Pitcairn Acquires Brightside Partners and Launches New RIA

Pitcairn, one of America’s leading family offices that has served many leading ultra-high-net-worth families for more than a century, has announced its latest initiative in its mission to provide an outstanding experience for clients. The firm has acquired Brightside Partners, a UHNW-focused Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) based in Baltimore, MD.

This acquisition augments Pitcairn’s alternative investments platform as Brightside brings to Pitcairn a network of more than 100 asset managers and research partners across venture capital, private equity, private credit, and real estate asset classes. With the addition of Brightside, Pitcairn now oversees more than $9 billion of advised assets.

The closing of this transaction coincides with the establishment of Pitcairn Wealth Advisors LLC, a new RIA entity under the Pitcairn corporate umbrella designed to complement Pitcairn’s existing trust company and further strengthen the firm’s Shared Single-Family Office™ model serving multigenerational families of wealth.

“We are thrilled to welcome the talented team at Brightside and the remarkable clients they advise — they have set a standard for thoughtful investing, particularly within alternative investments,” said Pitcairn President & CEO Andrew Busser. “The core principle of Pitcairn’s acquisition of Brightside and the creation of our new RIA is to provide our clients with access to increased investment options and a modern regulatory structure that reflects the growth of our firm. This move represents the latest stage of our evolution as we look to lay the groundwork for the next 100 years.”

The Brightside team of five professionals includes three partners: Pace Kessenich, Ryan Pollard, and Justin Bakewell. All three partners will join Pitcairn’s Strategic Leadership Council.

“Pitcairn and Brightside share several core values that make this combination a natural fit for our teams and clients,” said Kessenich. “Given Pitcairn’s extraordinary reputation and track record of family office leadership, the Brightside team is extremely pleased to become part of Pitcairn. As firms that both prioritize holistic client experience and continuous innovation, we’re excited to bring our client-focused company cultures together to amplify what’s possible for the families we are so fortunate to advise.”

Moving forward, Pitcairn Wealth Advisors will operate as a sister firm to Pitcairn Trust Company under the umbrella of Pitcairn Financial Group LLC and seamlessly transition existing client services for both Brightside and Pitcairn clients.

“Since 1923, Pitcairn has been a trusted partner to multigenerational wealthy families and single-family offices, helping them to thrive across generations and market conditions of all kinds,” said Pitcairn Chairman Rick Pitcairn. “As we’ve evolved from a small Pennsylvania family office into a national firm, our growth has surpassed our historical regulatory structure. The launch of Pitcairn Wealth Advisors and the addition of the Brightside team marks a pivotal moment in our journey, enabling us to preserve our legacy while offering broader investment opportunities, all within a regulatory framework designed to protect the best interests of our client families”

About Pitcairn

Pitcairn’s Shared Single-Family Office™ model is designed to provide outstanding integrated service to wealthy families and other family offices. With a heritage dating back to the firm’s founding in 1923, Pitcairn has a long-standing tradition of helping ultra-high-net-worth families navigate the complexities of wealth and plan for the future. The firm’s comprehensive services include investment advisory, wealth management, tax, trust and estate planning, risk management, accounting, and household-level financial services as well as family education and family governance support. The firm is headquartered in suburban Philadelphia, with teams in New York, Baltimore, suburban Washington, DC, and Florida.