The UK remains a ‘powerhouse’ in the global family office landscape but lacks focus on succession planning, according to a report from Agreus.

The family office report, created in collaboration with KPMG Private Enterprise, showed that the UK family office market was highly developed, internationally connected, and professionally run.

Maturity was highlighted as a defining feature of the UK market, with nearly two-thirds of family offices having operated for more than 10 years and the majority overseeing multi-generational wealth.

More than a third (35 per cent) manage two generations’ wealth, while a further 31 per cent oversee three generations.

However, just 30 per cent of UK family offices had a formal succession plan in place, despite being responsible for multi-generational wealth.

The report warned that this represented a significant strategic vulnerability for a market transitioning into second- and third-generation stewardship, and clear succession frameworks will be essential to maintaining governance standards, investment continuity, and long-term organisational stability as wealth transfer accelerates.

When asked about their purpose, 72 per cent of UK family offices cited the administration of family assets and 69 per cent highlighted the preservation of wealth.

The report said that this indicated a market driven by safeguarding capital, maintaining continuity, and ensuring established structures were equipped to outlive their founders.

This was in contrast to other regions, Agreus noted, where wealth creation was a more dominant focus.

Data on leadership showed that UK family offices had embraced external professional management while maintaining family involvement.

While many other markets operate with fully external CEOs, 15 per cent of UK CEOs are family members, which the report said suggested families in the UK retained a direct role in strategic decision-making.

Nearly three quarters (71 per cent) of UK family office employees were male, 26 per cent were female, and the remainder were undisclosed.

The report said that while this imbalance was not unique to the UK, it highlighted that diversity remained a challenge for the sector.

The majority of UK family offices had between £251m and £1bn in assets under management, reflecting a market made up of well-funded, structurally established organisations rather than emerging ones.

Eight in 10 (80 per cent) UK family offices were based in London, while 40 per cent operated in more than one jurisdiction, with secondary offices most commonly based in Europe (61 per cent) and the Middle East (29 per cent).

“The UK family office sector is defined by heritage, professionalism, and global reach,” the report stated.

“However, the coming decade will require renewed focus on modern governance, progression frameworks, and competitive compensation structures, particularly as European and Middle Eastern markets attract global-calibre talent with compelling incentives.”

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