Chris Tomas
Business Advisory Director, Partner
Chris Tomas serves as Business Advisory Director at Creative Planning Business Services, where he leads the firm’s M&A advisory practice and oversees its turnaround and restructuring division, formerly known as Alliance Management. With more than 33 years of professional experience—including over two decades focused on bankruptcy, insolvency, and complex financial matters—Chris brings a strategic, solution-oriented approach to guiding middle-market companies through critical transitions.
Throughout his career, Chris has served in a wide range of leadership and fiduciary roles, including Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Restructuring Officer (CRO), Chief Compliance Officer (CCO), Restructuring Advisor, Receiver, Assignee, Liquidating Agent, and Expert Witness. He has worked with debtors, creditor committees, trustees, and other stakeholders across numerous industries, including manufacturing, construction, transportation, aerospace, financial services, real estate, healthcare, agriculture, retail, and wholesale distribution. His clients have ranged in size from $10 million to over $2 billion in annual revenue.
In his M&A advisory role, Chris has been instrumental in expanding Creative Planning’s transactional capabilities, advising clients on both buy-side and sell-side engagements. Under his leadership, Creative Planning Business Services has more than doubled in size and now operates offices in Minneapolis, Denver, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Kansas City, serving clients nationwide.
Chris is a three-time recipient of the Turnaround Management Association’s Transaction of the Year Award, including:
2015 – Minnesota Chapter 2016 – National Small Company Transaction of the Year 2024 – Minnesota Chapter
Before joining Creative Planning, Chris spent 11 years with RBC and its subsidiaries, most recently serving as CFO of RBC’s mutual fund complex. Earlier in his career, he held senior finance and accounting roles with a national financial services firm.
Chris holds both a Bachelor of Business Administration (1992) and an MBA (2001) from the University of St. Thomas. A former CPA, he has been an active member of the Turnaround Management Association (TMA) for over 20 years and was selected to serve on a legislative advisory committee focused on revising Minnesota’s receivership statute.
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