We use cookies that are necessary to make our site work as well as analytics cookie and third-party cookies to monitor our traffic and to personalise content and ads.
Please click “Cookies Settings” for details on how to withdraw your consent and how to block cookies. For more detailed information about the cookies we use and of who we work this see our cookies notice
Necessary cookies:
Necessary cookies help make a website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website and cannot be switched off in our systems. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will then not work. The website cannot function properly without these cookies.
Optional cookies:
Statistic cookies help website owners to understand how visitors interact with websites by collecting and reporting information
Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites. The intention is to display ads that are relevant and engaging for the individual user and thereby more valuable for publishers and third party advertisers. We work with third parties and make use of third party cookies to make advertising messaging more relevant to you both on and off this website.
Early asset structuring is essential. A private bank can help entrepreneurs separate business from personal assets while supporting them with family protection, retirement, and diversification
Each stage of the entrepreneurial journey calls for a dedicated asset strategy. Starting, growing, selling, and transferring a business all need the right kind of support
Diversification is essential for senior business leaders. Private assets can complement traditional markets and reduce dependence on entrepreneurial risk
A private bank helps entrepreneurs manage complexity by coordinating expertise across investments, tax planning, wealth structuring and succession planning, within a coherent long-term strategy
An international dimension adds complexity to the management of assets. Tax treatment, residence, holding companies, and succession planning require a coordinated approach across jurisdictions.
Running a company and managing your personal assets are two separate activities – and while they influence each other, they can also conflict. Entrepreneurs put most of their energy into growing their company, and their personal wealth is often heavily invested in the business. With limited scope for diversification elsewhere, such entrepreneurs will face a range of challenges when their business does well – including how best to separate their personal and business assets, planning for the tax implications of a future sale, and securing a comfortable retirement and protecting loved ones without putting the company’s finances at risk.
Faced with this level of complexity, a retail bank is unlikely to deliver the solutions entrepreneurs need, such as a holistic overview of their personal and business assets. A private bank is built to handle such complexity, with bespoke solutions appropriate for each stage of the entrepreneur's journey.
Founded more than 230 years ago, Lombard Odier is an independent Swiss private bank wholly owned by its Managing Partners. We take a holistic, proactive, considered approach to supporting founders and senior executives from success to sale, with an independent model that allows us to focus exclusively on helping entrepreneurs meet their long-term needs and aspirations.
Sign up for our newsletter
The unique contribution private banks can offer entrepreneurs
An entrepreneur holds two separate asset universes simultaneously: one related to the company – shareholdings, excess cash, even commercial real estate – and the other, their private wealth – savings, investments, family assets. These asset universes may be closely linked, but each follows a different logic and operates on a distinct time horizon. A private bank helps entrepreneurs manage their business and personal assets in a comprehensive, coordinated way.
A private bank takes a holistic view of this dualistic structure, identifying where the risks lie and implementing planning mechanisms designed to create long-term value. At Lombard Odier, we do this through a personalised approach that enables us to build portfolios around entrepreneurs’ short-, medium-, and long-term objectives. In turn, this allows entrepreneurs to steward their assets with the same rigour they apply to running their companies.
An entrepreneur’s career path is not a straight line, and the wealth-management needs of start-up founders are different from those of a senior executive in the growth phase or an entrepreneur looking to sell their business. A world-class private bank will adapt its strategies to these different realities, reflecting the entrepreneur’s risk profile, investment horizon, and personal objectives.
Here’s how this approach varies over time:
Phase
Wealth-management challenges
Priorities for action
Start-up founder
Wealth being accumulated, assets not segregated
Segregation of assets, put initial protection for family in place
Passing on a family business or wealth built up over several decades is a complex challenge. Without the right planning, around 70% of high-net-worth families lose their wealth in the second generation, and 90% in the third.1
Fortunately, a private bank that understands the needs of its clients gets involved early in the process, supporting with robust succession planning (family charters, donations, trusts, lasting powers of attorney) and gradually introducing the next generation to the governance of family wealth. This kind of early planning is an invaluable benefit of a long-term relationship with a dedicated private banker.
What advantages do private banks offer for entrepreneurs?
One of the advantages of private banks for entrepreneurs lies in their access to unlisted investment opportunities, particularly unlisted assets like private equity, private debt, private real estate, and infrastructure. These solutions offer portfolio diversification beyond traditional markets, as well as access to long-term growth engines in exchange for reduced liquidity.
For entrepreneurs whose wealth is already exposed to business risk, diversifying into other segments of the real economy is of particular strategic significance. At Lombard Odier, we follow a rigorous, in-depth due-diligence process when selecting our partner fund-management companies.
Tax planning for international entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs whose operations span multiple countries sometimes want to move their tax residence. When it comes to wealth management, this can raise complicated jurisdiction issues. A private bank with a global presence mobilises local experts who can analyse the architecture of an entrepreneur’s assets with an international perspective.
