About John
Trusted Counsel. Genuine Care. Practical Wisdom.
For over forty years, John Messervey has served as a trusted advisor to America's leading families, family enterprises, and family offices. His work has never been simply about preserving wealth. It has always been about helping families preserve trust, purpose, relationships, and continuity across generations.
John's Story
For most of his career, John has quietly guided many of America’s leading families through critical and consequential conversations. Boardrooms where succession decisions are being made. Creating written understandings for a family that guide future generations. Conversations after the death of a matriarch or patriarch. Moments when decades of achievement threaten to unravel over differing views of governance, risk, strategy, succession and the commitment of the next generation.
Building a business and growing family wealth can be deeply fulfilling—provided you navigate the common pitfalls that so often derail family enterprises. John helps families through difficult discussions, frequently sharing ideas, solutions, and addressing challenges that family members often avoid discussing. These are the essential conversations best facilitated by an experienced, supportive advisor. Together, he helps remove the family obstacles that inhibit family wealth creation and continuity.
a personal note from john
The best things in life are not things.
For more than forty years, I've had the privilege of sitting alongside families during some of the most meaningful and difficult moments of their lives.
Throughout this journey, I’ve learned that wealth changes many things, but it does not change what matters most. Families hope to raise children of character. They want their businesses to thrive. They wrestle with difficult conflicts and conversations. They wonder how to leave values that will endure for generations to come.
The greatest privilege of my work goes beyond advising families about wealth. It has been helping families strengthen the relationships that give wealth its meaning.
Every family's journey is different. Every conversation begins with listening to the story that guides their values, purpose and collective future.
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John Messervey
His Philosophy
John’s philosophy is simple:
Every family is unique.
Every family has an important story.
Every family can solve the challenges before them.
Known for his calm presence, listening ear, thoughtful questions, and practical wisdom, John helps families navigate complex moments with clarity, discretion, and genuine care.
Common issues in family business & wealth advisory
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Strengthening leadership and governance
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Aligning management and ownership succession
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Coaching and mentoring the next generation
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Resolving inevitable family business disagreements
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Enhancing family communication
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Accelerating growth and strategy
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Skillfully planning the transfer of generational wealth
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Building an effective family office
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Guiding purposeful philanthropic initiative
"I believe one does good work in this field because we are authentic to our clients. We do not propose simple, off the shelf solutions, or present ourselves as free of struggle or without care. Some days, we don't have an answer and say so. We must be real, as real as the everyday difficulties that each client faces. We are not gurus or experts; we are people who care about others and help them overcome obstacles -- the unique form of "stuckness" presented by each client. No more and no less--it's always their agenda."
—John Messervey
Trusted Advisor to America’s Leading Families™
John Messervey is a family business and wealth advisor who counsels high-performing families throughout the United States and overseas. Among the earliest family business consultants, John serves as Founder and CEO of the National Family Business Council, Inc., a private consulting group and resource center headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois. Over his 40-year career, John has worked with families to resolve complex issues including: leadership, strategy, succession, growth and liquidity, next generation development, communication, and mediation. John also advises on family office governance, philanthropy, and related issues of earned and inherited wealth. Since 1985, John has consulted with more than 450 families throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia, guiding families, owners and managers through difficult conversations and complex multi-generational challenges.
John served as a founding board member of the Family Firm Institute (FFI) and launched the first Family Business Study Group at the Menninger Management Institute. He is one of the most experienced advisors in the field of family business, and has presented to groups including: UBS, Goldman Sachs, JPMorganChase, Merrill Lynch, Northern Trust, Baird, William Blair and the Tokyo LTCB Research & Management Institute. A featured family business advisor, John has appeared on ABC, CBS, CNBC, CBS Radio and NPR, and is frequently quoted in national publications including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Forbes, and Fortune. John has a Master’s in Organization Behavior from the J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University; he is an Economics graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. John has served as an advisor to four philanthropic boards in the fields of education, public policy, the arts and the environment.
John is an active outdoorsman. When he is not hiking, climbing or cycling through the mountains, he might be found on a Caribbean scuba adventure with lifelong friends. John has worked in or travelled to more than 60 countries across the globe.
