RIA Edge Podcast: Laird Norton Wetherby CEO Kristen Bauer
In this episode of the RIA Edge Podcast, host David Armstrong speaks with Kristen Bauer, CEO of Laird Norton Wetherby, about the firm’s approach to serving multigenerational families while managing about $18 billion in assets across six offices and two trust companies.
Kristen explains how the firm evaluates growth based on its impact on clients, employees and owners, rather than pursuing scale alone. She also shares how trust services, impact investing, advisor development, employee ownership and artificial intelligence continue to shape LNW’s long-term direction.
Kristen discusses:
-
How Bauer measures growth and its impact on the firm and client service
-
Why the firm moved back to using an in-house trust company, after outsourcing for many years
-
How the business development process works when targeting prospects with multigenerational wealth
-
The qualities LNW looks for when hiring advisors serving families across generations
-
How the firm is thinking about artificial intelligence and its impact on the business
Resources:
Connect With David Armstrong:
Connect With Kristen Bauer:
About Our Guest:
Kristen Bauer is the CEO of LNW, leading by example of analytical rigor and a passion for helping successful individuals and families use their resources to have the greatest positive impact. With more than two decades of leadership experience in private wealth management, family office services and business operations, Kristen was instrumental in shaping the vision for, and structure of, what is now LNW.
In May 2020, Kristen was named CEO of Laird Norton Wealth Management. In the next three years, she led the firm as it joined forces with two like-minded wealth advisories long committed to fostering clients’ financial and personal well-being above all else (Filament LLC and Wetherby Asset Management). The result is LNW.
Prior to LNW, Kristen was a senior leader at Tiedemann Advisors serving as Managing Director for the Pacific Northwest and leading Tiedemann’s national family office practice. Previously, Kristen served in leadership roles, including CFO and President, at Threshold Group, which began as the family office for a prominent Northwest family and was acquired by Tiedemann in 2017. At the start of her career, Kristen was Director of Finance at Medalia Healthcare and Manager-Assurance at Arthur Andersen LLP.
Kristen’s upbringing in Bend, Oregon instilled in her a deep appreciation for nature and the importance of working to leave a healthy world for generations to come. She is actively involved in supporting environmental nonprofits and causes.
