Gulf family offices are rewriting their mobility mandates

Three years ago a typical Gulf mandate concerned one principal and one programme. Today it concerns a family council, a governance document and a portfolio of two or three jurisdictions selected for complementary strengths.

That shift reflects institutional thinking arriving in a market that used to be transactional. Family offices now model mobility as they model any other asset class: diversified, documented and reviewed annually.

It also raises the standard we are held to. A portfolio mandate requires a written rationale for every jurisdiction, a renewal calendar, and a succession plan for how status passes to the next generation. That is the work we prefer.