In the early days of the pandemic in 2020, Samira Salman hosted a Zoom meeting to bring together some of the wealthiest families on the planet. The meeting proved a hit, leading Salman to re-create it as a series of weekly learning opportunities that featured professors from various disciplines, a former Federal Reserve chair, and a onetime U.S. inspector general, among others. The Zoom get-togethers, originally conceived as a forum for connection during a dark time, have since evolved into a series of real-world events—and underscore Salman’s role as a power connector.
Salman is an advisor to family offices, or the firms that manage the wealth of the world’s richest households. A onetime corporate mergers and acquisitions lawyer, she eventually transitioned to the family office space, where she helps billionaires with a variety of tasks, including the placement of direct investments.
But she is also a networker, a natural community builder with an infectious energy. Not content with a weekly Zoom meeting, Salman transformed those early-pandemic sessions into IRL events and retreats, where members and representatives of ultrawealthy families discuss what she describes as “the most pressing problems” of our time.
Earlier this month, 65 invitees from the global family office and private investment community, each overseeing assets ranging from $30 million to $50 billion—including a Cartier, a Rockefeller, and other high-profile guests who wish to remain anonymous—headed to upstate New York for what Salman and cohost Ben Slome from investment firm New Vintage Partners dubbed Collaboration Circle Live! Hudson Valley.
When Salman first started attending family office conferences on behalf of the billionaires she represents over a decade ago, she found the events left much to be desired. Too stuffy, too corporate, too dull—Salman was itching to put together a more comfortable, more upscale conference for some time, which was the genesis of Collaboration Circle. It’s finance conference meets yoga retreat meets luxury vacation, she says, with really good food.
“I always had this vision that if we could put people together in a way that doesn’t feel so transactional and business-y, I bet we would get more done,” Salman says.
The benefit of in-person gatherings, Salman says, is that members of these global dynasties—attendees hail from the U.S., Latin America, MENA, Europe, and Asia—can be open and honest with one another in ways they cannot typically be in their daily lives. Between breathwork workshops and canapés, they discuss investment opportunities, of course, but also longevity, philanthropy, how to best pass on wealth to children, and what they might contribute to solving some of the world’s most-pressing problems, such as access to clean drinking water and the state of health care policy. Many of the conversations continue by means of a WhatsApp group hosted by Salman.
The biggest appeal of Collaboration Circle Live, says Salman, is that there are no PowerPoint presentations, conference rooms, or investment pitches. Instead, families can enjoy luxury accommodations, sipping their favorite wines and spending time together. The Hudson Valley retreat focused on healthy living, but topics vary; previous events have been held in Palm Beach and Deer Valley, and Salman looks through her extensive Rolodex to find the right panelists and speakers for each retreat.
But beyond simply bringing the families together, Salman has higher aspirations for the gatherings. She isn’t hoping to attract more attendees, just a certain type of attendee, she says. There’s a reason for the exclusivity. Families hear from researchers and other professionals about advancements in technology and health; Salman hopes the retreats act as ways for the wealthiest households—who have become one of the largest sources of investment capital on the planet—to get ahead of the curve and make a difference in the world.
“As private families, we have a responsibility to deploy our capital into places that can save lives,” she says. “It’s our responsibility as families to [think] outside the box.”
