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When a UK founder came to us six months before a planned sale, he wanted two things: a clean move to the UAE in time for completion, and a plan to get his capital working again without turning life into admin. He had London advisers and a buyer at term sheet. What he didn’t have was a single team to coordinate the relocation, build a bankable UAE structure, and manage the wealth after the wire.
We started with timing and residency. Working alongside UK counsel, we mapped the Statutory Residence Test and split-year treatment, set day-count and tie-break rules, and unwound residual UK ties that could compromise non-resident status. In the UAE, we created employment through a group entity, secured visas for his spouse and children, and booked Emirates ID and medicals in one window. School places, tenancy and insurance were handled the same way—quietly, with paperwork lined up before flights.
The legal architecture followed. An ADGM foundation sat at the top with bylaws covering incapacity, distributions and next-generation roles. Beneath that, an ADGM SPV (HoldCo) owned the founder’s shares pre-sale and, later, held liquid assets and co-investment vehicles. A UAE free-zone operating company provided a platform for advisory income and permitted commercial activity without contaminating the holding stack. It was simple to explain to banks and counterparties: a foundation, a holdco, an opco—each with clean documentation and clear authority.
Banking and custody were opened early. We onboarded a tier-one UAE private bank for operating cash and FX, and a global custodian for listed securities and funds. Payment rails were tested before closing. FX ladders and settlement instructions were agreed with counsel and the buyer’s bank so proceeds could move without drama. We also built consolidated reporting at this stage—monthly for liquidity and risk, quarterly for performance and governance—written so a busy founder could read it in minutes.
Sale mechanics and reinvestment were run as one process. On the UK side we coordinated with counsel on share-sale documents, escrow and completion statements to ensure the UAE structure and non-resident status were reflected properly. With proceeds in place, we executed a post-exit allocation the client could live with in practice: a conservative core of short-duration private credit for cash yield and low duration; a measured sleeve of private equity focused on growth and secondaries rather than blind early-stage risk; and listed exposure for liquidity. Co-investments were offered on a qualified basis only, under the same diligence and governance we apply to our own capital. Drawdowns were paced, FX was managed, and an ample cash buffer stayed intact.
Estate planning wasn’t bolted on at the end; it was built in. The foundation’s bylaws set governance. A DIFC will covered UAE-situs specifics and guardianship, and letters of wishes were drafted in plain English. Insurance was reviewed against the new residency and beneficiary records were aligned with the foundation register to avoid the kind of mismatches that delay claims.
Within twelve weeks of completion the family was fully resident, visas and IDs issued, local banking live, and the first reporting pack delivered. The holding stack was bankable and easy to brief. Most importantly, the founder had time back. Wealth was running in the background; meetings were short; documents were clear; reinvestment was steady rather than rushed. That’s the outcome we aim for: capital compounding, administration quiet, and a family free to get on with their lives.
This case study is anonymised and for information only. It is not legal or tax advice. Obtain advice specific to your circumstances and jurisdictions.
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