Corient today announced that Summit Trail Advisors (“Summit Trail”), a registered investment advisor focused exclusively on serving ultra-high-net-worth clients, will join Corient. Headquartered in New York, Summit Trail manages more than $21 billion in assets on behalf of a select group of individuals, families, and institutions.

Founded in 2015, Summit Trail is an independent advisor purpose-built to serve ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families whose complex financial needs have outgrown traditional wealth management. The firm acts as an outsourced family office and chief investment officer, delivering wealth and estate planning, integrated investment management across public and private markets, and family office services through team-based advisory practices.

“The decision by a firm of Summit Trail’s caliber to join Corient serves as meaningful validation of our firm’s quality and the differentiated value of our private partnership structure and business model,” said Kurt MacAlpine, Founding Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Corient. “Summit Trail is an exceptional firm, with exceptional people. With their deep experience in ultra-high-net-worth advisory, the Summit Trail team will be a strong addition to our partnership, extending our expertise and broadening our client relationships across the country.”

“Corient was the clear choice for our firm and, most importantly our clients,” said Jack Petersen, Managing Partner of Summit Trail. “What drew us to Corient was its partnership model –the only one of its kind in wealth management — and the collaboration it fosters across the organization. The culture of shared ownership reinforces the client-first philosophy that has always guided our firm, while giving us access to extensive capabilities, deep resources and global scale to deliver an even better experience to sophisticated clients.”

Summit Trail was founded by Mr. Petersen, Dave Romhilt, Tom Palecek, John Scarborough and Peter Lee. Today, the firm is led by its co-founders and a team of partners and colleagues operating in major metropolitan U.S. markets, including New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Seattle, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Newport Beach, California, and Portland, Oregon.

Upon closing, Summit Trail principals will become Corient Partners. Corient, established in 2020, operates under a client-first approach with complete fee transparency. Corient is distinguished in wealth management by its private partnership model, similar to those used by leading professional services firms. The structure gives clients access to the full breadth of expertise and resources across Corient rather than depending on a single advisor. Since its founding, Corient has grown to include more than 300 partners and over 2,700 employees managing approximately US$556 billion globally on behalf of ultra-high- and high-net-worth individuals, families and businesses.

The terms of the transaction, which is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, were not disclosed. Ardea Partners LP is serving as exclusive financial advisor and Seward & Kissel LLP is serving as legal counsel to Summit Trail. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is serving as exclusive financial advisor and Sidley Austin LLP is serving as legal counsel to Corient.

About Corient

Corient is the world’s largest multi-family office and non-bank wealth manager focused on serving ultra-high- and high-net-worth clients. As the industry’s only global professional services partnership, we combine the personal service and objectivity of a boutique with the scale and resources of a global institution. Our partnership model fosters collaboration over competition, bringing together the collective expertise of Corient to each relationship to deliver a transparent, client-first experience. As a fully integrated global firm, we deliver comprehensive solutions across investment management, wealth strategy and family office services to help clients simplify their lives, manage their wealth and establish lasting legacies. For more information, visit corient.com.

Corient refers to affiliated entities under common control of Corient Global HoldCo Limited.

Corient client assets reflect the aggregate assets of Corient Global HoldCo Limited (“HoldCo”) and include assets in which HoldCo has a majority or minority ownership interest, as well as assets from transactions that have been signed, but not yet closed and are subject to regulatory approvals. Firm assets related to HoldCo are current as of June 30, 2026. Firm statistics, including partner and employee headcount, are as of June 30, 2026. Summit Trail assets are as of March 31, 2026. Data reflect varying as of dates due to differing reporting cycles. Services are provided only in jurisdictions where authorized and may not be available in all locations or for all client types.

Media gallery

About The Author
Business Wire