We apply this principle across more than 25 Lombard Odier offices around the world. Our teams deal with matters as varied as structuring holding companies, tax planning ahead of a sale, transferring residence, and planning retirement savings under different legal regimes. This cross-border expertise is crucial for entrepreneurs looking to move into new markets.
Protecting your wealth in times of economic uncertainty
Periods of geopolitical tension or market volatility highlight the importance of a robust, diversified and long-term wealth strategy. For entrepreneurs, whose wealth may be significantly exposed to their business, this approach is essential to preserving capital and maintaining flexibility in uncertain environments.
Lombard Odier’s balance-sheet strength, independence and risk culture provide reassurance for clients in uncertain times. And for entrepreneurs who have devoted many years to creating their wealth, this kind of institutional stability is invaluable in a wealth-management partner.
Lombard Odier: independent, future-focussed, and the ideal partner for entrepreneurs
We have a lot in common with our clients. Founded in 1796, our Firm is entirely owned by our Managing Partners, who are personally responsible for managing Lombard Odier and ensuring we serve our clients well. This model – which is rare in the world of banking – automatically ensures our decisions are aligned with our clients’ interests.
Our independence enables us to take a long-term approach, with a constant focus on our clients’ interests. For entrepreneurs who value freedom of decision, transparency and continuity in their relationships, this positioning is a key strength.
Expertise in entrepreneurial management
Beyond our institutional positioning, we offer specific operational expertise in the areas that matter most to business leaders, including Lombard loans, guarantees, surplus cash management, family governance and philanthropy.
We don’t just manage portfolios – we also help entrepreneurs reflect on and challenge their strategies. In the start-up phase, we support entrepreneurs in laying the foundations of solid private wealth structures from day one, including segregation of personal and business assets, family protection, and initial diversification strategies. In the growth phase, we work with entrepreneurs to structure and plan for the wealth they have accumulated. And in the selling phase, we help entrepreneurs consider and plan for the financial implications of the transaction, organise the sale, and identify their next life project.
Lombard Odier: a rich heritage and an entrepreneurial spirit
Choosing a banking partner is a significant step in any entrepreneur’s journey. And by choosing well, they can secure quality asset structuring, access to compelling investment opportunities, calm in the face of economic turbulence, and, ultimately, success in passing on the fruits of their years of labour.
From alternative asset classes and multi-jurisdictional tax planning to succession planning and protecting wealth for the long term, private banks offer a level of service non-specialist institutions cannot match. As an independent Swiss private bank founded in 1796, owned by its Managing Partners, and with a presence in more than 25 financial centres around the world, Lombard Odier represents this model in its most complete form.
Our independence, global expertise, and entrepreneurial DNA make us the natural partner for entrepreneurs looking to manage their wealth with the same ambition and care they bring to their business. Our leadership in private banking has been recognised through multiple industry accolades – including the 2025 Euromoney Award for World’s Best Private Bank, which highlighted quality of our investment strategies and succession-planning support.
The threshold varies by institution and country/countries of operation. It also depends on the nature and complexity of the client’s financial goals. When it comes to Lombard Odier, the best approach is to contact one of our private bankers and have a conversation about your situation, so we can understand your needs and tell you how we can help.
Private banking is suitable for any entrepreneur whose wealth – whether still accumulating or already developed – needs structured, personalised management. This includes: (1) start-up founders seeking security for their family as soon as possible; (2) senior executives in the growth phase looking to diversify wealth that remains within their business; (3) future sellers keen to plan for the tax and wealth management implications of the transaction; and (4) any business leader looking to prepare for retirement, organise a hand-over of their company, or plan for the tax impact of their estate. At Lombard Odier, we conduct an initial wealth assessment for each new client, so we can create a personalised strategy to meet their unique objectives.
The wealth management for entrepreneurs offered by a private bank goes well beyond portfolio management. It covers overall asset structuring (segregating private and business assets and organising a holding company), tax planning, family protection, preparation for retirement, and, if needed, family governance and succession planning. At Lombard Odier, all these dimensions are managed by a coordinated team consisting of a private banker, investment experts, and wealth-planning specialists to ensure the overall coherence of the strategy.
In the start-up and development phase, wealth-planning challenges are often secondary to business growth. However, structuring your private assets early – including clear segregation from business assets, implementing suitable family protection, and setting a savings strategy – helps realise value over the long term. At Lombard Odier, we support entrepreneurs through these early stages, providing the same exacting standards and personalisation we offer all our clients.
This is a marketing communication issued by Bank Lombard Odier & Co Ltd (hereinafter “Lombard Odier”).
It is not intended for distribution, publication, or use in any jurisdiction where such distribution, publication, or use would be unlawful, nor is it aimed at any person or entity to whom it would be unlawful to address such a marketing communication.
share.