Building Strong Teams in Family Offices: A Decade-Long Talent Journey

In a family office, every hire matters. With lean teams and specialized work, the wrong fit or a lack of structure can be costly, but also impact trust and continuity. That’s why forward-thinking offices are beginning to view HR and talent development not as “extra,” but as essential to growth and stability. For smaller offices, this doesn’t necessarily mean hiring a full-time HR employee or solely relying on a PEO.

At Chatfield Global, we assist family offices, families, and family businesses in finding, growing, and keeping talent wherever and however it is needed. Among the various family offices we have supported over the years, we’d like to focus on one today. We have had the privilege of helping this single-family office grow from a team of three to a dynamic team of over 20 professionals across finance, accounting, operations, and client services.

The Challenge

Our founder had a strong partnership with a newly appointed CEO who had transitioned from an established family office, where Chatfield was consulting, to this newly established organization. This rising CEO was tasked with growing a family office team of three people to a multi-disciplinary team across finance, accounting, operations, and client services. Given the countless other key priorities needed to grow a successful family office, the client required a trusted partner to find and develop their growing office’s talent - without the need for full-time HR headcount.

HR Expertise Without the Full-Time Headcount

That’s where Chatfield Global came in. The client leveraged Chatfield to uphold compliance best practices, be an HR “phone a friend”, and develop an exceptional team. For nearly a decade, Chatfield Global has partnered with this family office to provide on-demand HR and talent development support. While we have supported numerous initiatives through our decade of partnership, some of the key areas of impact continue to include:

• Compliance and Risk Management
  Challenge: No policies or handbook in place.
  Action: Built a tailored employee handbook and kept it current across multiple state and country regulations.
  Result: Reduced legal exposure and gave leaders confidence in fair, consistent decision-making.
• On-Demand HR Expertise
  Challenge: No need for a full-time HR leader, but occasional people challenges.
  Action: Served as a neutral third-party advisor on employee relations and coached leaders through tough conversations.
  Result: More effective performance discussions and stronger leadership alignment.
• Engagement and Culture
  Challenge: In a small office without layers of titles or promotions, engagement can stall.
  Action: Conducted team-wide listening sessions, built action plans, and encouraged informal culture moments like team lunches.
  Result: Improved communication, stronger connections, and higher morale in what had been a quiet office.
• Talent Development
  Challenge: Leaders needed stronger emotional intelligence and team self-awareness.
  Action: Facilitated DISC and Myers-Briggs assessments with guided team discussions.
  Result: More open dialogue and a healthier, values-based culture.
• Recruitment and Fit
  Challenge: Hiring niche financial and operational talent in a competitive market.
  Action: Supported sourcing, interviewing, and pre-employment assessments.
  Result: Built a team of 20+ professionals who fit both the role and culture.
• Performance and Growth
  Challenge: No structured performance framework.
  Action: Introduced personal development goals, metrics-based evaluations, and mid-year/year-end reviews.
  Result: Clearer expectations, accountability, and career growth opportunities aligned with business priorities.

Some months, we work on a variety of milestones shared above, and other months, it’s a simple check-in with the team to support them. We show up, as much or as little as they need.

The Takeaway

Today, this family office has a thriving, engaged team without ever needing a full-time HR department. With the right partner, HR can be an important asset in protecting the family’s investment in people and ensuring continuity through growth and change.