READY. SET. ACTION.
If you are looking for a Hollywood script, Round Hill resident
Brian Rowbothan's life reads like an action-packed movie.
He worked on high-profile financial recoveries, including the
Robert Maxwell family’s billion-dollar pension theft scandal.
He advised the Russian tech entrepreneurs behind the iconic
‘Tetris game—until a brutal (unsolved) murder of the company
CEO and family in Palo Alto, that ended that relationship. His
clients include billionaires in Asia, foreign dignitaries, Middle
Eastern governments and wealthy Emirs, and even Hollywood
legends like Sophia Loren among his clients.
“I've dealt with fascinating people,” Brian reflects, “from
the mafia, which he disengaged after doing due diligence, to
global investors to heads of stock exchanges. Some clients
were incredibly wealthy from family fortunes, while others had
unknown pasts that required extra scrutiny.”
“Working with clients offshore, you have to keep your wits
about with whom you do business,” he comments. He has rejected
black market sources, corrupt foreign governments, and money
laundering along the way. “You lose control of your long-term
strategy and direction when you take on clients from the darker
side of business just for the sake of a bit more income.”
INTERNATIONAL ROOTS
Born in Buenos Aires in 1950 to British parents, Brian’s early years
wore steeped in international influence. During World War II, his
father was a tank commander in the British Army, and his mother,
a captain in the Royal Air Force. They returned to Argentina
post-World War II, but political instability under a dictatorship
in the 1950s caused the family to seek anew home. In 1953, they
boarded a freighter from Buenos Aires to New Orleans, then drove
north to Montreal, and then across the Trans-Canada Highway to
British Columbia, a safer, albeit, more pioneering lifestyle in the
early 1950s. That’s where Brian spent his formative years before
the family later headed south to California, towing a U-Haul trailer
with all their possessions in search of opportunity.
Education became Brian’s passport to success. He earned
both his bachelor’s degree and MBA with honors from the
University of California, Berkeley. His career took off at Arthur
Andersen before leading him to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
in London, where he specialized in international tax. “Looking
back, I was lucky to have choices. The best decision of my life
was becoming a naturalized American citizen in 1970, aged
19,” he comments, “even if it was during a tough time like the
Vietnam War. I was lucky not to go to Vietnam since the war
was winding down when I graduated from UC, Berkeley.”
While working in London, a chance meeting with Andrea
(from Scotland), a classically trained actress performing in a
Shakespearean theatre company and country wide repertory
companies, changed the course of his life. The two got married
in a 11th Century Norman church near Oxford, and they
eventually settled in California, where Brian continued to excel
at PwC before launching his own international tax firm. For
26 years, he built a reputation as a trusted advisor to high-net-
worth individuals, global investors, and some of the world’s
most intriguing figures. He's chaired several professional
organizations, and his latest, as the Chair of the Hong Kong
Business Association in Northern California was challenging
and rewarding, helping businesses connect across the Pacific,
while avoiding political issues. Some of his biggest clients came
from Hong Kong, China and India. One of his success factors:
“Go the distance to meet your clients where they work and
live.” The travel routine was often grueling, and the occasional
bouts with food poisoning along the way toughens one up. “It
made the daily commute to the city an easy routine.”
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
Life has been challenging, however, for Brian, but he has a
positive outlook. “Adversity is a friend in disguise,” says
Brian, That's his life motto. He adds, “Don’t choose the easy
path, and don't fear the difficult path. You're rewarded in the end.
The challenges are great learning experiences.” Over the
years, his company launched many careers and employees and
partners became friends for life.
One of his tougher times looking back was when his son
James was in the US Army on two tours in Iraq on Active Duty
as a Cavalry Scout. “He started as a ‘spotter" for a Humvee
recon group. His task: looking for possible IEDs on the road
ahead and as extra support for potential ambushes. He was
“promoted up” with Sergeant stripes, but that put him topside
of his Humvee behind a 50 Caliber machine gun,” says Brian.
Serving in the 1st Armored Division, 2nd Brigade in a Cavalry
Regiment, James was stationed in Baumbolder Germany and
deployed to Iraq, from 2004-2007 where he led a reconnaissance
unit in active combat zones. Patrolling northern and southern
iraq in the middle of war was not for the faint of heart, but James
was up to the challenge. “Iraq was the most dangerous place I've
ever been,” James admits. Brian agrees. Days and weeks would
go by without a word from James while he was out on week-long
patrols. Seeing the gut-wrenching tragedies daily on the news
was also heart wrenching. On his first tour, the HumVees had no
armor, so troops were extremely vulnerable. Fortunately, while
he had several life-threatening encounters, James returned to
the United States safely, where he finished his four years in the
army. “Looking back,” says Brian, “it was intense time in all our
lives. We're thankful for his safe return, and give support to the
Veterans organizations.”
After leaving the military, James continued his commitment
to service by joining the Oakland Police Department. Over 16
years, he worked in some of the city’s toughest neighborhoods,
facing challenges that required both tactical skill and deep
community engagement, dealing with drug busts, gang violence
and showing up in court testifying about investigations.
“Oakland was unpredictable,” he says. “But the biggest
lesson learned was how to work with people from all walks of
That's something I bring into my real estate career today.”
20 April 2025 A medical retirement led James to anew chapter—real estate.
He now works as a REALTOR® with Compass, where he assists
clients in finding their ideal homes.
A FAMILY AFFAIR
James isn’t the only Rowbotham in real estate. His sister, Zara,
a USF graduate, and with an MBA, has been a top agent in San
Francisco for 15 years. Now, with Sb. Vanguard Properties, and
with Brian, leveraging his global connections, the family has
built a powerhouse real estate team,
“With a combined background in tax, international finance,
and real estate, we can guide our clients through complex
transactions, whether it’s a single-family home or a foreign
owned 1,100-acre winery in Napa we're working on now.”
The Rowbothams’ business model is deeply personal. “It’s all
about relationships,” James adds. “My father has spent decades
proving that trust and integrity and his commitment to client
service matters more than any single transaction. “That's what
we bring to our clients, along with confidentiality.”
ROOTED IN ALAMO, REACHING THE WORLD
Despite their global footprint, the Rowbothams are firmly rooted
in Alamo. They cherish the close-knit community, the quality of
life, and the beauty of Northern California. Their home in Round
Hill has been their base for 35 years, a place where they raised
their children and now enjoy time with their four grandchildren,
Brian, ever the adventurer, still finds time for travels—whether
it's running with the bulls in Spain with James, doing his 20th hike
up Mt. Whitney, taking family safaris in South Africa, or giving
business talks in Shanghai. But no matter where life takes him, he
is always happy to return home to Round Hill.
“California has been the land of opportunity and a window into
the world for me and our family,” Brian says. “It’s my home base,
from where built an international business, raised our family, and
found success. Now, it’s about helping others do the same.”
