GACO, STEP and Gibraltar Law Council Seminar delivered by Agreus Group - Professionalising Family Offices

As the financial landscape continues to evolve, one prominent trend emerges—the remarkable rise and rise of family offices. These financial powerhouses have been steadily gaining autonomy and influence, gradually transforming the dynamics of the financial market. The evolving role of family offices reflects a broader shift towards alternative sources of wealth management and investment, highlighting their increasing importance in an ever-changing financial world.

Understanding the core characteristics and functions of Family Offices is paramount not only for those working within a Family Office but also for the families they serve, advisors, and other stakeholders involved. This understanding lays the groundwork for effective operations and ensures that all parties are aligned with the common goals and values that are integral to the family’s success. Here’s a detailed look at why understanding these characteristics and functions is so crucial.

Understanding the characteristics and functions of Family Offices is not a mere academic exercise; it’s a practical necessity that underpins every aspect of Family Office operations.

It’s the basis for aligning expectations, customizing services, enhancing collaboration, managing risks, planning succession, integrating values, evaluating performance, and building trust. It’s about recognizing that each Family Office is unique and requires a nuanced understanding that reflects the complexity and individuality of the families they serve. This understanding is a vital tool in the toolkit of every Family Office professional and is foundational to the success, growth, and sustainability of the Family Office model.

GACO, STEP and the Gibraltar Law Council are very happy to have engaged Paul Westall - Co-Founder of Agreus Group to deliver this highly interesting and insightful in Person Seminar. 

Speakers

Paul Westall

Paul is the co- founder of Agreus Group, the resourcing and recruitment consultancy dedicated to working exclusively with Family Offices.

Paul cofounded Agreus in 2010 after recognizing a lack of true partners in the Family office community. Despite a huge demand for tailored and dedicated specialists, Family Offices were being forced to work with organizations that did not understand the intricacies of the Family Office environment or the people it required.

He has worked exclusively with Family Offices and has spent more than a decade building an international reputation as a Family Office specialist. He spends much of his time producing insights and reports to add value to the ecosystem on everything from compensation benchmarking and intergenerational leadership to succession planning and cultural fit hiring.

The Hon Nigel Feetham KC MP

We are very happy as well to inform you that the Minister for Justice, Trade, and Industry, the Hon Nigel Feetham KC will address the audience with an initial introductory speech. 

Nigel Feetham KC is Gibraltar’s Minister for Justice, Trade, and Industry. Elected to Parliament in October 2023, he has Ministerial responsibility for financial services, gaming, taxation, policing, and more. 

A passionate advocate for youth engagement, he established the Connect Hub to connect young people with career opportunities in financial services, fintech, gaming and emerging sectors. 

As Minister with responsibility for taxation, he has also led efforts to realign Gibraltar’s taxation system, balancing corporate contributions with the jurisdiction’s global competitiveness.

Minister Feetham has represented Gibraltar in high-level engagement with the FATF and the European Commission in Brussels. 

His vision centers on economic sustainability, international compliance, and fostering opportunities for future generations.

Joint Organisers

STEP Gibraltar

STEP is a global professional body, comprising lawyers, accountants, trustees and other practitioners that help families plan for their futures.

Our mission is to inspire confidence in families planning their assets across generations by setting and upholding high professional standards, informing public policy, promoting education, and connecting practitioners globally to share knowledge and best practice.

Full STEP members, known as TEPs, are internationally recognised as experts in their field, with proven qualifications and experience.

The Law Council of Gibraltar

The Law Council is the representative body of the legal profession in Gibraltar and assists with policy relating to all matters affecting the legal profession. It represents barristers and solicitors in practice in Gibraltar. It also has members within the Employed Bar (lawyers working in industry as in-house Counsel) and in Government. It is important, therefore, that the Law Council reflects the views of all its members whether in private practice, Government or employment and whether they are barristers or solicitors.

Agreus Group

"Once you have seen one Family Office, you have seen one Family Office."

Agreus Group is a full-service resources and recruitment consultancy dedicated to working exclusively with Family Offices throughout the World.

We offer a bespoke and tailored service which unlike others isn’t focused on specialism or industry but rather, tailored to each Family Office. Afterall, every family is different so why should your Family Office work in any other way?

We specialise in placing entry-level through to executive-level professionals within Investments, Legal, Accountancy and Finance and Operational roles.

Our sole purpose is to find an elegant and effective solution to the people-problems faced by Family Offices Globally and since founding more than a decade ago, we have become an established presence in the United Kingdom, Europe, United States of America, Asia-Pacific and Middle East.

Date: 8th May 2025
Time: 9.00am - 12.30pm
Location: Borealis Room, The Sunborn.
Programme: 
09.00 - 09.30am: Registrations & Coffees
09.30 - 09.45am: Introduction by Hon Minister Nigel Feetham KC MP
09.45 - 10.45am: Part I - Introduction to Agreus & Family Offices and Maturity Model 
10.45 - 11.00am: Break & Networking
11.00 - 12.00pm: Part II - Insights into the Maturity Model including Strategy, People & Governance
12.00 - 12.30pm: Roundtable with Paul Westall, Adrian Pilcher (STEP), Emma Lejeune (Law Council) and local representatives of Family Offices
12.30pm: Closure of the Event
Fees: £40 per attendee