Family Legacy Asia

Christian works with enterprising families as a process consultant, coach and family meeting facilitator. He helps families to form their own family council, family constitution and family policies, often in the context of planning for succession. Christian also advises a small number of families on family learning & development, and acts as a the chief learning officer.

He has over twenty five years’ experience in advising ultra-high net worth individuals and families on complex trust structuring, family governance and succession matters.

July 2008 - Present Founder & Managing Director Family Legacy Asia (HK) Ltd	Christian founded the process consulting firm Family Legacy Asia in July 2008 to provide independent advice to Asian families on family governance & family business governance issues, including family learning & development.
May 2016 – December 2020 Wise Counsel Research Associates	While continuing as managing director of Family Legacy Asia, from May 2016 to December 2020 Christian was also an associate with Wise Counsel Research, a nonprofit think-tank and boutique consultancy based in Massachusetts USA, focused on matters of wealth and philanthropy. The think tank element of WCR ended at the start of 2020.
July 2002 – June 2008 Managing Director Head of Wealth Advisory, Asia Pacific JPMorgan Private Bank	Before founding Family Legacy Asia, Christian was a Managing Director and the head of the Wealth Advisory Team in Asia for JPMorgan Private Bank for six years. In that capacity, he worked with some of the leading families and Family Offices in Asia on family governance, private trust companies, and succession planning for the family owned business.
December 1994 – June 2002 Tax Partner Head of Trust & Private Client Group PricewaterhouseCoopers Hong Kong	When he first arrived in Hong Kong at the end of 1994, he joined the tax practice of Price Waterhouse in Hong Kong, later being promoted to be a Tax Partner at Pricewaterhouse Coopers. In his time at PwC he helped found and lead its Trust and Private Client Group and helped PwC create a reputation as one of Hong Kong's leading firms in the trust and estate duty planning area.
1990 - 1994 Tax & Trust Lawyer Private Practice Adelaide, South Australia	Christian started his career as a Solicitor in private practice in South Australia. During his 4 years as a Solicitor in South Australia, he helped clients with tax, trusts, wills and estate planning work.
Publications	Christian is the author of the chapter on Leadership Succession in family firms in the special report, “Life Cycle of a Family Business”, edited by Barbara R Hauser and Alon Kaplan, published by Globe Law and Business, 2020. Christian is the author of the chapter on Family Offices in Hong Kong in “Family Offices: The STEP Handbook for Advisors” 2nd edition, published by Globe Business Publishing Limited, 2019. Christian is the author of the chapter “Trust ownership of the Family Owned Business: Towards a Wider Perspective” in the 5th edition of the book “Trusts in Prime Jurisdictions” published by Globe Business Publishing Limited, 2019. He contributed “The Who What Where When and Why of Family Meetings” to J.P. Morgan Private Bank’s Asia Family Enterprise Study, May 2015. He contributed commentary to the report, Asian Business Families Governance: Crossing the Chasm for Inter-Generational Change, produced by the Business Families Institute @ Singapore Management University, & Deloitte South East Asia, May 2015. Christian is a past contributor to the Family Business content for LexisNexis, Practical Guidance for Hong Kong. Christian is the author of the chapter “What are practical tools for building Healthy Families” in the book “Wealth of Wisdom, The Top Fifty Questions Wealthy Families Ask”, edited by Tom McCullough and Keith Whitaker, Wiley, 2018
Professional Qualifications	Christian has been admitted as a solicitor in the Australian State of South Australia, in England and Wales, and in Hong Kong, but has not practiced since 1994. He has completed the STEP Advanced Certificate in Family Business Advising. He has completed the Family Firm Institute’s Advanced Certificate in Family Business Advising (ACFBA).
Awards	Christian is the recipient of the Family Firm Institute’s Interdisciplinary Achievement Award for 2021. This award recognizes outstanding achievement in the advancement of interdisciplinary services to business families. Shortlisted in both 2020 & 2021 for the Family Business Advisor Category of the STEP Private Client Awards. In June 2017, Christian received the award for Leading Individual (Advisor) at the WealthBriefingAsia 2017 Awards, Singapore.
Professional Memberships	Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Family Firm Institute (FFI) Collaboration for Family Flourishing (CFF)