Behind Closed Doors: The Private Network for $400M+ Family Offices

NEWSLETTER

Family office insights this week:

• The network connecting $400M+ family offices

• Warren Buffett’s plans to distribute his wealth

• The tell-all book Meta tried to suppress

• A podcast on the best and worst ways to spend money

• Must-watch sessions from the Milken Global Conference

Behind Closed Doors: The Private Network for $400M+ Family Offices

Insights from the SFO Alliance

When the right people are in the room, walls come down—and real conversations begin.

Last month we wrote about the next-gen effect on family office networks, exploring new ways to build communities.

While networking methods may evolve, the value of in-person gatherings is irreplaceable. 

But there are hundreds of family office conferences… what makes some events stand out?

Today we hear from our friends at one of the most established private family office networks: the SFO Alliance.  

Founded by Keith Johnston and Lex van Dam, they have over 1,100 individual members from more than 850 single family offices worldwide. 

While globally diverse, each family office has to meet certain criteria to ensure legitimacy, and must manage assets over $400M.

Their flagship annual event is the SFO Week, a private gathering held in London with a deep focus on peer-to-peer engagement. And there’s a non-negotiable rule: no selling.

This week, we caught up with the founders to unpack why in-person gatherings still matter, what makes their events so effective, and why many others fall flat.

How did SFO Alliance come about?

“I used to attend many family office conferences and the majority of people there didn't seem to have much to do except attend conferences. In the end, it meant there was a very low return on invested time. Around the same time, eight family offices came together in my office for a lunch organized by Keith and myself. It became clear that we were all leading parallel lives and continuously reinventing the wheel. This is how the SFO Alliance was born.” - Lex 

The network matches single family offices with peers, no matter where they are located, why is that? 

“Local groups already exist and are relatively simple to organize. There would have been no point in replicating what is already done well. However, when you are working in Helsinki, your ideal peer might be based in Taiwan or San Antonio. I travel non-stop, meeting current and prospective members from around the world, learning about emerging trends and customs, and facilitating personal introductions where possible.” - Lex 

Why are curated in-person gatherings crucial?

“You can't build a relationship on Zoom, so meeting is key. And you can better yourself by learning and position yourself as an expert in front of your peers by sharing.” - Keith  

Has your SFO Week audience changed over the years?
“We started with 180 attendees, about 5% were principals and next gens and almost everyone was an investment professional. Now we have over 400 attendees, about 20% of members are principals or next gens, and we have a mix of professionals.” - Keith

What makes the event so worthwhile for attendees?

“It resembles a wedding, well a good wedding at that —people having fun, socializing, reconnecting with old friends, and sharing experiences, with some valuable content included.” - Lex

How does it ensure peer-to-peer knowledge exchange?

“The overwhelming majority of attendees and speakers are SFOs and almost all sessions are moderated by SFOs. Most of the content is SFOs sharing their strategies and experiences.” - Keith 

How does the event facilitate networking?

“Our pre-event themed arrival dinners are organized by asset class or operations, they’re designed to help attendees meet like-minded peers immediately. And the conference networking is very efficient because it is organised into breakout rooms, so SFOs can easily meet peers doing similar things”. - Keith

What other gatherings do you arrange?

“We run annual dinners in New York, Miami, Zurich and we are planning events in Amsterdam, Monaco and Milan. We run more regular events in London, where we have over 500 members.” - Keith

How else does SFO Alliance facilitate engagement?
“We speak to new and current members daily. I host almost weekly content calls for members on a wide variety of topics. Our members also receive our bi-weekly newsletter, and I correspond with them regularly beyond that.” - Lex 

How have you seen family office gatherings evolve in the last decade? 

“In my opinion, not much evolution has occurred. Most gatherings remain optimized for the organizers, and many family office professionals no longer attend.” - Lex

What have you seen that hasn’t worked?

“You can't run an insightful event in one big room with one stage theatre-style. The interests of the families are too idiosyncratic, and the networking is too random. And don't book a loud jazz band over dinner, people want to network!” - Keith 

What trends do you see emerging in how family offices network? 

“A shift from secrecy to selective sharing, a rise in next-generation members who are becoming more active and preparing for the great wealth transfer of the next decade, and a trend toward smaller, more intimate gatherings. That last item is in fact a great strength for us  - as the largest network we can organize smaller, more focused gatherings by inviting only the most relevant people.” - Lex 

And how do you see events evolving?

“I think there will be more events as the trend is that private capital is increasingly significant, but the number of quality events will remain small.  This is because most providers don't understand single family offices and tend to put them in over-commercialised environments where they are relentlessly pitched.” - Keith 

What advice do you give to first-time event attendees? 

“Don't be a witness. Participate and speak up. Life is too short to be shy. You are among your own, and this rarely happens on such a scale.” - Lex

SFO Week 2025 is in London 21 - 22 May.

𝕏 highlights

As Warren Buffett announced his retirement, a look at how he plans to distribute his wealth after he passes.

A throwaway tweet that got people arguing… (for the record, I have nothing against MBAs).

What fees would you pay at a MFO?

 💼 where to work

Three notable family office job opportunities this week…

Family Office Accountant - PermCap (New York / Multi-Family Office)

In-House Counsel - Private Family Office (New York / Single Family Office)

Head of International Family Office - Private Family Office (London, UK / Single Family Office)

📚 what to read

The book Meta tried to suppress and one of my favorite reads of the year. In Careless People. A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism, former Facebook Director of Public Policy Sarah Wynn-Williams describes moral failures at Facebook. She describes a toxic workplace culture marked by misogyny and retaliation against whistleblowers. Wynn-Williams talks about the erosion of idealism in the face of extreme wealth and greed. I’m sure this is only one side of the story, but it’s a gripping read.

📻 what to listen to

Money is for spending and in this episode of Prof G Markets, Scott Galloway and Ed Elson discuss best and worst purchases, how childhood can impact spending and some tricky spending situations: splitting bills, weddings and vacations.

📺 what to watch

I’m not holding back… there are 5 things to watch this week! Sessions from the Miken Global conference this week: wealth management, AI, PE and for fun… Things that Will Blow Your Mind!

And finally…

It’s been busy over on Twitter with 1.1 million impressions this week!

And it’s been a busy week for a lot of family offices with the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting in Omaha and the Milken Institute Global Conference in LA. Next up: the SFO Alliance SFO Week in London later in May.

Next week it’s a look at Singapore. The pros, the cons and insights from family offices who have chosen to set up in the city-state. (If you’re in Singapore, hit reply to say hello!)

Family Office Buzz will be back on Monday (here’s the last edition if you missed it) with more of the best content on family offices and beyond.

Until next week, see you on 𝕏 or LinkedIn.

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