Family governance and independence

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The great Geneva houses assert their independence, that is to say their control by the partners, without a dominant outside shareholder. Following its settlement with the United States authorities, Lombard Odier stressed that the legal certainty obtained and the financial strength of the group allowed it to pursue its long-term development with confidence and independence.¹ This independence is presented as a guarantee of stability and of alignment with the long-term interests of clients.

Governance by partners presupposes careful management of succession, of the admission of new partners and of the allocation of responsibilities. It also implies a prudent capital policy, since the partners cannot easily resort to capital increases raised from the public. The independent houses therefore give priority to steady profitability and a strong balance sheet.

This governance distinguishes the Geneva houses from listed banks, which are subject to the pressure of quarterly results, and from the subsidiaries of foreign groups, which depend on the decisions of their parent companies. It is a commercial argument for families seeking a stable partner across several generations.

Notes

“Sérieuse amende pour Lombard Odier & Cie SA”, Tribune de Genève, 3 January 2016. ↩

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of September 2025.

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I am a Swiss attorney-at-law and also admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong and in England & Wales, with almost 25 years of experience.

Together with my multilingual team, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Ukrainian and French native speakers, I advise companies and their owners from around the world on the full range of banking, corporate, commercial and tax law matters in Switzerland, including international tax planning, fiduciary services, and legal family office services including immigration & relocation or real estate investments. My practice has a particular focus on clients from growth and frontier markets in Greater China, Central Asia and the Caucasus, the rest of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, and I equally advise clients from Europe and North America. Through an affiliated Swiss trust company, we also take care of the incorporation and ongoing administration of their companies and other structures, including accounting, tax returns and corporate secretarial services, and I serve as a professional director where required. With the support of a network of first-class cooperation partners, I also implement solutions worldwide.

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