Insights
By: Jacqui Cheshire
Two minutes with Jacqui Cheshire, Head of Family Office, Switzerland
I wear two hats in my role. I have client responsibilities on the one hand and my internal responsibilities, including managing the team, on the other. I have a natural affinity with the commercial dynamics of building relationships and working with clients but you can only look after clients properly if you have an efficient working team in place. Finding the right people and maintaining their motivation as a team is essential.
No two days are the same. In many ways, my role is akin to a chief operating officer for the Family Office in Switzerland, but I also oversee Stonehage Fleming Law in London. I have responsibility for running our three Swiss family office businesses in Neuchatel, Geneva and Zurich, be it financial management, client service, staff or business development. As well as the management side of things, I am still very involved in dealing directly with clients on a day-to-day basis.
We are not concerned with assets alone; we take care of the whole family. We have worked with many multi-generational families over the years and there are few circumstances we have not previously come across. Clients really value our advice. We give them peace of mind and that is how we gain their trust. That’s what makes this job so rewarding.
My advice? Confront difficult situations head on. It applies both to the client and the management sides of my work. Communication is key; don’t delay. There is no substitute for having honest conversations with people, even if those conversations are uncomfortable. It is so important to be authentic.
I have always been a self-starter. I have worked hard to achieve my goals and have tried to grasp opportunities as they have presented themselves. That, along with fantastic support - both internally from my colleagues and externally from my professional network and clients - has helped propel me forward.
Jacqui is head of family office and client support services in Switzerland as well as head of Stonehage Fleming Law Limited. She joined the Group in 2000, originally based in London, before moving to Geneva in 2009.
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