The National Family Business Council (NFBC) is a private research and consulting group quietly serving family businesses and high-wealth families worldwide. At the forefront in facilitating Harvard’s internationally recognized Leading Change vision/mission/values program for families in business, NFBC applies a breadth of resources to resolve family issues that directly affect the creation and continuity of wealth. NFBC also develops strategies for successful management, succession and growth of closely held businesses. NFBC has assembled a client resource list that is broad and deep; some of the finest and most experienced resources in the field are readily available to clients of NFBC. These clients are among America’s leading families, including winners of the Horatio Alger Award, America’s Best Places to Work, multiple members of the Forbes 400, the Wall Street Journal’s Best Small Business Award, and Inc. Magazine’s 500 Fastest Growing Businesses in the U.S.
NFBC provides ongoing family consultations, mediation, coaching and mentoring of the succeeding generations, facilitation of family educational gatherings and retreats, and guidance for the sale of family-owned businesses. Each year, NFBC sponsors the widely acclaimed, invitation-only FEW (Family | Enterprise | Wealth) Conference. FEW is the highest rated conference in the field of family wealth.
Trusted Advisor to America’s Leading Families™
John Messervey is a family business and wealth advisor who counsels high-performing families throughout the United States and overseas. Among the earliest family business consultants, John serves as Founder and CEO of the National Family Business Council, Inc., a private consulting group and resource center headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois. Over his 40-year career, John has worked with families to resolve complex issues including: leadership, strategy, succession, growth and liquidity, next generation development, communication, and mediation. John also advises on family office governance, philanthropy, and related issues of earned and inherited wealth. Since 1985, John has consulted with more than 450 families throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia, guiding families, owners and managers through difficult conversations and complex multi-generational challenges.
John served as a founding board member of the Family Firm Institute (FFI) and launched the first Family Business Study Group at the Menninger Management Institute. He is one of the most experienced advisors in the field of family business, and has presented to groups including: UBS, Goldman Sachs, JPMorganChase, Merrill Lynch, Northern Trust, Baird, William Blair and the Tokyo LTCB Research & Management Institute. A featured family business advisor, John has appeared on ABC, CBS, CNBC, CBS Radio and NPR, and is frequently quoted in national publications including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Forbes, and Fortune. John has a Master’s in Organization Behavior from the J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University; he is an Economics graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. John has served as an advisor to four philanthropic boards in the fields of education, public policy, the arts and the environment.
John is an active outdoorsman. When he is not hiking, climbing or cycling through the mountains, he might be found on a Caribbean scuba adventure with lifelong friends. John has worked in or travelled to more than 60 countries across the globe.
The National Family Business Council (NFBC) is a private research and consulting group quietly serving family businesses and high-wealth families worldwide. At the forefront in facilitating Harvard’s internationally recognized Leading Change vision/mission/values program for families in business, NFBC applies a breadth of resources to resolve family issues that directly affect the creation and continuity of wealth. NFBC also develops strategies for successful management, succession and growth of closely held businesses. NFBC has assembled a client resource list that is broad and deep; some of the finest and most experienced resources in the field are readily available to clients of NFBC. These clients are among America’s leading families, including winners of the Horatio Alger Award, America’s Best Places to Work, multiple members of the Forbes 400, the Wall Street Journal’s Best Small Business Award, and Inc. Magazine’s 500 Fastest Growing Businesses in the U.S.
NFBC provides ongoing family consultations, mediation, coaching and mentoring of the succeeding generations, facilitation of family educational gatherings and retreats, and guidance for the sale of family-owned businesses. Each year, NFBC sponsors the widely acclaimed, invitation-only FEW (Family | Enterprise | Wealth) Conference. FEW is the highest rated conference in the field of family wealth.
Credentials & Recognition
A lifetime of trusted counsel & advisory
40+
Years advising entrepreneurial families
450+
Families served
Founding Board Member
Family Firm Institute (FFI)
Co-Founder
First Family Business Study Group at Menninger Management Institute
10,000+
personal interviews conducted in his career
Founder
FEW Conference (family | enterprise | wealth). Now in its 16th year, this invitation-only event is the highest-rated conference in family wealth.
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