A&O Shearman fifth annual Family Office Summit 2025

Guided by this year’s theme— “our guide to your future”—the program focused on the strategic and operational priorities shaping family offices in a rapidly evolving market, pairing global perspective with the bespoke, relationship-driven approach families value.

Highlights from the summit

Donna Parisi, co-head of the Global Financial Markets group, co-lead of the Financial Institutions sector, and co-lead of the Family Office initiative, opened the summit by underscoring the firm’s longstanding commitment to family offices and the purpose of the program: to equip participants with ideas and relationships they can put to work. She highlighted the role of family-to-family learning and thanked our partners, colleagues, and co-host Amir Rafizadeh of 678 Partners for their leadership in curating content aligned to what matters most to participants.

Panels featuring guest speakers from family offices, facilitated by partners from A&O Shearman, explored direct and co-investments, disciplined risk management, and regulatory readiness; they emphasized aligning strategy with family purpose and drawing on operator lessons to build with patience. Throughout, peer learning remained central, reinforcing that clarity and community grow over time—core to delivering on the summit’s theme.

• Following a keynote on navigating the sale of an ultra-high-net-worth business, featuring Michael Sonnenfeldt, chairman of MUUS asset management and the founder of TIGER 21, the leading peer network for ultra-high-net-worth investors, moderated by Khalid Garousha, senior partner and co-chair of the Executive Committee and Board, we ended day one with a cocktail reception.
• The afternoon of day two featured a keynote on leadership and empowerment by Leigh Steinberg, CEO and founder of Leigh Steinberg Sports and Entertainment, moderated by Adam Hakki, partner, co-chair of the Executive Committee and Board, and U.S. chair. Widely regarded as the pioneer of modern sports representation—and the inspiration for the film, Jerry Maguire—Leigh Steinberg shared insights drawn from his decades of experience negotiating landmark contracts and philanthropic initiatives. A closing reception followed.

Anna Salek, head of the private client group and co-lead of the Family Office initiative, closed the program by tying these threads together and reflecting on the summit’s takeaways: disciplined deployment of capital, pragmatic execution, and governance that endures across cycles. She reiterated the firm’s commitment through the Family Office Initiative to support families at the intersection of opportunity and responsibility, offering integrated reach across key markets while maintaining the discretion, continuity, and trust that define these relationships.

The summit was hosted by Donna Parisi, Anna Salek and Amir Rafizadeh, principal at 678 Partners. The Family Office Summit 2025 event page can be viewed here.