The UAE Playbook: Hiring, Relocating, and Raising in the Gulf's Family Offices

The UAE Playbook: Hiring, Relocating, and Raising in the Gulf's Family Offices

While headlines fixate on regional instability, the UAE keeps doing something remarkable: growing. In this episode of the AYU Family Office Podcast, we sit down with Oscar Orellana-Hyder of Cordell Partners [http://www.cordell-partners.com/], an executive headhunter who places elite talent inside the Gulf's family offices, to understand why capital, people, and ambition keep flowing toward the Emirates even as the map around them shifts. Oscar offers a grounded, real-world look at the infrastructure underpinning the UAE's family office boom: the policy, the stability, and the quality of life that have turned the region into a genuine safe harbour for wealth and the talent that manages it. From there the conversation gets practical. How do you hire the right people for a family office? What does relocating across the GCC actually involve? And what are the realities of raising from established families, including what works, what doesn't, and the trust that has to come first? Whether you're building a family office, advising one, or simply trying to understand why the Gulf is pulling ahead, this is a candid, optimistic conversation about resilience, opportunity, and the people powering the region's rise. This episode is sponsored by Canoe Intelligence [https://canoeintelligence.com/who-we-serve/family-offices/?utm_campaign=16818867-AYU%202025%20Family%20Office%20Podcasts&utm_source=ayu_partnership&utm_medium=podcast_ep8&utm_term=spotify&utm_content=lp_family_offices]. Canoe is on a mission is to unlock efficiencies in alternative investment processes by introducing purpose-built automation into the workflows of institutional investors, asset servicers, capital allocators, and wealth managers. Learn more via the link below.

Investing in Healthcare with Conviction, featuring Everett Kamin of Gemini Capital Partners

Most people in the family office world broaden over time. Everett Kamin went the other way. After nearly 30 years in healthcare, he's only sharpened his focus, and in this episode he explains why. As Healthcare Investment Director at Gemini Capital Partners and CIO at the Silverstein Family Office Dream Foundation, he sits at the center of one of the most specialised theses we've featured. His path was anything but linear. It ran from investment banking in Japan, Korea, and the US through a decade of healthcare roll-ups across 30 countries, and eventually into the family office world. We also get into how he actually invests. He's candid about sourcing, explaining why the best deals come off market. And he makes a compelling case that AI is quietly transforming the sector, from drug discovery to diagnostics. It's a focused, fascinating conversation about building real expertise and the technologies democratising healthcare, so that where you live no longer decides how, or whether, you live. This episode is sponsored by Canoe Intelligence. [https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&pf=1&ai=DChsSEwiXu8yomZOVAxU0gFAGHf2LFUsYACICCAEQABoCZGc&co=1&ase=2&gclid=CjwKCAjw0dPRBhAPEiwAE5vTTgSeKdsDZ3hlFY1c-uKyB7KAX0R0x7Npoi0bI3Sd5C16YkOmtspFBhoCZZkQAvD_BwE&ei=syc1arHmOeyphbIP2d-sCQ&cce=2&category=acrcp_v1_32&sig=AOD64_0mdRoNlEwTLWDQ-y_DmrWIYS10jg&q&sqi=2&nis=4&adurl=https://canoeintelligence.com/?utm-source%3Dgoogle%26utm-medium%3Dcpc%26utm-campaign%3Dsearch-emea-brand%26utm-content%3Dbrand-emea-home%26utm-term%3Dcanoe%2520intelligence%26utm_term%3Dcanoe%2520intelligence%26utm_campaign%3D%255BSearch%255D%2BBrand%26utm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_medium%3Dsearch%26hsa_acc%3D3658871031%26hsa_cam%3D22597262123%26hsa_grp%3D179701444443%26hsa_ad%3D754281409321%26hsa_src%3Dg%26hsa_tgt%3Dkwd-1335269761671%26hsa_kw%3Dcanoe%2520intelligence%26hsa_mt%3Dp%26hsa_net%3Dadwords%26hsa_ver%3D3%26gad_source%3D1%26gad_campaignid%3D22597262123%26gbraid%3D0AAAAAqMyfA65ZoL8lwQhnYDzjlpqbUMUd%26gclid%3DCjwKCAjw0dPRBhAPEiwAE5vTTgSeKdsDZ3hlFY1c-uKyB7KAX0R0x7Npoi0bI3Sd5C16YkOmtspFBhoCZZkQAvD_BwE&ved=2ahUKEwjxi8aomZOVAxXsVEEAHdkvKwEQ0Qx6BAgIEAE] Canoe is on a mission is to unlock efficiencies in alternative investment processes by introducing purpose-built automation into the workflows of institutional investors, asset servicers, capital allocators, and wealth managers.

