We were engaged by a multigenerational Saudi family enterprise to advise on governance, investment alignment, and succession planning for a complex network of family and foundation holdings. The mandate required balancing emotional, financial, and strategic priorities, protecting family unity while ensuring institutional discipline in capital management. The project produced a long-term framework that strengthened governance, improved transparency, and aligned investment decisions with both family values and intergenerational growth objectives.

 

Client: A Saudi sovereign charitable foundation (confidential)

Location: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Role: Governance Structuring | Investment Policy | Conflict Resolution

 

Our Approach and Work

The engagement began with a full diagnostic of the family’s governance structure, investment practices, and intergenerational decision-making processes. We discovered that while the family’s assets were significant and globally diversified, the absence of a unified investment policy and clearly defined governance framework had created ambiguity, inefficiencies, and the potential for future disputes.

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To address these challenges, we established a long-term mandate for strategic asset management, ensuring that oversight and continuity were maintained across both family and affiliated foundation holdings. This structure provided a single source of truth for decision-making and delineated responsibilities among family members, board representatives, and external advisors.

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A comprehensive Investment Policy Statement (IPS) was then drafted to formalize the family’s investment objectives, risk tolerance, liquidity tiers, and portfolio return expectations. This document became the cornerstone for capital discipline — ensuring that all investment activities reflected a shared mission, clear time horizons, and well-defined parameters for risk and return.

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We also designed an asset-disposition plan to unlock liquidity while preserving long-term value. This included guidelines for asset sales, reinvestment strategies, and transition protocols to minimize emotional bias and protect intergenerational wealth. In parallel, we built a funding framework that balanced the near-term liquidity needs of the family’s philanthropic foundation with its broader mandate of capital preservation and long-term impact.

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Recognizing the complexities of multi-jurisdictional wealth, our team conducted forensic reviews of global bank holdings to enhance transparency and control. This exercise identified inefficiencies, duplication of exposure, and governance gaps, allowing the family to streamline banking relationships and implement tighter reporting standards.

 

Finally, we provided ongoing advisory support, helping refine internal processes, monitor portfolio execution, and ensure that all financial decisions remained consistent with both family values and institutional best practices.

 

Objectives

Objective I - Establish a governance framework that reduces the risk of internal conflict by clarifying roles, decision rights, and accountability among family members and advisors.

Objective II - Create a robust Investment Policy Statement (IPS) that aligns the family’s mission, liquidity needs, and return targets, serving as a foundation for long-term stability.

Objective III - Strengthen governance credibility with external partners, banks, and co-investors through transparent, documented structures that meet institutional standards.

 

Outcome and Business Impact

The initiative resulted in a unified governance and investment framework that fundamentally strengthened the family’s institutional capability while preserving its unique values and cohesion.

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• Conflict prevention: The creation of a transparent and documented decision-making framework reduced interpersonal friction and established clear accountability across generations.

• Strategic alignment: Investment activities were codified within a single IPS, ensuring that every financial decision reflected the family’s shared mission, liquidity goals, and tolerance for risk.

• Institutional credibility: Through enhanced reporting, clearer structures, and improved oversight, the family’s relationships with global banks, advisors, and co-investors became more professional and trusted.

• Succession readiness: The governance framework provided a smooth and transparent pathway for next-generation involvement, promoting inclusion, education, and continuity.

• Sustained alignment: A rhythm of family council meetings and investment committee reviews was established, creating an enduring mechanism for collaboration, accountability, and long-term vision.

 

Strategic Significance

This engagement highlights the growing need for institutional governance among large family enterprises in the Gulf region — particularly as younger generations assume leadership roles and philanthropic initiatives expand globally.

 

By merging family governance with professional asset management, this project transformed a potential source of conflict into a platform for unity and continuity. The outcome was not only financial clarity but also emotional stability — a shared understanding among generations of how to steward wealth responsibly, honor legacy, and drive collective purpose.

 

Ultimately, this case illustrates that effective family governance is not about control — it is about clarity. By embedding systems, policies, and shared decision-making structures, the family achieved both peace of mind and long-term resilience, ensuring that its wealth continues to serve its mission for generations to come.