黑料社

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Family Office Initiative

Supporting the education, research, and network needs of current and future family office leaders throughout the world.

The Family Office Initiative at the University of 黑料社 of Business is the preeminent hub for family office leaders across the globe.

Our mission is to establish a world-class family office program to serve the educational, research, and network needs of current and future leaders in the global family office market that capitalizes on the differentiated value of the university and our network.

By leveraging its close connection to Booth’s esteemed faculty and their cutting-edge thought leadership, the FOI will generate interest in family office research and support the development of research insights to benefit the global family office sector.

Recap: Family Office Summit May 13–14, 2025

Family Office Initiative successfully hosted its inaugural Family Office Summit on May 13–14, 2025, at the David Rubenstein Forum on the University of Chicago campus. Centered on the theme “The Future of the Family Office,” the summit convened over 160 attendees representing 147 unique family offices from the United States, Canada, EMEA, and Latin America – demonstrating the FOI’s strong global reach and relevance.

The one-and-a-half-day event opened with a welcome dinner attended by more than 140 guests. The summit program featured remarks by Madhav Rajan, Dean of Chicago Booth and George Pratt Shultz Professor of Accounting, and Paul Alivisatos, AB ’81, President of the University of Chicago. The agenda also included a fireside chat exploring the summit’s central theme, accompanied by practitioner-led sessions addressing emerging trends and strategic challenges facing family offices.

President Alivisatos speaking at the Family Office Summit.

One hallmark of the summit was its integration of Booth’s faculty and rigorous academic insight— a distinctive and intentional feature of the Family Office Initiative. Topics included research on the investment behavior and performance of family offices, what makes a successful CEO, and how to build stronger relationships through deeper, more meaningful conversations. These sessions were designed to encourage attendees to share their experiences, engage with colleagues and Booth faculty, and learn from other leaders of similar backgrounds in a media- and solicitation-free environment.

Booth students also played a meaningful role in the summit’s success. Through a dedicated student meet-and-greet with the Family Office Council, selected students from Booth and the College had the unique opportunity to engage directly with industry leaders and gain firsthand insights into the world of family offices. Additionally, student volunteers contributed to the event’s smooth execution while benefiting from behind-the-scenes exposure to the planning and thought leadership that defined the summit.

This milestone event marked a significant step forward for the Family Office Initiative, establishing a strong foundation for continued global engagement, collaborative learning, and research-driven thought leadership in the family office space.

Our Commitment to Current and Future Practitioners

The FOI is a new initiative at Chicago Booth. Our goal is to establish Booth鈥檚 Family Office Initiative as a world leader in family office research, education, and network, becoming a regular resource for family office leaders. Here鈥檚 how:

Four business people shaking hands and smiling

Connecting Family Office Leaders to Each Other

We bring current and future family office leaders together in many ways, including by organizing events where they can connect, learn, and network with each other, as well as through our Family Office Initiative Council. The council is a global network that features dozens of top practitioners in the sector, as well as Booth faculty members. Current and future family office practitioners can leverage our Family Office Initiative Council to learn, network, and grow.

Connecting Family Office Leaders to Each Other
Outside of the Chicago Booth Harper Center

Supporting Curriculum at Booth

We’ve developed a new course for MBA students—The Family Office. The course, available to MBA students starting in Winter 2025, will provide students with insights into the different roles that family offices play, effective leadership, the structure of these offices, the defining goals for investment and distribution, and other important topics. Additional MBA classes and Executive Education programs will be available in the future. Offerings could potentially cover family psychology and dynamics, risk management, asset allocation, governance, and leadership, among other topics.

Supporting Curriculum at Booth
People pointing at printed out business documents on a table

Furthering Groundbreaking Research

The family office sector has seen significant growth in the last two decades, making it a prime opportunity for scholars and top institutions of higher learning to study. Booth’s renowned faculty have already begun to formulate early strategies around some of the most important topics in the family office sector. In the coming years, and with the support of the Family Office Initiative, Booth faculty will continue to investigate this space and publish groundbreaking research that will impact and benefit the sector in profound ways. Booth faculty members will leverage the Family Office Initiative Council members for research, and share findings with members as well.

Furthering Groundbreaking Research

Booth Faculty in this Area

John C. Heaton

John C. Heaton

Myron S. Scholes Distinguished Service Professor of Finance and Anthony Pritzker Family Foundation - Family Office Initiative Director

John C. Heaton
Steven Neil Kaplan

Steven Neil Kaplan

Neubauer Family Distinguished Service Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance and Kessenich E.P. Faculty Director at the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Steven Neil Kaplan

Family Office Initiative Steering Committee

Andreas Angelopoulos, ’02
Former Senior Advisor
Pritzker Alternative Strategies

Paul Carbone, AB ’83
Co-Founder, President, and Chairman of the Investment Committee
Pritzker Alternative Strategies
Co–Founder and Vice Chairman,
Pritzker Private Capital,
Trustee and Head of Family Office Initiative Steering Committee

Ronald Diamond
Founder and Chairman
Diamond Wealth

Stuart Lucas
Co-Managing Partner
Wealth Strategist Partners

Quan Mac
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer
Greenville Asset Management

Michael Montgomery
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer
Marshall Street Capital, Inc.

Stephan Roche
Partner, specialized advisory firm
Former CEO, Walton Enterprises

Bill Woodson
Managing Director and Co-Head
The Cynosure Group

Alex Dexeus, ’23
Vice President – Operations Management
Pritzker Private Capital

Malorie Flemming
Project Manager, Strategic Initiatives
Chicago Booth
 
John C. Heaton
Joseph L. Gidwitz Professor of Finance
Anthony Pritzker Family Foundation - Family Office Initiative Director 
Chicago Booth

Steven Neil Kaplan
Neubauer Family Distinguished Service Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance and Kessenich E.P. Faculty Director at the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Chicago Booth

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