Heir Readiness Program and Succession Planning

Where intergenerational wealth families go for governance and crisis training

Our Heir Readiness Program simulates real governance environments, offering the Heir a space to practice decision-making under conditions of stress and uncertainty. Simulations range from everyday proposal evaluation to crisis simulations e.g. technology disruption, hostile takeovers, pandemic, extreme weather events from climate change.

In an era marked by polycrisis, the governance of family enterprises, cultural institutions, and private wealth structures have become increasingly complex. Our workshops draw on our Certificate Board Leadership Program on Quantum and AI well reviewed by private and corporate directors. For families with intergenerational wealth, the bottom line is almost always: when is it the right time to call the concierge and arrange for a helicopter evacuation?

1. Meeting with the Principal(s)

Schedule a free 30-minute on-boarding session with our Co-Managing Directors to understand your concerns. If you would like to move forward, we will then schedule follow-up meetings as needed.

2. Meeting with the Heir

We listen to the interests and concerns of the Heir and prepare for project-based workshops.

3. Project-based workshops

We offer a series of project-based workshops, where the Principal(s) and the Heir will engage in interactive exercises focused on decision-making at board and executive levels.

Intergenerational Coaching

Intergenerational wealth is an emotional affair. The Heir Readiness Program frames the Great Wealth Transfer not just as a static transfer of assets, but a continuous evolution of family leadership, identity, and relationships. For Principals proactively thinking about succession planning, the Heir Readiness Program brings a cutting edge approach to governance, private wealth, and family continuity.

Email for a free consultation

Get in touch with our Co-Managing Directors either at Marvin@UnbuiltLabs.com or Marguerite@UnbuiltLabs.com to schedule a free 30-minute consultation. Please include a link to the Principals’ Linkedin or web profiles and 1-2 sentences about the Heir. This program is only open to clients with billing addresses in the US, Canada, Norway, Switzerland, and the EU at this time.

Prepare for the highest level of board leadership. Our program prioritizes quantum literacy and cross-disciplinary coordination in high stakes environments. Learn more
As part of our Emerging Board Leaders Program, we invite leading universities to nominate graduate students to our Certificate Board Leadership Program and bring a fresh perspective to board conversations. This includes one of the graduate schools at Columbia University in New York.
As a private sector think tank, we decline government contracts, government contractors, as well as the management and board members of government or public agencies — from all countries — as a risk management measure. We also decline Politically Exposed Persons (PEP). Examples of PEP include but is not limited to Head of States, politicians, legislators, political party officials, management at state owned enterprises, as well as the members of the judiciary, military, or diplomatic functions of a government. In some cases we are able to accommodate people from international organizations, multilateral organizations, and development banks. Please email Advisory@UnbuiltLabs.com if you have any questions.

Leadership

Marguerite Van Cook, Ph.D.

Co-Managing Director

From Marguerite's early days at the Treasury department at IBM in the 70s, working alongside colleagues on room-sized computers, she now brings her expertise to Quantum Oaks Advisory at Unbuilt Labs supporting boards on quantum computing vision and strategies. Marguerite Van Cook came to New York with her punk band The Innocents, after touring the UK with The Clash. She has been an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York. Marguerite has been a speaker at the UN, Boards Impact Forum, Williams College, Whitney Museum, MOMA, and other institutions. She serves on the Board of Unbuilt Labs. She is the President of the Board at Visual AIDS, and the President Emeritus of Howl Arts Inc.

Marguerite@UnbuiltLabs.com

Marvin Cheung

Co-Managing Director

Marvin is a board member and strategy advisor, who specializes in delivering actionable insights in high-risk environments. He has a background in emerging technologies, having consulted and advised startups in New York. He holds judge, reviewer, and mentor roles at Johns Hopkins, MIT, Kellogg-Morgan Stanley, and Yale University. Recognized for his astute understanding of complex global systems, he chairs the Global Consortium for Systems Research and serves on the Board of Unbuilt Labs as well as various advisory boards. He has been an Expert on Strategic Planning and a Global Diplomacy Fellow at the United Nations, where he was advised by a former member of the UN Security Council. He has given talks at the UN, MIT, Board Impact Forum, ChairX, and other institutions. He holds an MA in Global Risk from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Marvin@UnbuiltLabs.com