Principal office

Principal / Family Office & Board Advisory

Independent advisory for principals, family offices, and boards facing decisions with long-term capital, governance, and stewardship implications.

This work is centered on judgment, discretion, and clarity when internal dynamics, legacy considerations, or structural complexity make decision-making difficult.

What This Advisory Is

Principals, family offices, and boards do not lack advisors.
They lack independent perspective.

This advisory role exists to provide:

• Clear-eyed judgment without internal bias
• Experience-based challenge when assumptions go untested
• Structure when governance, succession, or growth introduces friction
• A calm, external perspective when decisions carry generational consequences

I am not embedded in day-to-day management.
I am not transactional.

I am aligned to no outcome other than decision quality.

Background & Experience

I have worked with principals, family offices, private equity principals, and boards across regulated and operationally complex businesses, particularly in spirits, manufacturing, and asset-intensive industries.

My perspective is built on direct operating responsibility, transaction advisory, and long-term advisory relationships with principals navigating growth, transition, and succession.

I understand the difference between managing wealth and stewarding legacy.

This work is informed by experience with:

• Multi-generational family enterprises
• Operating businesses under family ownership
• Governance structures during transition
• Capital allocation decisions with decades-long consequences

I have advised principals through succession, boards through governance breakdowns, and families through the most consequential decisions they will face.

Discretion & Independence

Discretion is fundamental.

Engagements are confidential and frequently unpublicized.

I operate independently of transaction fees, commissions, or incentive structures that could compromise objectivity.

Trust is built through consistency, restraint, candor, and time.

When This Engagement Makes Sense

This advisory is appropriate when:

• Succession, leadership transition, or ownership complexity introduces risk
• Governance structures require reinforcement or recalibration
• Capital allocation decisions carry long-term or generational impact
• Acquisitions, divestitures, or valuations demand objective assessment
• Operating businesses require independent oversight
• Principals need a trusted external sounding board

Scope of Advisory Work

Mandates are shaped by the reality of the situation, not a service menu.

Strategic and Portfolio-Level Review
Not portfolio optimization. An independent assessment of whether the current structure supports long-term objectives or creates hidden risk.

Capital Allocation and Asset Oversight
Not asset management. A second opinion on whether proposed allocations align with generational goals or introduce concentration, liquidity, or governance risk.

Business and Asset Valuations
Not a spreadsheet exercise. A rigorous assessment of value drivers and whether assumptions reflect reality rather than optimism.

Acquisition and Divestiture Advisory
Not deal advocacy. Clear judgment on when to proceed, when risk outweighs return, and when to walk away.

Governance and Board Effectiveness Support
Not board training. An honest diagnosis of where governance is breaking down and what structural changes are required.

Independent Perspective During Succession or Leadership Transition
Confidential advisory support to principals navigating the most consequential transition a family will face.

Ongoing Confidential Advisory to Principals
For principals requiring an independent voice with no agenda beyond decision quality, available when complexity demands external perspective.

This work often operates quietly alongside legal, financial, and operational advisors.

Role & Operating Principles

In these engagements, my role is to:

• Provide independent, experience-based judgment
• Challenge assumptions without political constraint
• Identify structural, governance, or incentive risk early
• Translate complex inputs into clear options for decision-makers

I do not advocate for management.
I do not represent advisors.

My responsibility is to the quality of the decision.

Board-Level Engagements

For boards, involvement may include:

• Independent board advisory or observer roles
• Strategic and operational review
• Executive and governance assessment
• Support during periods of growth, stress, or transition
• Acting as a stabilizing external voice during contentious phases

The objective is not consensus.
It is stewardship, clarity, and long-term alignment.

Engagement Structure

Engagements may take the form of:

Retainer-Based Advisory
Ongoing confidential counsel with defined availability.

Board Observer or Advisor Role
Quarterly engagement with ad hoc consultation.

Project-Based Mandate
Defined scope for valuation, due diligence, governance assessment, or strategic review.

Transition Advisory
Intensive, confidential support during succession or leadership change.

Structure is tailored to context.
Compensation is fixed or time-based, never transaction-contingent.

Who This Is For

This advisory is best suited for:

• Single and multi-principal family offices
• Principals overseeing operating assets
• Boards requiring an independent external perspective
• Investors exposed to regulated or operationally complex businesses

Who This Is Not For

This work is not designed for:

• Transaction-only mandates
• Commission-driven advisory
• Public positioning or marketing support
• Situations requiring advocacy rather than objectivity

Engagement Approach

Engagements begin with a confidential conversation.

If there is no fit, I will say so in that first call.
If there is, scope and boundaries are defined with precision.

This advisory is selective by design.