NYIF Global Family Office Program
NYIF’s Global Family Office Program is a comprehensive executive education, certification, and professional community platform designed for family office executives, founders, next-generation wealth holders, and trusted advisors serving ultra-high-net-worth families.
The program’s flagship offering, the Global Family Office Certification, provides practical, practitioner-led education on family office structure, governance, investment oversight, risk management, succession planning, and the evolving responsibilities of modern family office leadership.
Chris Thomas
Executive Director, Curriculum Architect, and Faculty Member
NYIF Global Family Office Program
The program is led by Chris Thomas, Executive Director of the NYIF Global Family Office Program and a member of its faculty. Drawing on decades of experience across investment banking, commercial banking, risk management, alternative investments, hedge funds, and family office advisory, Chris oversees the program’s strategic development and serves as the architect of its educational framework and curriculum. He also leads the selection of senior practitioners and subject-matter experts who serve on the faculty.
The certification is the first component of a broader NYIF family office platform designed to support continued learning, professional development, and relationship-building. Upon completing the certification, participants become members of the NYIF Global Family Office Community, with access to networking opportunities, invitations to select lectures and special events led by family office experts, and preferred pricing or discounts on future educational programs and advanced courses.
Through this combination of executive education, certification, continuing education, and community engagement, the NYIF Global Family Office Program supports professionals and families as they build, lead, advise, and professionalize family offices in an increasingly complex global wealth environment.
Who Should Attend
The NYIF Global Family Office Program is designed for professionals, families, and advisors involved in the creation, leadership, governance, or operation of a family office, including:
• Family office executives and senior operating professionals
• Founders and principals establishing or professionalizing a family office
• Next-generation family members preparing for future stewardship responsibilities
• Families experiencing a liquidity event or significant wealth transition
• Private bankers, wealth advisors, RIAs, attorneys, CPAs, trustees, and consultants serving ultra-high-net-worth families
• Investment, risk, governance, and operations professionals supporting single-family or multi-family offices
• Service providers seeking a deeper understanding of family office structure, decision-making, and client needs
What Participants Will Gain
Participants will gain a practical, multidisciplinary understanding of how family offices are created, governed, staffed, advised, and managed. The program is designed to help participants understand both the strategic responsibilities of family office leadership and the day-to-day considerations involved in supporting ultra-high-net-worth families.
Through practitioner-led instruction, participants will strengthen their understanding of:
• Family office structures, operating models, and governance frameworks
• Investment oversight, asset allocation, and risk management
• Succession planning, next-generation preparation, and family decision-making
• The roles of internal teams, external advisors, and service providers
• Alternative investments, philanthropy, and long-term wealth stewardship
• Operational, regulatory, technological, and cybersecurity considerations
• The evolving responsibilities of family office executives, founders, and trusted advisors
Participants will leave with a stronger framework for evaluating family office needs, improving decision-making, and contributing more effectively to the leadership, operation, or professionalization of a family office.
Program Format
The NYIF Global Family Office Program is designed as an executive education experience that combines structured instruction with practical insight from experienced family office practitioners and subject-matter experts.
The flagship Global Family Office Certification may be delivered through a combination of:
• Instructor-led sessions
• Practitioner presentations
• Case studies and real-world examples
• Interactive discussions
• Faculty-led panels
• Peer exchange and networking
• Supporting educational materials and resources
The format is intended to encourage active participation, applied learning, and meaningful interaction among participants, faculty, and industry professionals. Delivery may vary by cohort, location, or program offering and may include in-person, virtual, or hybrid components.
The Global Family Office Certification
The Global Family Office Certification is the flagship credential awarded through the NYIF Global Family Office Program. It recognizes successful completion of the program’s core executive education curriculum and demonstrates that the recipient has developed a broad, practical understanding of the principal disciplines involved in creating, leading, advising, and operating a modern family office.
The certification reflects exposure to the major areas of family office management, including governance, investment oversight, risk management, operations, succession planning, wealth stewardship, and the coordination of internal and external advisors.
Upon successful completion of the required coursework, participants receive a certificate from the New York Institute of Finance recognizing their achievement. The credential is designed to support the professional development of family office executives, founders, next-generation family members, and trusted advisors by demonstrating their commitment to a multidisciplinary understanding of the family office environment.
Certification recipients also become part of the broader NYIF Global Family Office Community, with access to select networking opportunities, future educational offerings, expert-led events, and preferred pricing on eligible advanced programs.
Curriculum Modules
The Curriculum is organized into a series of multidisciplinary modules that reflect the principal areas involved in building, managing, advising, and sustaining a modern family office. Each module combines institutional financial education with practical insight from experienced practitioners, giving participants a broad understanding of the financial, operational, governance, investment, and strategic issues family offices face.
The modules below provide an overview of the core topics covered in the certification.
Global Capital Markets
- Global Equity Markets
- Global Fixed Income
- Commodity Markets
- Forex Markets
- Risk Management: Understanding Derivatives
Real Estate Investments
- Global Real Estate Market Overview
- Real Estate Project Finance
- Real Estate Asset Classes
- Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
- Real Estate: Fund or Direct Investment?
- Tax Considerations
Digital Assets and Cryptocurrency
- Fundamentals and History of Cryptocurrency
- Understanding Crypto Volatility
- Understanding Blockchain
- Decentralized Finance
- Direct or Fund Investing?
