Palm Beach Family Office Executive Search

On the Ground in South Florida’s Wealth Capital. Nationally Recognized by Forbes.

Palm Beach has become the most important address in American private wealth — and the family offices building here need leadership equal to the legacies they steward. Steward, the family office practice of Cowen Partners Executive Search, recruits the CEOs, presidents, chief investment officers, and chief financial officers who run South Florida’s most discreet single- and multi-family offices. We are a Forbes-ranked search firm with a family office practice built for principals who measure success in generations, not quarters.

A Search Firm Built for Palm Beach’s New Family Office Landscape

The wealth migration to South Florida is not a trend — it is a permanent reordering of where American capital is managed. More than $1 trillion in managed assets relocated to Florida between 2020 and 2023, and roughly 100 New York financial firms moved to downtown West Palm Beach in the first wave alone. Bessemer Trust, Goldman Sachs, Point72, Elliott Management, GoldenTree, and the family offices of principals like John Paulson now anchor towers such as One Flagler and 360 Rosemary. With that capital comes a quieter migration: the family offices that manage it, and the search for the executives who will lead them.

Steward was created for exactly this moment. Our senior partners work directly with Palm Beach principals to place the leaders who protect and grow family capital. Every engagement is led personally by a senior partner, held in strict confidence, and structured around the family’s governance, investment philosophy, and culture.

That South Florida market focus is supported by Steward’s national family office executive search practice, expanding each search across a nationwide network of leaders experienced in family offices, private investment organizations, and closely held enterprises.

Present Where Palm Beach’s Families Build

Steward is deliberately close to the communities we serve — from Palm Beach and West Palm Beach to Jupiter, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Miami Beach, and Naples, the corridor now often called “Wall Street South.” The best family office candidates are rarely on the market, and they will only move for a family and a mandate they trust. Discretion and relationships are how these searches are won, and Steward is the confidential bridge between a Palm Beach family and the leader it has yet to meet.

Family Office Leadership Roles We Recruit in Palm Beach

Steward places the full leadership spine of the modern family office, from a first professional hire to a complete executive bench:

• Chief Executive Officer / President, Family Office — the operating leader who runs the enterprise on the family’s behalf
• Chief Investment Officer (CIO) — direct investing, manager selection, and portfolio construction across public and private markets
• Chief Financial Officer (CFO) — consolidated reporting, tax coordination, partnership accounting, and capital planning
• Chief Operating Officer / Chief of Staff — governance, advisor management, and day-to-day execution
• Head of Private & Direct Investments — sourcing, diligence, and co-investment alongside the family’s mandate
• Controller, Trust & Fiduciary leadership, and Family Governance advisors

Why Palm Beach Families Choose Steward

Families choose Steward for discretion, cultural intelligence, and enduring commitment — the standard that has made Cowen Partners a Forbes-ranked national search firm. Our practice rests on five pillars: confidential by design (formal NDAs and senior-partner oversight from the first conversation); cultural discernment (aligning leadership temperament, governance style, and values); continuity & succession (transitions guided with sensitivity to family dynamics); global network, local reach (discreet mapping across the private enterprise and family office ecosystem); and enduring results (backed by our 365-day replacement guarantee and industry-leading retention rate).

Begin a Confidential Conversation

Steward was founded on partnership and trust. We welcome a confidential conversation about your family office leadership goals in Palm Beach and across South Florida.

Palm Beach Family Office Executive Search — Questions Families Ask

What does a family office executive search firm do?
It recruits the senior leaders — CEO, CIO, CFO, chief of staff — who manage a family’s wealth, investments, and enterprise. Steward runs a confidential, senior-partner-led process built for the governance, privacy, and generational continuity family offices require.

Why is Palm Beach a center for family offices?
Palm Beach and West Palm Beach have absorbed an extraordinary migration of capital and financial talent from New York and the Northeast, with over $1 trillion in assets and roughly 100 financial firms relocating to the area. As principals establish residency, many formalize or expand their family offices.

Do you recruit for single-family and multi-family offices?
Yes — single-family offices, multi-family offices, and private investment offices, from a first professional hire through a full executive bench.

Which South Florida markets do you serve?
Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Jupiter, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Miami Beach, and Naples.