Built through enterprise
A family background shaped by industry, persistence and an appreciation for the work behind capital.
MARAIS FAMILY OFFICE
Private ownership.
Shared responsibility.
Marais Family Office coordinates the private interests of the family shareholders behind Marais Global Holdings. We serve our own family and do not offer services to outside clients.
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ONE FAMILY. A WORLD OF POSSIBILITY.↓
THE PRIVATE OFFICE
Family enterprise.
An enduring perspective.
Marais Family Office coordinates the private interests of the family shareholders behind Marais Global Holdings, connecting business ownership, personal planning and continuity.
The Marais family’s roots lie in Carletonville, South Africa, where mining and industrial enterprise shaped its approach to work, ownership and responsibility. The family relocated to Houston in 1994, beginning an American chapter while retaining its South African connections.
Today, Marais Global Holdings brings together industrial businesses, logistics infrastructure, commercial property and proprietary investments. Family and nonfamily executives manage the businesses; the family office in The Woodlands coordinates the wider interests of family shareholders. Operating-company finances, individual family assets and charitable funds are separately recorded.
- Family origins
- South Africa
- US chapter began
- 1994
- Family office
- The Woodlands, Texas
A broader horizon
The move to Houston opened a new chapter for education, family life and enterprise.
Complementary leadership
Financial stewardship and operational experience work together under the leadership of Johannes and Andries Marais.
THE ROLE OF THE FAMILY OFFICE
One connected view.
Clear responsibilities.
The family office sits alongside the operating group as the coordinating office for family shareholders. It connects information and planning while preserving the distinction between company finances and personal family interests.
Clarity across interests
Consolidated reporting and personal investment administration help family shareholders understand their wider financial position.
Coordination with specialists
Estate planning coordination and liquidity planning bring relevant external tax advisers, lawyers and custodians into the conversation.
Preparation for responsibility
Continuity begins with shared understanding of ownership, responsibilities and long-term priorities. Education and practical experience provide a foundation for future involvement.
Giving with direction
The family’s charitable priorities include nursing education, technical training and scholarships in communities connected to its businesses.
THE BUSINESSES BEHIND THE FAMILY
Enterprise with substance.
Ownership with purpose.
Marais Global Holdings is a privately owned group headquartered in Houston. Its four principal divisions connect practical operating experience with a long-term approach to assets and capital.
Marais Industrial Group
Precision components, equipment supply, plant maintenance and engineering support for manufacturers and energy operators. Its priorities are dependable delivery, safe execution and an understanding of customers’ operations.
Marais Logistics and Infrastructure
Warehouses, distribution facilities and industrial storage sites in Texas and selected US markets, alongside interests in freight and supply chain businesses. Infrastructure decisions draw on the needs of industrial customers.
Marais Property Partners
Industrial parks, commercial buildings and selected mixed-use developments. Leasing, redevelopment and asset management focus on tenant quality and sustainable cash flow.
Marais Capital Partners
Proprietary investment in selected private businesses and diversified marketable securities. Capital decisions consider the needs of the group alongside the family’s wider priorities. This division invests the group’s own capital.
Each division has professional leadership, its own budget and defined responsibilities. Marais Family Office does not offer investment services to external clients.
FAMILY OFFICE LEADERSHIP
Johannes Jacobus
Marais
Chief Financial Officer
Financial discipline informed by two decades of experience.
Johannes co-manages the family’s assets with Andries Marais, bringing a finance-oriented perspective to investment decisions, financial planning and the responsibilities of ownership.
His education includes studies in biochemistry, economics and international development at Washington University in St. Louis, an MBA in Finance from Southern Methodist University and a Master of International Management from Thunderbird. That background connects financial analysis with a broader understanding of international business.
EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
Andries Jacobus Marais
Chief Executive Officer
Andries leads Marais Family Office with a focus on industrial and mining investments. His accounting background and operational perspective complement Johannes’s financial responsibilities. Together, they coordinate the family’s interests and long-term priorities.
OUR DECISION PHILOSOPHY
Understanding
before commitment.
A meaningful decision needs more than an attractive opportunity. It needs a clear purpose, an appreciation of what could change and a sense of responsibility for the outcome.
Johannes and Andries bring complementary financial and operational perspectives to the family’s interests. Our guiding questions keep purpose, commitments and accountability in view, while recognizing where specialist financial or legal advice is needed.
- 01
What purpose does it serve?
Start with the family priority behind the decision and the outcome that matters.
- 02
What are we committing?
Consider capital, time, liquidity and the consequences if circumstances change.
- 03
What needs further understanding?
Examine alternatives, challenge assumptions and recognise when specialist advice is needed.
- 04
Who carries responsibility?
Keep authority, accountability and communication clear before making a commitment.
- 05
What would prompt a review?
Identify the changes that would justify revisiting a decision and its fit with family priorities.
Our guiding
principles.
Marais Family Office is dedicated to the private interests of our family. We take a considered view of capital, continuity and the values that connect them — bringing today’s ambitions into perspective with tomorrow’s responsibilities.
Capital
Stewardship
A long-term perspective on the resources entrusted to our family, shaped by preservation, resilience and the opportunities we choose to pursue.
Family
Continuity
The conversations, shared principles and understanding that connect our family across generations — preserving what matters while allowing room to evolve.
Legacy
& Purpose
A thoughtful relationship between wealth and meaning. Considering not only what we build, but how our choices reflect the values we wish to carry forward.
SOUTH AFRICAN ROOTS · AN AMERICAN CHAPTER
In Shared
Purpose.
What gives a family its character is not capital alone. It is the judgment, conviction and care with which each generation chooses to live.
Our philosophy brings those qualities into a shared perspective — one that respects our private world and looks thoughtfully towards the future.
What We Stand For
Discretion in our affairs. Clarity in our thinking. Responsibility in our decisions. The principles that give our perspective its direction.
What We Carry Forward
A family’s values are an inheritance in their own right. We place understanding, shared purpose and continuity at the centre of our long view.
What Comes Next
The future deserves more than expectation. It deserves thoughtful preparation, openness to possibility and room for each generation to find its own path.
PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE ⟶
SOUTH AFRICA · A SENSE OF ORIGINPhotographic perspectives on origin, structure and opportunity. Locations shown are illustrative.
THE LONG VIEW
CAPITAL & PURPOSE
The value of capital lies in
what it makes possible.
Our perspective begins with the family priorities our resources support, and the responsibilities that accompany them.
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THE MARAIS PHILOSOPHY
“What we carry forward is more than capital.
It is the confidence to build, the care to preserve,
and the wisdom to know the difference.”
OUR FAMILY. OUR RESPONSIBILITY. OUR SHARED HORIZON.
PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE
Private office
correspondence.
For advisers, banks and counterparties corresponding about the private interests of the Marais family.
johannes.marais@zohomail.com ↗MESSAGE ON SIGNAL+1 858 504 1596