Family Office Directory
A family office directory is a navigable index of family offices, typically focused on discovery and basic profiles.
Allocator relevance: Useful for discovery, but operational value depends on verification, mandate detail, and decision-chain mapping.
Expanded Definition
Directories emphasize findability—names, locations, and high-level descriptions. They often become stale quickly because family offices are private, structures shift, and staff turnover is common. A directory becomes “workflow-ready” only when it includes verified contacts, role mapping, and mandate context.
In practice, many products call themselves a directory; allocators evaluate whether it behaves like a database (actionable) or a list (static).
How It Works in Practice
Users browse or search by geography, sector, or size bands and then drill into a profile. The key value comes from internal linking, filtering, and consistent field definitions across profiles.
Decision Authority and Governance
Governance defines what fields are required for a profile to be “complete,” how verification status is displayed, and how changes are logged so users can trust what they see.
Common Misconceptions
- Directory and database are interchangeable.
- Discovery equals usability.
- A static directory stays accurate over time.
Key Takeaways
- Directories are discovery-first; databases are workflow-first.
- Verification and recency determine credibility.
- Filtering and consistent taxonomy drive usefulness.