Adrian Cronje, CEO, Balentine

In an interview with Focus:, Adrian Cronje, chief executive officer of Balentine, discussed the firm’s growth, evolving client needs, long-term investment strategy, and commitment to community impact and independence. “Success for us isn’t about being the biggest, it’s about being the best.”

What were the most significant milestones for Balentine over the past year?
What’s been significant about 2025 is our pivot off an announcement we made in January that FJ Management has taken a 20% stake in Balentine, agreeing to be a slow and steady partner that will allow us to remain majority employee-owned and really thoughtful about where growth takes us next. That’s essential, as we’ve promised clients we’ll remain independent and build what we call a “forever firm.” This commitment stands apart from an industry rapidly consolidating as private equity pursues short-term returns.

We’ve also become a true legacy company with the election of Emily Balentine Barbour as a Partner, and with the addition of our Chief Compliance Officer Michael Pearson as a Principal. Emily leads our family and legacy work with our clients and brings her own intergenerational wealth, family and legacy perspectives and expertise to the role. These and other strides have helped us begin to build the bridge to the next generation of leadership for Balentine.

How have your employee and client experience priorities evolved over the past year?
Bringing on a minority equity partner last year gave us the resources to deepen our investment in both the client and employee experience. That move reflects our long-term commitment to independence and thoughtful growth, in contrast to much of the industry, where consolidation and private equity often prioritize short-term returns at the expense of people.

We made strategic enhancements across the board. For clients, we upgraded our reporting technology to give them a more comprehensive view of their financial picture. For employees, we improved operational systems to create a more seamless day-to-day experience.

We also launched the Balentine Foundation, which is entirely employee-led and supports community initiatives in the places we serve. That kind of engagement reinforces our culture and strengthens the bonds between our team, our clients, and our communities.

Success for us isn’t about being the biggest firm, it’s about being the best. We measure that by our ability to retain the clients we started with, and by the strength of the relationships we build. There’s no greater compliment than when a client tells us we’ve become part of their family. One even described us recently as “a family serving families.” That’s what defines success at Balentine: being a firm that families trust for generations.

How has Atlanta’s business environment evolved, and what does that mean for your strategy?

We continue to benefit from a long-term trend of people moving to the Southeast — not just Atlanta, but the broader Sun Belt. That trend accelerated during COVID and hasn’t slowed down. It’s fueling a wave of entrepreneurialism in the region.

Our firm is very focused on serving entrepreneurs and business owners, helping them manage and transition the wealth they’ve created. Over the past year, I’ve also seen Atlanta emerge as a national leader on critical policy issues.

As president of the Atlanta Rotary Club, which is over 110 years old and made up of top business and civic leaders, I’ve watched us take on major challenges: election integrity, affordable housing, and food security. These efforts show that Atlanta is setting an example of how a city can bring business, government, and the community together to address complex problems.

That makes Atlanta not only a great place to live but also a great place to do business.

What role does community engagement play in Balentine’s mission?
Community engagement is core to who we are, whether in Atlanta or Raleigh. Through the Rotary Club and the Balentine Foundation, we’re addressing issues that matter deeply to the communities we serve.

The Atlanta Rotary Club isn’t typical — it tackles problems others can’t. In addition to affordable housing and elections, we’re in the third year of an early childhood education program led by the mayor that I believe could be a national model.

Atlanta, once known as the city too busy to hate, is now showing how business and community can partner to drive real change. At Balentine, engaging in that work isn’t just meaningful, it’s good for business.

What new types of support are clients asking for today?
Entrepreneurs and business owners are asking for more than financial plans or investment advice. They want guidance on their businesses, often their largest asset.

Too often, wealth managers say, “Sell your business so I can manage the money.” We take a different, holistic approach. We provide independent business advisory services and help clients evaluate whether keeping their business might be a better path to building wealth.

There’s also a greater awareness now around working with fiduciary advisers — those who are legally bound to act in the client’s best interest. Many firms are still product-driven, but clients increasingly want advice that is free of conflicts.

More broadly, clients are asking deeper questions: What is this wealth for? How will it affect my family? How do I pass it on successfully? Our role often resembles that of a family counselor — helping define and protect legacy, while avoiding the all-too-common “shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations” outcome.

Given today’s economic climate, what investment strategies are proving most resilient for your clients?
While much of the financial news centers on stock and bond markets, we’re finding strong opportunities in private markets — investing in companies and strategies not traded daily.

We see long-term potential in areas like artificial intelligence, healthcare innovation, and the Southeast’s demographic growth. These trends are driving demand for housing and new small businesses, and we’re helping clients invest in them. Private market investments typically take five to 12 years to mature but offer healthy premiums for that risk. In a volatile public market, they’ve become a compelling source of returns.

That said, we never begin investing, private or public, without first ensuring clients have enough liquidity for the next two years. We want to avoid selling at the wrong time due to short-term fluctuations. As at the end of 2025, we are modestly overweight stocks and underweight bonds relative to our long-term targets. While we’re mindful of a potential economic slowdown, we don’t yet see signs warranting major de-risking or portfolio shifts.

We are leaning into private markets, where many clients, especially business owners, feel more confident. They prefer investing in businesses they understand and can influence, rather than watching their wealth fluctuate based on headlines. After decades of building control, giving it up to market swings can feel deeply unsettling.

What is your outlook for wealth management, and how is Balentine positioned for it?
The future of wealth management is incredibly bright. We’ve positioned our firm — and our role in the community — to follow a path distinct from many others in the industry. Our equity partner, FJ Management, is a family office from the Mountain West with a 30- to 40-year investment horizon. They chose us, after reviewing dozens of firms, because of our expertise in family and legacy planning, which I’m proud of. This partnership secures our independence and provides access to growth capital when needed. It gives us a strategic edge — we’re not beholden to private equity chasing quarterly returns but working with a partner who values culture, people, and legacy.

Looking ahead, we’re focused on two priorities. First, attracting top talent. People want to work in a place where culture matters, and FJ’s values align perfectly with ours. They invest in what they call “building value to last.”

Second, we’re expanding services based on client demand. We’ve added business advisory, family legacy services, and reporting beyond money management. We’re also exploring areas like strategic tax advice and bill payment because listening to our clients tells us where to go next.

FJ’s investment has been a stabilizing force, allowing us to grow, stay independent, and remain true to our mission of being a family serving families. That’s how we retain clients and continue to be one of the best places to work. I’m passionate about this because I believe in what we do. I encourage our employees to connect with their purpose — not a generic cause, but a reason that drives them. Purpose-driven companies perform better.

If work feels like just a job, that’s where dreams go to die. So we’ll keep pushing forward, staying inspired, and focusing on our clients because that’s how we grow, and why clients keep introducing us to others.