Bespoke structural, legal, and strategic advisory for Nigerian industrial principals and family offices — delivered directly by senior principals, under absolute discretion, on a long horizon.
Bannerman's wealth advisory practice is not a private bank. The firm does not custody assets, it does not sell products, and it does not operate on a transaction-per-relationship model.
The work is advisory in the original sense of the word — structural, legal, and strategic architecture delivered to principals who already have capital and require the counsel of a firm they can trust with the full picture of their affairs. Our clients do not need another relationship manager. They need a partner who understands how capital is held, how it is transferred between generations, and how it is protected against the regulatory, political, and commercial pressures of operating in Nigeria while participating in global markets.
The engagement is discreet by design. We do not publish a client list. We do not use client names in marketing materials. We do not hold public events. The practice grows through introductions and through the reputation that accumulates when work is done correctly over time.
Five core advisory areas. The practice is built to move fluidly across them, because the interesting work nearly always sits at the intersection of several.
Multi-tier international holding structures engineered for Nigerian principals with operating businesses, investment portfolios, and cross-border capital flows. Jurisdictional selection, entity formation, and coordination with local counsel in each relevant jurisdiction. Treaty analysis and ongoing maintenance.
Structural tax planning resilient against the Nigerian Tax Act 2025 and its controlled foreign company provisions. Coordination between Nigerian tax posture and international treaty networks. Ongoing advisory on regulatory developments affecting the client's specific structure.
Trust and foundation structuring for intergenerational wealth transfer. Shareholder agreements for family-owned operating businesses. Governance frameworks for family councils and investment committees. Coordination of will preparation and jurisdiction-specific estate planning.
Access to private market opportunities unavailable through conventional private banking channels — direct deal flow from the firm's private markets advisory desk, sponsor co-investment opportunities, and selective introductions to institutional-grade private funds in Africa and internationally.
Strategic advisory for principals who continue to operate active businesses. Transaction structuring for sales, partnerships, and capital events. Board-level representation and ongoing counsel on commercial decisions with meaningful structural implications.
Structuring for charitable foundations and philanthropic capital, with emphasis on Nigerian and African-directed giving. Governance, compliance, and strategic programme advisory for principals building institutional-scale philanthropic platforms.
Confidentiality is not a policy at Bannerman. It is a structural feature of the firm. Every element of how we operate — from the people who touch an engagement to the systems on which information is held — is designed around the assumption that our clients' affairs are not disclosable to anyone.
Engagements are staffed exclusively by principals of the firm. We do not operate a junior analyst pipeline. External counsel, accountants, and specialist advisors are engaged selectively, under non-disclosure obligations that extend beyond the duration of the mandate.
Client information is held on systems controlled by the firm's principals directly. We do not use third-party CRM platforms, outsourced administration, or cloud-based document sharing tools for client matters. Communications involving sensitive information are conducted through encrypted channels established at the outset of each relationship.
The firm does not publicly identify its clients. We do not use client names in marketing materials, speaking engagements, or commercial representations of any kind, except where a client specifically and in writing authorizes identification for a specific purpose.
Without identifying any specific client, the following profiles reflect the kinds of relationships the practice typically serves.
A founder or controlling shareholder of a substantial Nigerian operating business — typically in energy, manufacturing, real estate, or financial services — with personal net worth held across the operating entity, real assets, and international portfolios. The mandate is long-horizon and touches structure, tax, succession, and selective investment advisory.
A single-family office holding assets across Nigeria and multiple international jurisdictions, with an internal investment function and the need for bespoke structural work that exceeds the capabilities of their standard private banking relationships. The firm works alongside the family's internal team rather than replacing it.
A Nigerian principal who has spent significant time internationally and is now repatriating capital, establishing a Nigerian operating presence, or structuring investment activity into Nigerian and African markets. The mandate is typically focused on structural establishment and ongoing advisory during a period of significant transition.
Selectively, the practice engages with institutional counterparties — private banks, fund managers, and family offices internationally — that require an on-the-ground partner for Nigerian structural and advisory work involving their own clients.
The practice does not accept cold inquiries. New client relationships begin through introduction — from existing clients, from professional counterparties (counsel, accountants, private bankers), or from the firm's own network. Introductions are taken seriously and treated with the same discretion extended to active clients.
An exploratory meeting with a senior principal, conducted under reciprocal non-disclosure. The conversation is exploratory in both directions — assessing fit, scope, and whether the firm is positioned to add meaningful value to the client's specific situation. No fee applies at this stage.
Formal engagement is documented in a written letter. Wealth advisory mandates are typically structured on an annual engagement basis with a defined scope of work, not transaction-by-transaction. Fee architecture is calibrated to the depth of ongoing advisory required.
The practice is built around long-horizon relationships. Active clients typically remain with the firm across years, with the scope of work evolving as circumstances change. Annual engagement reviews set priorities and confirm the terms of continued work.
Private banks offer standardized products — custody, lending, structured notes, discretionary management — sold through a relationship manager whose compensation is tied to the products placed. The model works, and for many principals it is sufficient. It is not, however, what Bannerman's wealth advisory practice is.
The practice is bespoke advisory. The firm does not custody assets, does not sell products, and receives no commissions or referral fees from any financial institution, asset manager, or service provider. The firm's compensation comes exclusively from its clients, which means the firm's counsel is structured, not transactional.
In practice, our clients maintain their private banking relationships. We work alongside those relationships, coordinating where useful and providing the structural, legal, and strategic counsel that sits outside the standard private banking engagement.
New relationships typically begin through introduction. For principals, family offices, or professional counterparties considering engagement with the practice, a senior principal of the firm is available for an initial conversation under reciprocal non-disclosure.
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