Venture Capital and Direct Investment
- VC/PE Trends
- Screening and Valuing Candidates
- Fund vs Direct Investing
- Financing the Investments
Portfolio Management
- Fixed Income and Money Markets
- Equity Risks and Return
- Private Equity and Venture Capital
- Hedge Funds
- Indexing vs. Active Management
Art Investment
- Overview of Global Art Market
- Investing Risks: Forgery and Stolen Art
- Borrowing Against Art
- Risk Mitigation and Recovery Strategies
Specialized Borrowing and Lending
- Jet and Yacht Financing
- Leveraging Illiquid Assets
- Creating Debt Management Policies
- Does the Family Wish to lend against assets?
Family Governance
- Creating a Decision Making Process
- Inter and Intra Generational Communication
- Reviewing the Family Offices’ Performance
- Creating a Mission Statement and Investment Policy Statement for the Family Office
Family Office Operations
- Reporting and record keeping
- Risk management and insurance
- Screening Financial Requests from the Family’s Network
- Managing Reputational Risk
- Inheritance and Estate Planning
Corporate Strategy and M&A
- Corporate Strategy
- Business Valuation
- M&A Concepts and Theories
- M&A: Structuring a Deal
- M&A Process and Steps
- Key documents in M&A transaction
- Global M&A case study
- Group projects and case studies
Family Philanthropic Management
- Philanthropic Planning and Strategy
- Establishment and Administration of Charitable Institutions
- Planning a Donation Strategy
- Formation of Grant-making Foundations and Trusts
- Organizing Charitable Activities
- Sustainable Finance and Impact Investments
Faculty
The faculty for the NYIF Global Family Office Program has been carefully curated to bring together senior practitioners, advisors, and subject-matter experts across the core disciplines involved in family office leadership and management.
Each faculty member is selected for specialized expertise in one or more critical areas of the family office ecosystem, including governance, investment strategy, risk management, estate and tax planning, alternative investments, philanthropy, operations, succession planning, and advisory services.
The program is designed to provide participants with a multidisciplinary, practitioner-led perspective. Rather than approaching family office education from a single viewpoint, the faculty reflects the range of professional expertise required to understand how family offices are established, governed, staffed, advised, and managed in practice.
Program Leadership
Chris Thomas Executive Director, Curriculum Architect, and Faculty Member
NYIF Global Family Office Program
Chris Thomas serves as Executive Director of the NYIF Global Family Office Program and is a long-standing member of the NYIF faculty. He developed the program’s overall educational framework and curriculum and leads the identification and recruitment of faculty specialists across the disciplines represented in the program.
Chris brings decades of experience across family office and wealth advisory, investment banking, commercial banking, investment and risk management, alternative investments, and hedge funds. Throughout his career, he has worked with wealthy families, investors, entrepreneurs, financial institutions, and advisors on matters involving capital formation, investment strategy, governance, risk oversight, and the structuring of sophisticated financial platforms.
As both a senior practitioner and educator, Chris combines institutional financial expertise with real-world family office insight. His role is to ensure that the program remains practical, multidisciplinary, and responsive to the evolving needs of family office executives, founders, next-generation wealth holders, and trusted advisors.
Faculty Members
The broader faculty is composed of experienced practitioners and subject-matter experts selected according to the curriculum and the needs of each cohort. Faculty participation may vary by program session, location, subject area, or delivery format.
Bespoke Family Office Education & Custom Programs
Beyond the flagship Global Family Office Certification, NYIF offers bespoke family office education programs for families, family offices, private banks, advisory firms, and institutions seeking tailored learning experiences for their teams, clients, or next-generation leaders.
Each program is developed around the specific objectives, level of sophistication, and educational needs of the audience. Areas of focus may include family office formation, governance, investment oversight, risk management, succession planning, philanthropy, operations, next-generation preparation, and advisor education.
Programs may be delivered through private workshops, executive briefings, customized learning modules, family education sessions, or institution-specific training engagements. Content, format, faculty, and delivery can be tailored to reflect the priorities and goals of each family, organization, or advisory group.
Global Family Office Community & Continuing Engagement
The NYIF Global Family Office Program is designed to extend beyond the flagship certification by creating an ongoing platform for continued learning, professional connection, and engagement across the family office ecosystem.
Certification recipients become part of the NYIF Global Family Office Community, with opportunities to participate in alumni events, executive roundtables, guest lectures, advanced educational programs, topical webinars, regional forums, and curated networking with faculty, peers, family office professionals, and trusted advisors.
The community is intended to support ongoing education, thought leadership, peer exchange, and collaboration among the individuals and organizations involved in building, managing, advising, and supporting family offices. It also provides participants with a continuing connection to NYIF as the program expands through new courses, events, and specialized learning opportunities.
About NYIF
With a history dating back more than 100 years, the New York Institute of Finance (NYIF) is a global leader in training for financial services and related industries. NYIF courses cover everything from investment banking, asset pricing, insurance, and market structure to financial modeling, treasury operations, and accounting. The New York Institute of Finance has a faculty of industry leaders and offers a range of program delivery options, including self-study, online courses, and in-person classes. Started by the New York Stock Exchange in 1922, NYIF trains 50,000 professionals online and in class, in over 125 countries each year, whose alumni network includes the legendary investor, Warren Buffett. NYIF US customers include the SEC, the Treasury, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, and most leading worldwide banks.
