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Zedra Family Office
Zedra Family Office traces its origins to 2016 when the Sarikhani and Nielsen families purchased Barclays’ trust and fiduciary operations. The transaction...
Zedra Family Office
Zedra Family Office traces its origins to 2016 when the Sarikhani and Nielsen families purchased Barclays’ trust and fiduciary operations. The transaction established an independent platform that combined decades of trustee experience with a multi-family-office mandate focused on governance and succession. The firm deploys capital across private equity, private credit, real estate, infrastructure and digital assets. It executes both fund commitments and direct co-investments at growth and venture stages. Confirmed positions include exposure to ClimateTech, AgriTech & FoodTech, Energy Transition & Renewables, Mobility & Transportation and WaterTech strategies. Geographic reach covers Europe, North America, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean and Oceania. Co-investors and limited partners participate through SPVs and club structures alongside the firm’s own balance sheet. More than 1,400 professionals operate from 17 jurisdictions. Additional offices include Jersey, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, the Cayman Islands and South Dakota. In June 2025 Dean Blackburn was appointed CEO. Adjacent vehicles include Zedra PCC (No.1) Limited in Guernsey and a Bitcoin Trading Solution. The firm maintains memberships in the Hong Kong Trustees’ Association and STEP. Zedra’s structure separates the original family wealth from client mandates through a hybrid ownership model that retains a 19.9 percent Barclays stake while allowing independent governance. This architecture supports both proprietary deployment and third-party family-office services without commingling capital.
General information
Firm type
Multi Family Office
Year founded
2016
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Switzerland
City
Geneva
Corporate office
Geneva, Switzerland
Additional offices
Jersey · Hong Kong · New York · Cayman Islands · Luxembourg · London · Singapore · Miami · South Dakota · Amsterdam · Paris · Warsaw · Zug · Zürich · Guernsey · Isle of Man · Malta
Principals
Dean Blackburn
CEO
Altss tracks 4 additional named team members for this firm — including direct investment leads, IR, and operating principals not listed on the public website.
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Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Zedra Family Office?
Ali Sarikhani and Niels Nielsen established the investment mandate. Dean Blackburn serves as CEO with oversight of group strategy. Bart Deconinck acts as Group Executive Chairman.
How does Zedra Family Office source proprietary deal flow?
The firm leverages its trustee network and corporate-services platform across 17 jurisdictions. Relationships from the 2016 Barclays acquisition and subsequent acquisitions provide access to private equity and infrastructure opportunities.
Is Zedra Family Office structured as a single family office or does it operate more like a venture firm?
It functions as a multi-family office that also manages its own balance-sheet investments. The platform offers services to external families while maintaining proprietary exposure to private equity, real estate and digital assets.
Does Zedra Family Office participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
Both. The firm executes fund-of-funds commitments and direct co-investments through SPVs. Confirmed asset classes include private equity, private credit, infrastructure and digital assets.
What investment stages does Zedra Family Office typically target?
Growth and venture capital stages receive primary focus. The firm also allocates to real estate, infrastructure and private credit across multiple geographies.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
The Sarikhani and Nielsen families originated the platform through the 2016 acquisition of Barclays’ trust and fiduciary business. Barclays retained a 19.9 percent stake after the transaction.
Does Zedra Family Office maintain philanthropic structures, and how are they separated?
The firm offers philanthropic and mission-related investing services to clients. These mandates sit alongside but remain distinct from proprietary family capital deployment.
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.
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