International Women’s Day 2026: #GiveToGain: Empowering Women to Shape the Future of Wealth

In Private Wealth, giving isn’t just generosity, it’s an investment in long-term family strength.

Governance matters, but families that thrive across generations are those supported by shared knowledge, principled leadership, and mentorship.

As the largest wealth transfer in history unfolds, women aren’t emerging voices; they’re already central. They own wealth, shape strategy, sit on boards, and lead global family enterprises. Yet their influence is still underestimated, and the structures around them often lag behind their reality.

This International Women’s Day, aligned with #GiveToGain, we asked our global Private Wealth specialists how giving time, expertise, and perspective empowers women, and strengthens the families and enterprises they guide.

Perspectives From Our
Global Private Wealth leaders

Each perspective explores a different pillar of long-term stewardship including governance, continuity, empathy, values, cross-border clarity and global mobility, and shows how empowering women in these areas strengthens family enterprises for generations to come.

Giving Governance: Gaining Stronger Alignment

Claire Machin – Group Director and Head of Private Wealth, Jersey

“Within my workplace and network, I strive to create a supportive environment where women can learn from each other and share experiences that lead to personal and career advancement. This naturally extends to the families and next‑gen clients I work with, helping them align around succession objectives. It’s all about having the right team around you.”

Claire emphasises the importance of collaborative governance. When women are supported to contribute fully to oversight and strategic decision-making, families gain stronger structures, clearer alignment, and more resilient succession planning.

Giving Continuity: Gaining Stability Across Generations

Janine Cubbon – Director and Head of Private Wealth, Isle of Man

“Some of the most valuable work we do happens beyond the boardroom. By creating space for open conversations, mentoring and clear frameworks, we help women step into leadership roles with confidence, which in turn supports family continuity and peace of mind."

Janine focuses on continuity as a product of preparedness and trust. Women understand their responsibilities, transitions are smoother, risks are mitigated, and long‑term stability is strengthened.

Giving Empathy: Gaining Deeper Client Relationships

Jade Fellowes – Client Services Director and Head of Intermediaries, United Kingdom

“With women estimated to have owned around 60% of the UK’s wealth in 2025, their influence isn’t emerging; it’s already here. Many of the conversations I have with women go far deeper than the technical aspects of structures or governance. Over fifteen years, I’ve learned that giving isn’t just about expertise; it’s about being present for the life moments that shape decision-making.”

Jade highlights the importance of human understanding in financial stewardship. Empathetic guidance enables women, and the families they lead, to make long-term decisions with clarity, confidence and emotional resilience.

Giving Values: Gaining Legacies with Purpose

Heather Tang – Trust Manager, Hong Kong

'As Michelle Obama once said, “There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” I have been in the Trust industry for many years; the work is ultimately about protection, succession, and legacy. Protection is about equipping our loved ones with the knowledge and strength to stand on their own. Succession and legacy extend beyond wealth to include family values and shared philosophy.'

Heather reinforces that enduring legacies are built on fairness, clarity and shared purpose. When roles within a family reflect merit and character rather than gender, structures operate with integrity and long‑term coherence.

Giving Clarity: Gaining Cross-Border Confidence

Angella Williams Myers – Director and Head of Private Wealth, Cayman Islands

“Much of the support we provide is about bringing calm to complexity. When families, especially women taking on new responsibilities, understand how their structures work and feel supported in navigating cross‑border decisions, they gain real confidence. That clarity helps families move forward with assurance.”

Angella underscores the importance of clarity in multi‑jurisdictional environments. When women understand both the operational and legal implications of their international structures, governance becomes stronger and cross‑border decision‑making becomes far more efficient.

Giving Access: Gaining Global Opportunity

Chad Phillips – Group Business Development Director, Private Wealth, Africa

“Africa’s wealth landscape is shaped by ambition, resilience and strong intergenerational values, and being part of that journey is both a privilege and a responsibility. My focus is on expanding access and opportunity for women leading family businesses and for the next generation of talent by connecting people to networks, sharing governance insight and encouraging collaboration. Meaningful impact is built together, empowering individuals and families across the continent to shape their wealth with confidence and a long-term vision."

Chad’s view highlights the value of international access. When women are connected to global expertise and mobility pathways, families gain resilience, broader horizons and enhanced capability to manage wealth across borders.

Giving to gain today and for generations to come

At its heart, #GiveToGain reflects a simple truth:

Wealth endures when it is guided with intention, shared with wisdom, and supported by leaders who give generously of their experience.

This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the women and allies across Suntera whose leadership, mentorship, and human understanding help families build confident, resilient, and enduring legacies.

What families and advisers gain
from the #GiveToGain approach

For families, and the advisers who support them, the themes reflected here align with the priorities for long-term wealth stewardship, which can be seen across six key factors:

1. Strengthened governance and strategic clarity

For internationally mobile families, strong governance is often the anchor of stability. It delivers:

Clearer decision‑making protocols — who decides what, when and under which authority.
Defined roles for principals, next‑gen members and advisers, reducing ambiguity or overlap.
Consistent oversight across jurisdictions, especially where trusts, foundations or companies span borders.
Better documentation and rationale‑tracking, now essential for compliance, tax transparency and regulatory scrutiny.

For intermediaries, stronger governance means lower risk, fewer disputes, and more predictable outcomes.

2. Greater next-generation readiness

Families often ask how to prepare the next generation, not just technically, but emotionally and practically. Stronger readiness means:

Knowing the structures that hold family wealth e.g., trusts, companies, partnerships, etc.
Understanding governance roles, such as protector, board member or council participant.
Building the confidence to contribute to discussions traditionally led by older generations.
Having mentoring and education that ease the transition into leadership.

For intermediaries, well prepared next-gen members reduce disruption and protect continuity when principals step back.

3. Reduced conflict risk

Conflict is one of the greatest threats to long‑term family wealth. Reducing that risk comes from:

Transparent communication across generations and stakeholders.
Governance frameworks that prevent disputes over roles, distributions, and expectations.
Clear succession pathways that remove uncertainty.
Consistent, neutral third‑party administration that keeps decisions objective.

For advisers, a provider who actively lowers conflict risk is highly invaluable, protecting both wealth and the relationships that sustain it.

4. More efficient cross-border decision making

Families with structures across multiple jurisdictions often face fragmented or slow decisions. Efficiency improves when:

The provider coordinates seamlessly across offices and jurisdictions.
Trustees or directors understand local legal, tax and regulatory landscape in each location.
Clients can decide quickly because implications are clearly explained.
Documentation and reporting are consistent across all entities.

Efficient cross-border decision-making cuts delays, reduces costs, and ensures compliant execution, all essential for complex international family structures.

5. Deeper trust and more resilient relationships

Trust is at the heart of every private wealth relationship, and it grows through:

Human understanding, not just technical precision.
Continuity of personnel, which families value deeply.
Transparent communication with no surprises.
Steady support through major life events such as succession, divorce, relocation or liquidity moments.

Stronger relationships give families stability even as circumstances shift, a defining factor when choosing a long‑term fiduciary partner.

6. Structures aligned with real-world family dynamics and values

Technical structures only work when they reflect how the family actually lives and operates. Alignment means:

Structures designed around real behaviour, not theoretical models.
Roles assigned by capability and interest, not tradition or gender.
Documentation that captures the family’s philosophy, purpose, and values, not just regulatory requirements.
Flexibility to adapt as the family evolves through marriage, new branches, relocation, or business exits.

Intermediaries value providers who build and administer structures that work with the family, not against it.

How Suntera Global supports
long-term family continuity

For more than four decades, Suntera Global has supported HNW and UHNW families, their advisers and family offices with the administration, governance, and long-term stewardship of complex international wealth.

We have Private Wealth specialists across the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Hong Kong, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Singapore, and the UK, that bring together:

• Fiduciary administration and trustee services
• Family office and governance support
• Accounting, reporting and regulatory expertise
• Cross-border structuring and multi-jurisdictional coordination
• Succession planning support for next generation leaders

Underpinned by a people-first culture and a commitment to responsible service, we help families navigate complexity with clarity and long-term control.