Northern Trust Wealth Management has appointed Beata Kirr as chief investment officer of its Global Family Office division, the firm announced Monday. Kirr, who brings 17 years of experience at Bernstein Private Wealth Management and earlier stints at Goldman Sachs and Aurora, will oversee portfolio construction and deliver investment insights to the unit's more than 550 families, each with an average net worth above $1 billion.
The hire comes as family offices worldwide are professionalizing at a rapid clip. Knight Frank's 2026 Wealth Report, released last week, estimates the number of family offices globally is approaching 10,000, growing at roughly 5% annually—faster than the global economy. The report also noted that these entities are increasingly moving beyond simple capital preservation, recruiting in-house specialists and targeting more complex, value-add investment strategies.
In her new role, Kirr will lead the investment strategy for Northern Trust's fastest-growing wealth management segment. The Global Family Office division has seen rising demand for expertise in private markets, multigenerational planning, and sophisticated asset allocation, according to Dino De Vita, president of the unit. "Family offices today are navigating increasingly complex portfolios, private markets exposure and multigenerational planning challenges," De Vita said in a statement. "Beata brings a disciplined approach to asset allocation, manager selection and portfolio construction, grounded in years of advising sophisticated investors."
Kirr joins Northern Trust from The Copia Group, a direct lending private credit firm, where she served as managing director and chief impact officer. Prior to that, she spent 17 years at Bernstein Private Wealth Management, rising to co-chief investment officer and national managing director, where she expanded investment offerings and drove thought leadership. Earlier in her career, she held roles at Aurora (formerly Harris Alternatives) and Goldman Sachs. She holds an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and a bachelor's degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Kirr's appointment is the latest in a series of senior leadership moves at Northern Trust Wealth Management. In December, the firm named Eric Freedman, formerly of US Bank, as chief investment officer of its broader private wealth business, replacing Katie Nixon, who had held that post since 2012 and moved into a regional leadership role overseeing the Northeast. The wealth management division held $497.6 billion in assets under management as of March 31.
The ultra-high-net-worth segment continues to expand. Knight Frank's report found that the global population of individuals worth $30 million or more reached 713,626 in 2026, with 41% of newly minted members of that cohort based in the US—underscoring the scale of the domestic market that Northern Trust's family office division is targeting. As ultra-high-net-worth clients demand credit, planning, and investment depth, family offices are increasingly turning to specialized providers.
Beyond her investment career, Kirr has served on multiple boards, including as an independent director and chair of the nominating and governance committee for Nomura's Active ETF Delaware Trust. Her appointment also aligns with broader trends in the wealth management industry, where wealthy families are shifting to private markets and family firms as the $124 trillion wealth transfer accelerates.
Northern Trust Corporation, the Chicago-based parent company founded in 1889, reported $18.6 trillion in assets under custody and administration and $1.8 trillion in assets under management as of March 31. The firm's Global Family Office division is a key growth driver, and Kirr's hire signals a continued focus on serving the complex needs of the ultra-wealthy.
