{"id":2870,"date":"2025-09-30T17:27:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T11:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eton.bowstudios-hosting.co.za\/?post_type=event&p=2870"},"modified":"2026-06-27T14:55:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T09:25:21","slug":"digitising-governance-bryan-henning-on-the-family-offices-operational-reckoning","status":"publish","type":"event","link":"https:\/\/www.eton.bowstudios-hosting.co.za\/fr\/event\/digitising-governance-bryan-henning-on-the-family-offices-operational-reckoning\/","title":{"rendered":"Digitising Governance: Bryan Henning on the Family Office\u2019s Operational Reckoning"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the Hubbis India Wealth Management Forum 2025 in Mumbai, Bryan Henning outlined how family offices can harness technology to address operational inefficiencies and prepare for the future. Presenting the evolution of Eton Solutions and its flagship platform,\u00a0AtlasFive<\/em>, Henning emphasised that artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform how family offices manage complexity, protect data, and deliver value across generations.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Key Takeaways<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    \r\n
  • Eton Solutions was founded out of a multi-family office in 2009, and its platform\u00a0AtlasFive<\/em>\u00a0now supports 969 families worldwide, covering USD 1.33 trillion in assets.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
  • Family offices are often well served by advisers on tax, structuring, and succession – but operationalising this advice remains their greatest challenge.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
  • Globally, the biggest pain points include: how to set up and run a family office efficiently, difficulties in staffing and retention, and establishing the right infrastructure.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
  • Eighty per cent of staff time in many family offices is still spent on manual, low-value work such as spreadsheets and reconciliations, with only twenty per cent dedicated to strategic discussions with principals.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
  • The industry is moving from fragmented point solutions towards integrated platforms, and now towards intelligent family offices enhanced by AI.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
  • AI applications – from intelligent document processing and reconciliation to investment research and portfolio reporting – are already reducing errors and boosting productivity.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    From Family Office to Global Platform<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Henning began by tracing Eton Solutions\u2019 origins. The company\u2019s founder, a tax adviser to ultra-high-net-worth individuals, built the\u00a0AtlasFive<\/em>\u00a0platform for his own multi-family office in 2009. Over six years, he created a fully integrated accounting, investment, reporting, and document management solution. By 2015, the software was spun out into a standalone business.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Today, Eton Solutions has nearly 1,000 family offices using\u00a0AtlasFive<\/em>, representing more than USD 1.3 trillion in assets. The firm employs 470 staff globally, with technology and service hubs in Bengaluru and Shimoga, as well as a presence in GIFT City. Clients range from single- and multi-family offices to trusts, private equity firms, banks, and accounting firms. \u201cOur average client has about USD 2 billion in assets, but our platform supports everything from USD 45 million to USD 100 billion,\u201d Henning said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    The Governance Gap: Advice vs Execution<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    While families have access to strong tax, structuring, and succession advice, Henning highlighted a key disconnect: most do not prioritise operations. \u201cFamilies see succession planning and tax structuring as vital – and the good news is they are getting excellent advice,\u201d he explained. \u201cThe bad news is that they don\u2019t see operations as important, so they struggle to implement that advice.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Surveys conducted with family offices in Asia and beyond confirm the issue. Families rate governance and administrative functions as low priorities, even though these are essential to sustaining complex wealth structures. The result is a conundrum: sound planning undermined by weak supporting infrastructure resulting in the inability to produce timely reporting and weak governance for the Family principals.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Common Pain Points: Setup, Staffing, and Infrastructure<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Henning outlined three recurring challenges facing family offices worldwide:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

      \r\n
    1. How to set up a family office<\/strong>\u00a0– understanding what processes, technology, and governance structures are required.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    2. Staffing issues<\/strong>\u00a0– family offices struggle to recruit and retain young talent, as manual work dominated by spreadsheets is unattractive to new generations.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    3. Infrastructure<\/strong>\u00a0– many families lack the integrated systems needed to run efficiently, creating a cycle of inefficiency.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

