"Our clients want transparency, responsiveness, continuity and all of this only works with a perfect knowledge of their specificities."
Your career is very international, what are the main dates?
My apprenticeship in the business world did not begin in 2020 with the creation of LAGAPIM but from my childhood. Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, very young I was immersed in this environment. Seeing my family lead and develop companies strongly influenced me and helped me, when LAGAPIM was born, to structure and shape what I wanted to offer my clients.
I studied in Moscow and my desire to discover the world led me to Spain, Brazil and finally returned - with my own family - to Europe in 2001.
In Luxembourg, I rubbed shoulders with the local financial industry by first joining a fund management company, then a Canadian real estate investment company and finally, before LAGAPIM, the management of a fiduciary from its creation to its exit from the Luxembourg market.
LAGAPIM's goal is to support wealthy families and successful entrepreneurs. We offer them a full range of consulting and family office services in order to develop their professional projects but also help them to invest in more personal subjects such as art, wine, jewellery, real estate, yachting …
Many of your clients immediately followed you when Lagapim opened. How would you describe the family office clientele today?
Very international! We operate in many geographical areas: from Kazakhstan to Brazil and of course a solid presence in traditional markets such as Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom.
A strong relationship of trust has been built with our customers over time. Many clients with whom I have worked during my career are with us today and will be tomorrow.
Many of our clients are successful businessmen and women looking to increase their wealth to successfully pass their business on to future generations. Many have an affinity with LAGAPIM as an independent and entrepreneurial firm that is close to its clients while offering quality service.
And tomorrow's?
More or less in the same vein, with an enlargement of the scope. We are seeing more and more customers from more established economies, such as Europe.
Many of our clients have created a legacy through businesses they founded themselves, rather than inherited businesses. LAGAPIM has extensive experience in supporting entrepreneurs from the industrial and manufacturing sectors, in fact we naturally attract these customers. Of course, we also meet clients with ties to emerging industries like cryptocurrency, which is also exciting.
Despite advances in technology, satisfied customers are still the best source of new relationships. In our sector, the reputation and the quality of the work provided are paramount. Satisfied customers share their experience with their peers and friends, this has supported our growth.
Have you always been drawn to the technological side of the job?
Absolutely. As technology advances, businesses and societies can advance, which benefits everyone.
I have always worked with very demanding clients who demand transparency, precision and immediate access to quality data. These are critical because our clients and their advisors use this information to make critical decisions that affect their future success. Imagine, for example, that a family business is working on a major acquisition without understanding its financial situation, risks and future possibilities - it's impossible! Technology is making all of this easier to manage and oversee, both for customers and for the companies like LAGAPIM that serve them.
A word on the current context and on the concerns of your customers, many of whom are also close friends?
You are right - LAGAPIM is close to its customers, as mentioned we have long-standing relationships with them. We are the eyes and ears of our customers and we travel regularly to meet them, wherever they are in the world. Our clients want transparency, responsiveness, continuity and all this only works with a perfect knowledge of their specificities. For some families, a bigger player might be the right choice but our clients prefer to have personal connections in our role as family office and business service provider.
Like many of us, our clients follow world news. Overall, the mood is very cautious about the evolution of the situation, but our clients do not live in an isolated bubble, only considering their heritage and their business: the reality is quite the opposite. Our clients are very involved and concerned about what is happening in the world from a human and economic point of view.
Of course, the world is changing, our customers have a broader vision of the world than ever. There's social and economic change, climate change, technology, crypto, digital art – so many new things. Change isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean everyone has to adapt – including high net worth clients. The focus is on the next generation: how can we prepare our children to succeed in a changing world? Is what we give to our children an opportunity or a burden? Do our children have the skills they need to thrive and be happy? Increasingly, these conversations are less about wealth and more about family heritage, ambition, happiness and balance.