A Workshop:
Family Governance in Action
An exclusive workshop exploring how families make complex governance decisions, and how those decisions can be approached with greater clarity.
Facilitators
The session is led by expert advisors working at the intersection of family governance, investment strategy, and institutional development.
Adrian Said
Economist and strategic advisor with more than 25 years of experience working with businesses, family offices, and public institutions across Europe and the UK.
Adrian specialises in growth strategy, capital raising, and institutional development, and has advised boards, investors, and sovereign entities on complex transformation and investment decisions.
His experience spans private and public sectors, including the development of international initiatives such as Trade Malta and the EMENA Sovereign Fund Network, as well as collaborations with organisations such as the Commonwealth Secretariat and the World Economic Forum.
He brings a macroeconomic and strategic perspective to questions of governance, continuity, and long-term value creation.
Dr. Nicholas Schwarz
Nicholas is the founder and CEO of The Cecily Group, a family governance consultancy with offices in Vienna. He works with ultra-high-net-worth families across Europe on governance design, reporting oversight, and the structural problems that sit between families and their advisors.
His doctoral research at SDA Bocconi examined how information asymmetries between family offices and external advisors shape trust and decision-making. The findings informed both a maturity model for family governance now being developed as a book, and the Family Council Canvas, a platform that gives advisors and families a shared structure for governance conversations.
Learn more about The Cecily Group.
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A Governance Framework Anchored in Science
Family governance rarely fails due to a lack of intelligence or experience. More often, it becomes difficult when different perspectives, interests, and time horizons are not made explicit.
The Family Council Canvas was developed by Dr Nicholas Schwarz and his team at The Cecily Group as a way to bring structure to these situations. Nicholas‘s doctoral research focused on information asymmetry in family office relationships, specifically examining how differences in knowledge, expectations, and communication influence outcomes. This research led to a practical question:
What would governance discussions look like if families could clearly understand their situation and align around a shared purpose?
Across more than two decades of advising family offices and private clients, Nicholas has worked closely with families facing questions around succession, control, and long-term direction. Again and again, similar patterns emerge: decisions are based on implicit assumptions, conversations that circle without resolution, and tensions that remain unarticulated.
The Family Council Canvas is not a model that prescribes answers. It is a structure that makes these dynamics visible, so that decisions can be made with greater awareness.
Working Through Governance Decisions
This session is designed as a working discussion among a small group of participants. Rather than presenting solutions, it offers a way of thinking.
Participants will engage with selected case studies of established family enterprises, examining:
- how governance tensions arise
- how different choices lead to different outcomes
- where structure might have changed the course of events
The emphasis is on interpretation, dialogue, and perspective.
Perspectives You Will Gain
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- A clearer way to recognise underlying governance tensions
- A structured lens for approaching complex family decisions
- Recognise common pattern in how other families approach governance challenges
- The opportunity to exchange perspectives with peers in a focused setting
Our Next Session
Two Mediterranean Dynasties, Two Paths to Permanence
Malta, June 2026
Drawing on the Ferragamo family’s disciplined approach to ownership and leadership, alongside the contrasting legacies of Onassis and Niarchos, participants work through real governance decisions in small groups.
Through guided exercises, participants:
- analyse how ownership structures shaped control and continuity
- examine key decision points around succession, leadership, and family involvement
- assess how different governance choices influenced long-term outcomes
This exercise allows participants to evaluate different governance choices and consider their trade-offs in a structured way.
Request to Join
This workshop is held in a small-group format to allow for depth of discussion and exchange.
Attendance is limited.
If you would like to take part, please let us know by completing the form below or contact us directly at nicholas@thececilygroup.com.