      \u201cUniversities are producing capable, intelligent graduates,\u201d Henning observed. \u201cBut if you recruit them into manual environments, pushing pencils and spreadsheets, you are not going to keep them.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

      The 80\u201320 Conundrum<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

      Henning highlighted a striking imbalance in how family office staff spend their time. Studies of offices managing between USD 100 million and USD 250 million, typically with three to five full-time staff, reveal that around 80 per cent of resources are consumed by manual, low-value tasks such as reconciliations and spreadsheet work.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

      \u201cThese are highly qualified CIOs, CFOs, and COOs,\u201d he pointed out. \u201cYet they are only spending 20 per cent of their time with principals, talking about the future, about strategy, about how to transition wealth. That is where the real value-add should be – but most family offices are still stuck in this 80\u201320 trap.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

      While some advanced offices have broken through, he cautioned that the majority continue to operate inefficiently, with wealth transfer and governance compromised by poor processes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

      The Progression of Family Offices<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

      Henning mapped the historical progression of family offices in their use of technology. The journey typically moves from:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

        \r\n
      • Paper-based systems<\/strong>,<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
      • To\u00a0spreadsheets<\/strong>,<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
      • To\u00a0point solutions<\/strong>\u00a0– separate tools for investments, accounting, or document management,<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
      • To\u00a0integrated platforms<\/strong>\u00a0– consolidating functions in one place.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

        The next stage, he argued, is the emergence of intelligent family offices. \u201cWhere we are heading now is towards platforms that embed AI, reduce manual work, and solve complexity as families grow into second, third, and fourth generations,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

        Towards Integration and Intelligence<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

        The need for integration stems from the increasing complexity of family wealth structures – from trusts, LLCs, and partnerships to private equity holdings and cross-border investments. Spreadsheets and single-function tools cannot cope with this scale.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

        Eton Solutions\u2019\u00a0AtlasFive<\/em>\u00a0platform, Henning said, is positioned to meet this need by offering a\u00a0single source of truth<\/strong>. \u201cIn many family offices, the investment team has one number, and the accounting team has another number three months later,\u201d he noted. \u201cOur system ensures every calculation is drawn from the same reconciled data, in real time, securely.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

        He positioned this as the foundation for embedding AI, where automation reduces manual workloads and intelligent tools begin to augment human decision-making.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

        Configurability for Complex Structures<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

        Henning emphasised that family wealth structures are only becoming more intricate as families expand into multiple generations, co-investors, and cross-border holdings. Traditional accounting tools are insufficient for such complexity.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

        He illustrated how\u00a0AtlasFive<\/em>\u00a0is designed to handle these demands. Every asset – whether tradable securities, real estate, art, or wine – can be entered into the system and linked to an entity. That entity has its own reporting currency, ownership structure, and relationships to investment funds or trusts. \u201cThink of it as a Rubik\u2019s cube of reporting,\u201d Henning explained. \u201cYou can produce reports at fund level, drill down to a co-investor\u2019s proportionate share, or consolidate up to the family office – all from one system.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

        Data Control and Security<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

        Security and control are critical for wealthy families.\u00a0AtlasFive<\/em>\u00a0is hosted on Microsoft Azure, with 58 data centres worldwide. Clients select their preferred data location and a backup in another jurisdiction. \u201cIt is your data, in your instance,\u201d Henning stressed. \u201cIf you stop using our platform, you can take your entire dataset with you. Not every system allows that.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

        He highlighted Eton Solutions\u2019 commitment to top-tier security standards, including SOC 1, SOC 2, ISO 27001 and 27701 certifications. The firm is also one of only 30 organisations worldwide accredited with ISO 42001 – the new standard for ethical use of AI. \u201cThat accreditation matters,\u201d he said. \u201cIt ensures the AI we embed is governed, compliant, and ethical.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

        Embedding AI: From Automation to Agents<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

        Eton Solutions has been working with Microsoft for over two years to embed AI directly into\u00a0AtlasFive<\/em>. Henning described this as a staged journey – from automation, to augmentation, to the use of AI agents.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

