Family Business Insights
Leadership, Fathers And Matriarchs: An Interview With Amy Hart Clyne

FWR recently sat down with a book author and thought leader to explore women's perspectives on business leadership, the dynamics of wealthy families, and more.
Joe Reilly, a regular writer in these pages, interviews Amy Hart Clyne, author of Finding Her Voice and Creating a Legacy, with Dennis Jaffe. (She is also chief knowledge officer and learning officer at Pitcairn. They talk about women’s leadership styles, how fathers can encourage leadership in their daughters and the status of the term matriarch.
Joe Reilly: Could you briefly describe the
book?
Amy Hart Clyne: Women today hold leadership positions worldwide
in government and business, yet in ultra-high net worth families,
they far too often remain in the background, hindered by
longstanding conventions and complex intergenerational dynamics.
We might see these women’s names in a news story or connected to
philanthropy, but we don’t really know who they are. With
Finding Her Voice and Creating a Legacy, we set out to
uncover their voices and celebrate their unique perspectives and
contributions to their families. This book and the underlying
research which offers a fuller, deeper, and richer picture of
wealthy families, comes at a time when women's roles are changing
at an exponential pace. This book is ultimately a celebration of
women as leaders and of the fact that they have found their own
way and their own path. It’s been a hard road, but these women
have done it and we’re proud to share their stories.
How did it come about?
I didn’t set out to write a book. Two situations pointed me in
this direction. During my first year as a Pitcairn leader, I
found that the final decision-makers of new client families were
the family matriarch and I thought that was wonderful, even
remarkable. I wanted to better understand that. And second, this
work really grew from a conversation I had with Pitcairn’s CEO
Leslie Voth about providing service and support to women of
wealth and how they needed something different than men. So, I
started doing some research that would help us better understand
the role women play in very wealthy families and what that means
for Pitcairn and society at large. As I spent more time on it and
spoke to more and more women, the more obvious it became that
these were stories that needed to be told so that others could
benefit from the lessons these women learned the hard way.
What was your process? How did you conduct the
interviews?
The research methodology was both anthropological and cultural
rather than data driven. We chose a mix of women, only a small
handful were Pitcairn clients. Several dozen women of
considerable means participated in deeply personal and private
conversations with my co-author, Dennis Jaffe and me. They told
us about how they came to wealth, their role in the family, the
obstacles they overcame, and how they prepared the next
generations while striving to sustain family connections and
family harmony.
Who are today’s women of wealth?
We spoke to women who were an active part of their wealth
creation, as well as women who inherited their wealth from a
previous generation. Our research found that hampered by outdated
stereotypes, some of the most important family voices in some of
the world’s most influential families have been sidelined or
silenced.
What is the status of the title “matriarch?”
In this book, these women family leaders, regardless of age, are
identified as the “new matriarchs” who are challenging
traditional gender roles. They haven’t completely shunned the
traditional matriarchal construct, but are reshaping it as
caretakers and corporate leaders, family stewards and financial
stakeholders. They are advocates and models of greater equality,
as well as examples of what women’s sensitivity and gender
experience can bring to family leadership.
The New Matriarch is a woman who forges her own path in advancing the financial success, culture, and values of her family with a focus on partnering with her spouse and preparing her children for a life of passion, purpose, and family harmony.
These pioneering women are breaking longstanding barriers of communication and connection and rewriting the rules of leadership with a focus on family and the future in the process.