Viola Private Wealth’s Angus Mann details how he is harnessing his family office experience to meet the needs of its high-net-worth (HNW) client segment.
The Sydney-based wealth manager launched last September following a management buyout with Pitcher Partners. Led by founding partner and financial adviser Charlie Viola, chief executive Sean Ward, and chief operating officer Andrew Levi, it delivers bespoke solutions for HNW individuals (HNWIs) and their families.
“We want to be known as the best place for clients and for advisers, it’s about being client-centric and we want to be a trusted adviser for high-net-worth,” Viola told Money Management in October 2024.
As the business looks to increase its adviser numbers to 10–15 over the next three to four years, it recently appointed Mann as an adviser from multifamily office Mutual Trust.
He spent more than five years as a director of wealth at the business, servicing ultra-HNW families and individuals, as well as charities and other not-for-profit organisations.
Prior to this, Mann also held several private client adviser and wealth manager roles at Morgans Financial and Bell Potter Securities.
One week into his new position, Mann reflected on how he is leveraging his family office expertise to service Viola’s clients.
“[Viola] is allowing everyone to really contribute from their different backgrounds and experiences, such as how I can with my family office background,” he said in conversation with Money Management.
In particular, the adviser emphasised the importance of connecting HNW family clients with other specialists to address their broad array of needs beyond sole investment advice.
“The firm encourages me to work with best-in-class experts in other areas, such as philanthropy, tax, family harmony, to ensure long-term success for families in all the areas that matter to them,” Mann explained. “I’ve got the experience to understand what those broader areas are and really be able to deliver that in-house or through partnerships.”
While advisers often act as a “connector” between various specialists and offer expertise on matters from portfolio construction to succession planning, Viola Private Wealth goes a step further to work with family mediators or psychologists.
This helps foster harmony among family members or connects experts in the charity space to assist clients with their philanthropic endeavors.
He continued: “We’re in a position to be at the central hub for families and making sure that all those different needs are met by going out and actually partnering with experts in all those areas. The expertise exists out there in the marketplace, it’s just a matter of putting it together for clients.”
Research from Viridian Advisory found 79 per cent of advisers said access to specialists is crucial for providing quality and holistic advice in areas including tax, estate planning and aged care.
Meanwhile, 72 per cent of advisers said they frequently collaborate with other specialists when constructing financial strategies for clients, reflecting the advice industry’s growing reliance on external expertise to address a wider range of financial needs.
Working in the family office segment has also changed Mann’s approach to client relationships, he said, elaborating: “You become very close with clients. You know everything that goes on within the family, from which children aren’t getting on to knowing what schools they hope to go to. I love the fact that I’ll be able to continue to focus on having a smaller number of really close clients over time.”
Looking ahead, he reiterated that Viola is seeking to grow its assets under management from approximately $2.4 billion to $10–15 billion within the next five years.
“The buyout and having a new brand really is allowing us to focus on growth going forward. With that, it also allows us to have a broader scope on what we deliver for clients as well,” Mann concluded.
