What is family office education?

Family office education helps executives or family office members navigate their strategies, operations and investments towards success by providing knowledge and expertise that shapes their decisions.

Where can I get family office education?

There are now many programs and courses developed with the family office industry in mind. Some examples include IMD Business School, Harvard Business School, Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and HEC Business School.

Is family office education important?

As the family office industry is constantly evolving, it is crucial for family office executive to continue in their education to keep up with trends and technological requirements.

Family office education: leading institutions offering executive programmes

The family office landscape has shifted materially in recent years. As wealth becomes more global, more liquid, and more complex to govern, families and the executives who serve them are increasingly required to professionalise how they manage capital, risk, and decision-making. Education, once informal and largely experiential, is now a critical part of building and sustaining a modern family office.

Executive education programmes shaping how modern family offices govern, invest, and lead.

What you need to know

Family office education is increasingly role-specific, with programmes designed for owners, next-generation members, and professional executives.
“Family office” programmes vary widely in focus, from governance and leadership to technical wealth management or family enterprise oversight.
Fit matters more than prestige, as the right programme supports better decisions, alignment, and long-term stewardship.

Governance Updated on January 12, 2026

Leading institutions for family office education

A curated overview of executive programmes for families and family offices

1. IMD Business School: Leading the Family Office

2. Harvard Business School: Building a Legacy – Family Office Wealth Management

3. Pepperdine Graziadio Business School: Financial Management for the Family Office

4. Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University: The Single Family Office

5. The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania: Family Wealth Management

6. Chicago Booth: Private Wealth Management

7. HEC Business School: Entreprises Familiales – Gouvernance et Management

8. Columbia Business School: Family Enterprises and Wealth (Online)

Historically, much of family office knowledge was acquired informally. Family members and hired executives often learned on the job, drawing on experience from adjacent fields such as banking, legal, or corporate finance. As family offices have grown more institutional in structure and responsibility, leading academic institutions have begun developing dedicated executive education programmes to address these gaps more systematically.

Today, these programmes serve a range of distinct needs, from educating next-generation family members preparing to engage with family wealth, to supporting the professionalisation of family office leadership, governance, and long-term planning.

Below is a curated overview of leading institutions offering executive education relevant to family offices, spanning governance, investment oversight, and organisational leadership.

We rounded up a few companies that you might find interesting.

Asset Vantage

Performance Reporting & General Ledger on demand. Learn more

Maritime Capital

Maritime Capital are family-run property wealth guardians that mentor, nurture and safeguard your assets, whether... Learn more

Vyzer

The core problem is that managing complex private wealth is a painfully manual and fragmented process. Learn more

Albertine

Our technology-driven, invitation-only concierge service eases and enhances your international lifestyle while having a... Learn more

Advyzon

Auria simplifies the complexity of family wealth management by unifying essential capabilities into one seamless,... Learn more

Crisis24 Private Strategic Group

A team of the world’s most distinguished experts in security, medical support and risk management—who work together... Learn more

1. IMD Business School: Leading the Family Office

This highly specialised, five-day executive programme focuses on the design, governance, and leadership of a single family office. Delivered as an in-person, residential course in Switzerland, Leading the Family Office addresses the family office landscape, long-term structural decision-making, investment oversight, and the integration of areas such as impact investing and high-performing governance.

The programme is intentionally restricted to family members and senior executives employed by a single family, creating a closed, non-commercial learning environment. It is particularly well suited to families establishing, restructuring, or professionalising a single family office, rather than managing an operating family business.