Continuing Education
Interview with Yannis Eggert: challenges, solutions and training for family offices
September 1, 2025
Yannis Eggert is a lecturer at ISFB for the Family Officer certificate program, and shares his rich background and vision of the profession. From investment management to the emotional dimension of family wealth, he explains how this program trains professionals capable of meeting the complex challenges of family offices while developing a solid, practical network.
Yannis Eggert, you are a lecturer at ISFB, where you teach the ISFB Family Officer certificate. Can you tell us about your experience as a lecturer?
I have the privilege of sharing my field experience with passionate and committed professionals. This role allows me not only to pass on knowledge, but also to interact with participants from a wide range of backgrounds, which greatly enriches the discussions. I particularly appreciate the ISFB approach, which encourages interaction. For me, teaching in this context is a constant source of intellectual and human stimulation.
Can you tell us about your academic and professional background?
I began my career at Banque Cantonale de Genève as an apprentice, where I obtained my CFC at the end of the real estate crisis of the 90s. I then worked as an assistant credit manager in the Régies et Investisseurs immobiliers department. An opportunity arose when EFG Bank asked me to develop credit policy for real estate financing in Switzerland, the Bahamas, the Côte d'Azur, London and Singapore. This experience, marked by the subprime crisis and the collapse of Lehman Brothers, was a real springboard in my career. At the same time, I attended USPI courses to learn more about the real estate business.
Subsequently, I headed the Credit Operations department at Barclays Wealth for the EMEA region. In 2013, I chose to refocus on the local market by joining CIC Banque Privée as a Relationship Manager specializing in credit. In 2018, I co-founded Resolve, a mortgage finance brokerage that now has over 50 employees in 8 branches in Switzerland.
I recently joined Banque Piguet Galland as a financing specialist, assisting customers with their global financing projects with a family office approach.
What do you see as the major challenges facing family offices today?
In an ever-changing economic environment, tax engineering, wealth structuring and estate planning are essential foundations. If not properly mastered, these elements can have significant consequences.
However, I am convinced that the real levers of value creation for Large Families lie in three key areas: investment management (liquid securities and real estate assets), financing respectively leverage, and the management of illiquid investments, notably private equity. These strategic areas enable us to build long-term, intergenerational assets.
Managing a family estate requires a wide range of skills, as we can see from the various modules we explore. It's an illusion to think that all this expertise can be brought together in a single family office. It is therefore essential to surround yourself with reliable, specialized partners on whom you can truly rely.
Finally, an often underestimated but fundamental aspect is the emotional dimension. Harmonizing visions, facilitating collective decision-making and managing the sensitivities of each family member represent a major challenge. In many ways, it's akin to corporate governance: without a clear vision or structured framework, tensions build up and problems multiply.
The ISFB Family Officer certificate will start soon (October 2025). How can this program offer concrete solutions? What, in your opinion, are the strengths and specific features that make this program so rich and valuable?
This program provides concrete answers to the complex challenges facing family offices. One of the richnesses of this program is the quality of the speakers: recognized experts with solid experience in the field, who share knowledge that is rarely accessible elsewhere.
I'm lucky enough to be able to make a modest contribution, and above all to learn a great deal from these specialists. The diversity of subjects covered enables participants to develop a global vision of the business, while building a solid network on which they can draw in their practice.
