Gee Smith has been appointed head of Sequoia Sentinel, a boutique family office within Sequoia Financial Group (Sequoia), an SEC-registered wealth manager with over $18bn in assets under management as of 31 March 2024.
Smith will oversee the ongoing growth of Sequoia Sentinel’s service offering and report to Tom Haught, CEO, and creator of Sequoia Financial Group.
Sequoia Sentinel is specifically designed to support the distinctive requirements of ultra-high net worth individuals and families.
The Sequoia Sentinel brand emerged in the fall of 2023 as the next iteration of Sequoia’s bespoke services and consulting teams for ultra-high net worth clients, including technical competence in areas that are particularly relevant to individuals with significant family wealth.
Moreover, the average minimum account size for Sequoia Sentinel clients is $25m and over half of the assets under management of Sequoia Financial Group are represented by Sequoia Sentinel.
Smith joined Sequoia as a senior strategic adviser after Zeke Capital Advisors, a multi-family office firm, was acquired by the company in February 2023.
He was formerly the president and partner of Zeke Capital Advisors and also worked as a managing director at Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management prior to joining Zeke Capital in 2013.
In addition to serving as chairman, president, and CEO of Goldman Sachs Trust Co., which acted as the corporate trustee for assets owned by institutions and private clients totalling more than $17bn, Smith oversaw all wealth planning operations as head of Wealth Advisory Services.
Furthermore, he was a member of Goldman Sachs’ Private Wealth Management Group’s senior executive team. Smith’s headquarters will still be in Berwyn, Pennsylvania.
Haught stated: “Gee has decades of experience leading teams, building businesses, and advising some of the most affluent families across the country. We are delighted to promote him to this key role on Sequoia’s leadership team. Sequoia Sentinel is an essential platform in our commitment to provide personalised advice to families across our service spectrum.”
Sequoia Financial Group, situated in Akron, Ohio, provides services to customers throughout the wealth continuum, including a number of specialist resource groups such special-needs planning.
Since 1991, Sequoia has provided high net worth individuals and families with services.
To address the challenges associated with generational wealth, Sequoia Sentinel was established to provide a range of specialised services, including asset management, tax management, wealth transfer, asset transactions, and charitable planning.
Sequoia Financial Group has acquired companies, such as Zeke Capital Advisors, M Capital Advisors, and Wealthstone Advisors, to expand its reach and better serve the extremely high net worth market.
In April 2024, Sequoia acquired AltruVista, an SEC-registered investment adviser that offers high-net-worth clients independent, comprehensive financial planning and asset management services.
