Updated:
HNW Family Office
Founded by Michael Werner, a former GiroCredit banker and chief credit officer, HNW Family Office has operated for more than three decades from its base on...
HNW Family Office
Founded by Michael Werner, a former GiroCredit banker and chief credit officer, HNW Family Office has operated for more than three decades from its base on Lake Zurich. The firm's core mandate centers on preserving and growing multigenerational wealth, with the Swarovski family identified as its primary client and the firm recognized in Swiss registries as the family's dedicated office. Werner's early career spanned portfolio management in Vienna, leveraged buyouts in New York, and credit oversight in Zurich before he established HNW. HNW's investment posture spans the full spectrum of private and public markets. The firm pursues direct co-investments and SPVs, fund commitments, private credit, hedge funds, real estate, and natural resources. Its team structures tailored allocations across asset classes, with a mandate that reaches into alternative venture models, digital assets, and collectibles. Confirmed sector exposure includes healthcare services, industrial technology, and the energy transition. Geographic activity covers Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East. Maximilian Mahn joined as Head of Portfolio Management in 2023, bringing experience from Deutsche Bank and Bergos to oversee external manager selection and long-term strategy design. André Berghoff, a former consultant with an Oxford MBA, manages compliance and business processes. While the firm's total deployment and AUM remain undisclosed, its structure includes dedicated vehicles such as the Luxembourg-domiciled Performa Fund SICAV, the Swarovski Immobilien AG real estate portfolio, and the Art Assure investment initiative. HNW distinguishes itself by investing its own capital alongside its clients, making the firm a co-principal rather than a mere advisor. This alignment is underpinned by a flat, decision-capable structure that avoids bureaucracy, paired with the Swarovski Foundation's philanthropic arm. The combination of a single-family anchor, multi-family service offering, and proprietary co-investment practice creates a hybrid architecture rarely seen among European private offices.
General information
Firm type
Multi Family Office
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Switzerland
City
Erlenbach
Corporate office
Seestrasse 77, 8703 Erlenbach ZH, Switzerland
Principals
Michael Werner
Founder, Chairman and Managing Partner
André Berghoff
Director, Head of Business Processes & Compliance
Maximilian Mahn
Head of Portfolio Management
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at HNW Family Office?
Founder Michael Werner serves as Chairman and Managing Partner, setting overall strategic direction. Maximilian Mahn, who joined in 2023, is Head of Portfolio Management and designs long-term asset allocation, selects external managers, and oversees portfolio monitoring across all asset classes.
Is HNW Family Office structured as a single family office or a multi-family office?
HNW operates as a multi-family office, but the Swarovski family is its primary and anchor client. Swiss registries identify the firm as the Swarovski Single Family Office, reflecting this close relationship, while the broader legal and service structure accommodates additional families.
How does HNW Family Office source its investments?
The firm combines direct co-investments, special purpose vehicles, and commitments to external funds. Its flat hierarchy and the founding team's banking and private equity networks provide proprietary access. The firm also invests its own capital alongside clients, signaling co-principal status rather than a purely advisory sourcing model.
Does HNW Family Office participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
HNW engages in both. Its investment types include fund-of-funds, hedge funds, and private equity funds, plus direct co-investments, SPVs, and direct real estate holdings through vehicles like Swarovski Immobilien AG and the Performa Fund SICAV.
Where does the underlying wealth managed by HNW come from?
The anchor wealth originates from the Swarovski crystal business, the Austrian family enterprise founded in 1895. Michael Werner serves as a board member of associated Swarovski entities and acts as a primary steward of this multigenerational capital.
What is HNW Family Office's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
The firm actively co-invests. Its website states it invests its own capital alongside clients, making the firm a co-principal. Its investment types formally list direct co-investments and SPVs, indicating it participates in syndicated deals and structures alongside external general partners.
Does HNW Family Office maintain philanthropic structures, and how are they separated?
The Swarovski Foundation operates as a related philanthropic vehicle. While the firm's principals are involved, the foundation's governance is distinct from HNW's investment operations, maintaining the separation typical of European family office architecture.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on family offices?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: