Opening doors to success and stability
The Strategy Group approach is hands on, rather than solely academic or theoretical, a perspective that has grown out of practical business experience in the executive suite and through positions as a non-family manager in family owned enterprises. We employ business tactics and then we augment them with methods rooted in psychology and academic disciplines, such as family systems theory. Our assignments are highly confidential, extremely personal and involve in-depth conversation and evaluation of business, organizational, and family dynamics.
The Strategy Group is committed to fostering a working environment characterized by trust and openness. As such, confidentiality and discretion are paramount. We also understand that your family, family office and family enterprises will be unique and have a distinct set of characteristics and communication styles. The Strategy Group’s founder and managing director, Alan Heath, has more than 30 years of knowledge in this field gained working for and with family owned and closely held enterprises. His practice and that of the firm is built on first-hand observations and expertise that can be modified to suit your family and not on a set of static tools. We “facilitate”, engage the family in creating tailor made processes and concentrate on follow through and accountability.
Over time, The Strategy Group has come to specialize in several key areas of advising family enterprises, family offices, family businesses, family foundations, and families in general. These specialties include: corporate/family governance, succession and transition planning, ownership change, wealth accumulation and wealth management issues and structuring, conflict resolution, family offices, wealth education, family career planning, and ownership and beneficiary training. We believe that a crucial element of long-term success in a family of wealth is educated and informed steward-owners and beneficiaries.
For a more detailed description of Strategy Group experience and expertise, please click here.
“Alan has been a tremendous help in better understanding the deeper concerns of our most important clients and a great contributor to creating closer relationships with them”
— South American wealth management professional
Experience & Expertise
Family governance, including family councils, family assemblies, and family constitutions
The Strategy Group helps families develop purpose statements, visions, missions, and tools for family history and legacy preservation and assists in the education of families in the areas of philanthropy, wealth management, and sustaining and growing wealth. As part of the governance process, family strategic positioning is often considered, including proper alignment among the business, the family, the owners and family estate plans.
Corporate Governance
The Strategy Group assists family enterprises in initiating the use of outside, independent board members (including finding new members) and defining the role of the board, as well as facilitating board training and assessment. We help professionalize existing boards and build new ones. We work to ensure that family and business governance complement one another, but that they don’t overlap, and that their goals are consistent. This includes writing position profiles and job descriptions—to help everyone understand where he or she fits into the enterprise.
Ownership matters
The Strategy Group helps family owners/shareholders (and beneficiaries/inheritors) understand their rights, roles and responsibilities. We can also work closely with family and its advisors to consider, develop and implement the right liquidity and exit vehicles, such as buy/sell agreements and internal capital markets. More and more, in our international practice, we assist clients in the challenges presented by multiple citizenship and multiple residences.
Transition and succession
The Strategy Group works with family businesses, family offices, family foundations and families to facilitate transition and succession from one generation to the next—by coaching and mentoring those stepping down and those stepping up. For example, in a family generational transfer we can assist family members in identifying appropriate structures that will facilitate and institutionalize transition; we also explore supportive estate planning concepts.
Independent, private trustee services for large trusts
Alan draws on his more than twenty-five years of experience in this area (including traditional trustee duties with or without a corporate trustee) to help manage issues such as developing a strategic plan for your trust(s), identifying family themes for the future and ensuring that generative and purposeful trust concepts are considered. Additionally, he can assist in engaging with the next generation regarding their approach to personal wealth. Our founder is an experienced, independent, individual trustee and has undertaken numerous complex trust transitions and other related projects. He also has significant experience with regulated private trust companies serving families. The firm’s collaborators also have significant trust and estate planning experience.
Mentor key family and business members
The Strategy Group guides clients through a deep learning process using carefully constructed questions and attention to individual needs. We frequently take on the role of mentor for family members, spending one-on-one time focused on helping each individual family member better understand his or her goals and role in the family, the family business and their personal lives.
Conflict resolution
The Strategy Group can mediate shareholder and other disputes, help key stakeholders build communication skills, and listen to and facilitate discussion to foster harmony in the family and its enterprises.
Coaching
Professionals in The Strategy Group have training and experience in executive, leadership and one-on-one coaching focused on individual and organizational performance.
Family Offices
The Strategy Group assists clients with all matters regarding family office set-up, operation and governance, policies and practices around family wealth and wealth management via the family office and/or private trust company. We do this from a practical knowledge and hands-on operation of such entities.
Educational Programs
The Strategy Group has experience in preparing and presenting programs on all of the above topics at various venues, including private family meetings, groups of families, universities, professional associations and businesses serving family enterprises.
While we understand and are familiar with many of the legal and financial aspects of your enterprise, we are not a law or tax firm, nor do we consider ourselves to be financial or investment experts. We will work closely with each family’s trusted advisors in these areas, and where the family lacks advisors, we can provide access to a well-vetted network of experts we can incorporate in our engagements to ensure proper execution.
