distrito Federal 2008-2009”. At the latter she succeeded in certifying the “Junta” giving it the opportunity to obtain resources from national and international institutions in order to support various institutions of private welfare and “Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil”.

During her career, she has had the opportunity to assist many families in matters of succession and estate planning, corporate governance and the restructuring of companies, helping them in achieving professionalization and institutionalization. She also participated as a member of technical committees of various trusts and as a consultant for their constitution.

María de la Paz has been involved all her life in efforts to improve and support the Mexican society. She developed a deep understanding of the philanthropic activities in the country and since 2014 she is President of the “Fundación Casa de la Amistad para Niños con Cáncer , I.A.P.”.

Currently, she is a board member of “Cardif México Seguros de Vida, S.A. de C.V. y de Cardif México Seguros Generales, S.A. de C.V.”, “BVQI Mexicana, S.A. de C.V.”, “IMDOSOC, S.C .”, “Asociación Ciudadana Bosques, A.C., Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee of “Club de Golf Bosques, S.A. de C.V.”, Member of the Board of the “Fundación León XIII”, “Cenyeliztli, A.C.”, Member of the “Barra Mexicana de Abogados”, active member of the “Instituto Panamericano de Alta Dirección de Empresa (IPADE)” and “Más Ciudadania, A.C.”

She is fluent in Spanish as well as English and lives in Mexico City.