Spear’s Review

Ian Barnard co-founded Capital Generation Partners (CapGen) to offer something increasingly rare in the wealth industry: truly independent advice for UHNW families. At a time when many of London’s storied wealth firms – including Stanhope Capital and Stonehage Fleming – have been absorbed by larger global players, CapGen remains one of the last privately owned investment managers of its kind in the UK.

‘I think a boutique, focused, independent wealth manager is an important part of the offering that the market should provide,’ Barnard tells Spear’s. ‘As a client, your voice is more clearly heard, and we can always put the client’s interests first.’

Under Barnard’s leadership, the firm has built a reputation for rigorous analysis and a disciplined, long-term philosophy that prizes capital preservation as much as growth. Its work spans public markets, private equity and real estate, always with an emphasis on alignment, discretion and sustainability. A signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, CapGen was embedding ESG into its framework well before it became fashionable.

It feeds into the wider ethos of the firm and its clients. ‘People are asking themselves: “What’s all this for?”,’ Barnard explains. ‘We’re seeing a more vibrant debate around wealth, and we’re sitting alongside these families as they go on that journey of discovery and figure out what they should be doing – what their purpose is.’

Barnard is also the host of Talking Capital, the firm’s monthly podcast, where he and his team explore themes shaping global markets and family wealth. For the discreet circle of families that CapGen advises, he offers not just investment management, but a philosophy of stewardship that looks generations ahead.

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