        At the foundational level, AI is deployed for intelligent document processing. \u201cOCR technology has been around for decades in India,\u201d he said. \u201cBut traditional OCR is only 60 to 70 per cent accurate. Our intelligent document processing, powered by AI and knowledge graphs, is 99.9 per cent accurate.\u201d This allows invoices, capital calls, and other documents to be read, categorised, and processed with near-perfect reliability.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

        The benefits are tangible. \u201cSome of our clients have gone on record saying they are saving 300 to 400 per cent in operating time just on invoice and capital call processing,\u201d Henning noted.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

        Practical AI Applications<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

        Beyond document processing, Henning highlighted a series of AI use cases already in use across client family offices:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

          \r\n
        • Investment research<\/strong>\u00a0– summarising lengthy prospectuses and relating them to current holdings.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
        • Reconciliation and month-end closing<\/strong>\u00a0– automating processes that have traditionally consumed huge amounts of manual effort.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
        • Tear sheets and investor summaries<\/strong>\u00a0– automatically generated for private equity firms preparing for meetings with LPs.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
        • Productivity assistants<\/strong>\u00a0– summarising emails or drafting customised responses for principals inundated with investor communications.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

          He also described the deployment of AI agents to interact with custodians on behalf of family offices. \u201cMany clients have 60, 70, 80 different custodians,\u201d he said. \u201cAI agents can now log in, extract the documents, and upload them into the system automatically.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

          The Pyramid of AI Value<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

          Henning cautioned against seeing AI purely through the lens of generative chat tools. The greatest productivity gains for family offices, he argued, are at the foundation – data extraction and document processing. \u201cThat is where you save time and reduce errors immediately,\u201d he explained. From there, AI can augment human work, delivering investment insights or streamlining reconciliation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

          The final stage is the development of AI agents capable of acting on behalf of the office – logging into custodian portals, fetching documents, or initiating standardised workflows. \u201cThis is where the industry is heading,\u201d Henning said. \u201cFrom automation, to augmentation, to agency.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

          Last-Mile Considerations: Secure and Ethical AI<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

          Before deploying AI, Henning urged family offices to consider three critical guardrails:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

            \r\n
          1. Data security<\/strong>\u00a0– AI must be trained on private, instance-based data, never exposed to the open web.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
          2. Data readiness<\/strong>\u00a0– information must be structured with knowledge graphs and relationships so that AI can process it meaningfully.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
          3. Transparency and compliance<\/strong>\u00a0– answers generated by AI must be linked back to credible sources, with workflows optimised for statutory and internal compliance.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

            \u201cThese are the reasons why ISO 42001 accreditation matters,\u201d he said. \u201cIt ensures AI is used ethically, securely, and with governance at the core.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

            AI as a Supplement, Not a Substitute<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

            Henning closed with a message of reassurance. \u201cAI is not going to replace the family office worker,\u201d he said. \u201cBut AI will replace workers who are not using AI.\u201d He stressed that the goal is to supplement teams, not shrink them, freeing talent from repetitive tasks and allowing them to focus on strategy, governance, and family relationships.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

            For Eton Solutions, the mission is clear: to future-proof family offices by combining integrated platforms with secure, ethical AI – delivering operational resilience and empowering the next generation of wealth holders.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            At the Hubbis India Wealth Management Forum 2025 in Mumbai, Bryan Henning outlined how family offices can harness technology to address operational inefficiencies and prepare for the future. Presenting the evolution of Eton Solutions and its flagship platform,\u00a0AtlasFive, Henning emphasised that artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform how family offices manage complexity, protect […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2866,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"event-location":[],"class_list":["post-2870","event","type-event","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eton.bowstudios-hosting.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event\/2870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eton.bowstudios-hosting.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eton.bowstudios-hosting.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/event"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eton.bowstudios-hosting.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eton.bowstudios-hosting.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2870"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.eton.bowstudios-hosting.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event\/2870\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eton.bowstudios-hosting.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eton.bowstudios-hosting.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"event-location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eton.bowstudios-hosting.co.za\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event-location?post=2870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}