Candice Wu: Inside the New World of Global Family Offices

Candice Wu is the Co-Founder of Tigris Family Office, a London-headquartered platform connecting ultra-high-net-worth families across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Built on the idea that cross-border wealth requires trusted infrastructure, Tigris operates as both an advisory platform and a private ecosystem. Over the past decade, Wu has expanded that ecosystem through the Family Office Circle — now one of China’s largest family office peer networks — connecting principals and CIOs for confidential dialogue and co-investment.

That positioning has earned Tigris consecutive recognition at the Wealth APAC Summit for its cross-border family office work.

“The most significant opportunities don’t sit inside one market,” Wu says. “They sit at the interfaces — where different capital systems and cultures meet. At those intersections, trust becomes the real currency.”

Rethinking What a Family Office Actually Is

Family offices are often reduced to simple metrics — assets under management, headcount, deal volume — or described as private investment vehicles and discreet back offices for the ultra-rich.

Wu rejects that framing.

“The definition shouldn’t be about scale,” she says. “It should be about posture.”

In her view, a modern family office functions as a family’s sovereign strategic partner — sovereign in its autonomy and discretion, strategic in the breadth of what it protects. Investment management is only one component. A true family office integrates financial capital with governance, succession, reputation, education, and human capital.

It operates less like a department inside a bank and more like an independent state acting in the family’s long-term interest.

That distinction matters. The mandate is not simply to maximize IRR. It is to preserve resilience, continuity, and alignment across generations — often quietly, often invisibly.

“It’s not only about IRR or investment performance. It’s also about the harmony, resilience, and impact of the family across generations.”

Building Tigris: Trust at Scale

Wu built Tigris Family Office to operate at the intersection of global capital systems.

Headquartered in London, the firm connects families across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East through what she describes as a deliberately private ecosystem. Rather than acting solely as an allocator of capital, Tigris positions itself as infrastructure — a platform that allows families to share intelligence, co-invest, and exchange perspectives in confidential settings.

Alongside its core platform, Tigris Women was launched to support female leaders in the sector. Wu sees the rise of women in wealth stewardship as one of the most under-recognized shifts in the industry.

“Women are not a niche market anymore,” she says. “They are emerging as influential figures and capital stewards.”

The Gap in China’s Family Office Landscape

Wu’s cross-border experience exposed the differences in how family office ecosystems develop across regions.

In Europe, where family offices have operated for generations, dialogue between peers is more structured. Families are accustomed to governance frameworks and professionalized exchange.

In China, however, the ecosystem is far younger. When Wu returned to Beijing a decade ago after working in London, she found that many family offices operated in isolation and had little visibility into what others were doing.

“It was very frustrating. I couldn’t really find other family offices, and we didn’t know what other families were doing or what the investment trends were. We wanted to bring these families together, to know each other and learn from each other.”

In response, she launched the Family Office Circle — an invitation-only network designed to create structured, confidential exchange within China’s emerging family office community.

Translating Between Europe and Asia

Much of Tigris’s work involves bridging structural and cultural differences between Europe and Asia.

Western families often misunderstand how Chinese family offices operate. In Greater China, authority tends to sit closer to the founder or second generation, and decisions can be faster and more intuitive, guided by personal trust rather than highly formalized governance structures common in Europe.

Guanxi is also frequently mistaken for simple networking. Wu explains that it reflects a long-term system of reciprocal obligation built through shared experience and trust. Approaching relationships only when a deal is needed can damage credibility.

At the same time, Chinese family offices can misinterpret Western governance structures. Formal boards, voting procedures, and fiduciary constraints may appear slow or bureaucratic. However, these systems exist to protect capital across generations and ensure that decision-making does not depend on a single individual.

Wu sees neither system as wrong — only contextually different.

“Tigris acts as a bilingual translator,” she says. “We try to explain these differences to different families. Both systems are great, and they have adapted to their own environments and cultures.”

Three Regions, Three Philosophies of Wealth

The differences run deeper than governance. They extend to how families define wealth itself.

In China, wealth is closely tied to dynastic continuity and social elevation. It is seen as a way to strengthen the family’s name, security, and position across generations. Capital can move quickly to seize opportunities, and succession is a central concern.

In Europe, the mindset is more focused on stewardship and preservation. Wealth is treated as a heritage to be carefully governed and passed forward. Diversification, risk management, and philanthropy often play an important role.

In the Gulf, particularly in the GCC, wealth is often seen as a means of sovereign impact. Investments are often aligned not only with family returns but also with national visions, such as Saudi Vision 2030. Families often see themselves as partners in building the post-oil economy and contributing to broader national development.

“In China, the question is often how we build and navigate our family’s kingdom,” Wu says. “In Europe, it is how we preserve and govern our family’s estate. In the Middle East, it is how we employ our wealth to shape a lasting legacy aligned with our faith and our nation’s dynasty.”

An Industry Growing Up

The family office sector has matured rapidly.

A decade ago, many offices functioned primarily as administrative hubs — handling bill payments, tax filings, and concierge services. Today, they increasingly resemble institutional investment platforms, with internal teams, direct investments, and more sophisticated risk frameworks.

The geography of influence has shifted as well. What was once largely Western-centric now includes Singapore, Hong Kong, and Dubai as key hubs.

Technology is accelerating this evolution. AI, data analytics, and cybersecurity are now core components of modern family office operations.

“The family office was once treated as a back office,” Wu says. “Now it is more like the chief strategic office.”

Looking Forward

Over the next decade, Wu expects further convergence between family offices and professional investment firms. Many may institutionalize, launch venture platforms, or attract external capital while still preserving family control. The lines between single and multi-family offices will blur.

Technology will deepen its role — from AI-assisted investment decisions to blockchain-enabled governance systems.

While the structures may evolve, she believes the fundamentals will remain the same. At its core, the family office will still be about trust, discretion, and time horizons measured in generations.

For Wu, that long-term perspective defines both the industry and her own career.

Earlier in life, success was more closely tied to measurable achievements and professional milestones. Today, while performance remains essential, she sees success in broader terms — in alignment, continuity, and generational impact.

“It’s not only about how many families we serve,” she says. “It’s about the profound impact we can develop and how we grow together.”