Francois is the founder of Simple, a family office knowledge platform designed to help private wealth owners and their advisors build resilient, purpose-driven family offices. Drawing on both academic training in strategic business and brand management and deep personal experience, Francois brings a rare mix of insight and empathy to the work he does with families.
Before launching Simple, Francois worked in his family’s luxury travel business in Cape Town, South Africa. It was there—working alongside close relatives in a fast-paced environment—that he developed a first-hand understanding of the unique opportunities and tensions that come with family-run enterprises. This experience continues to shape his mission: to help other families harness their strengths, avoid common pitfalls, and design family offices that endure across generations.
Through Simple, Francois helps design and incubate the family offices of the future—offices that go beyond wealth preservation to focus on long-term impact, intergenerational cohesion, and operational excellence. The platform offers strategic guidance, practical tools, and access to a trusted network of independent advisors, ensuring families have what they need to align purpose with performance.
Simple’s growing knowledge platform and family office jobs board are also core to Francois’ vision: creating an ecosystem that supports the evolving needs of the family office community, from first-generation wealth creators to established multigenerational stewards.