Full-Spectrum Resilience: Inside Modern Security for UHNW Families, with Richard Roberts of MITMARK Group

In this episode we spoke with Richard Roberts, founder and CEO of MITMARK Group and Neaman Services. Not only is this another fascinating founder story but also a compelling insight into the world private security services and how they operate and provide a service becoming increasingly essential to the Family Office community. MITMARK provides the only full-spectrum resilience solution designed for HNW families and organisational principals. Their integrated model closes the "Validation Gap" through three core pillars: * MITMARK Intelligence: They conduct deep digital vulnerability assessments for individuals and families, identifying exposure across the dark web and open sources before threats materialize. * MITMARK Security: Their teams deliver military-grade physical protection, site-specific monitoring, and bespoke security design for residences and global office portfolios. * Nemean Services: Their specialized arm for digital asset safeguarding, Nemean applies elite military protocols to secure cryptographic wealth and ensure disaster recovery. Leveraging Tessera, their proprietary AI-native intelligence platform, they provide continuous monitoring and proactive threat prevention tailored to your unique footprint. Their accredited services are trusted by the top institutions in the digital asset space. MITMARK are not just a security company; they are your full-spectrum partner in an uncertain world. For a security vulnerability and risk assessment, get in touch. [https://mitmark.com/] This episode is sponsored by Canoe Intelligence [https://canoeintelligence.com/]. Canoe is on a mission is to unlock efficiencies in alternative investment processes by introducing purpose-built automation into the workflows of institutional investors, asset servicers, capital allocators, and wealth managers. Learn more here. [https://canoeintelligence.com/] https://canoeintelligence.com/

Why Technology Is a Strategic Advantage for Family Offices, with George Ralph of RFA

In this episode, we were joined by George Ralph, a long-standing AYU member and a globally experienced technology leader with over two decades of expertise across cybersecurity, infrastructure, and financial services. George shared his perspective on cybersecurity and risk management in family offices, drawing on a career that has seen him successfully scale MSP, MSSP, and SaaS businesses internationally through to exit. He spoke about building and leading high-performing teams, delivering complex transformation and growth strategies, and helping organisations align technology with business outcomes. Under his leadership, RFA has become a go-to provider of institutional-grade IT protection within the alternatives industry, supporting family offices, hedge funds, private equity, and asset managers with robust, scalable solutions. George’s insights highlighted not only the technical challenges facing the sector, but also the importance of strategic thinking, operational excellence, and strong governance in navigating an increasingly complex risk landscape. This episode is sponsored by Canoe Intelligence [https://canoeintelligence.com/]. Canoe is on a mission is to unlock efficiencies in alternative investment processes by introducing purpose-built automation into the workflows of institutional investors, asset servicers, capital allocators, and wealth managers. Learn more here. [https://canoeintelligence.com/]

From Single Family Office to Industry Game Changer: Mike Muniz of Canoe Intelligence

In this episode we are joined by Mike Muniz, founder of Canoe Intelligence and long standing partner of AYU. On top of secondaries market and funding rounds, Gus and Mike delve into the issue of post investment data extraction and how automating this process was inspired from Canoe's SFO origins. We love a founder story and hearing the strategy behind a product that is truly an industry game changer. This conversation could have gone on and on so look out for more coming from AYU and Canoe. This episode is sponsored by Canoe Intelligence [https://canoeintelligence.com/who-we-serve/family-offices/?utm_campaign=16818867-AYU%202025%20Family%20Office%20Podcasts&utm_source=ayu_partnership&utm_medium=podcast_ep14&utm_term=streaming&utm_content=lp_family_offices]. Canoe is on a mission is to unlock efficiencies in alternative investment processes by introducing purpose-built automation into the workflows of institutional investors, asset servicers, capital allocators, and wealth managers. Learn more here. [https://canoeintelligence.com/who-we-serve/family-offices/?utm_campaign=16818867-AYU%202025%20Family%20Office%20Podcasts&utm_source=ayu_partnership&utm_medium=podcast_ep14&utm_term=streaming&utm_content=lp_family_offices]