LONDON (Realist English). Dame Hannah Rothschild, a prominent figure in the Rothschild banking dynasty, has said she was unaware of her father Lord Jacob Rothschild’s succession plans until after his death, forcing her to chart her own course within the family’s business and philanthropic structures.
Speaking in an interview with CNBC, Rothschild said her father left no explicit guidance on what responsibilities he expected her to assume. “When he died, there were some revelations. There was no clear ‘this is exactly what I expect of you,’” she said, adding that she has had to “make up a lot” of her role as she went along.
Rothschild currently serves as a board member at RIT Capital Partners, the investment trust long associated with the family, and chairs major philanthropic organisations including the Rothschild Foundation and Yad Hanadiv. She emphasised that her positions were earned through experience and credibility, rather than inherited by default.
“I feel that I worked hard for it,” Rothschild said. “I had to prove my worth, both inside and outside the family, so they trusted me enough to give me these roles.”
Lord Jacob Rothschild, one of the most influential financiers of his generation, died earlier this year. His passing marked a significant transition for the Rothschild family’s modern institutions, many of which operate across finance, culture and philanthropy.