Happy Families: The unifying force of philanthropy
Philanthropy can have a powerful galvanizing effect on the broader family business ecosystem – but extracting the greatest benefit requires making trade-offs...
Family business
How to identify and engage the next generation of wealth owners
$124tn is being passed down to the next generation, prompting a profound succession dilemma in family enterprises. Here are six steps families should take to identify and engage the next generation of...
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How ‘social dividend’ ensures unity down the generations
February 15, 2023 • by Anouk Lavoie Orlick, Peter Vogel in Family business • 7 min read
Based in Colombia, Carvajal SA is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of paper notebooks. For more than 30 years, all family members have been given free or heavily subsidized access to...
How to win the generation game and avoid a succession of problems
February 9, 2023 • by Sabine Rau, Peter Jaskiewicz in Family business • 7 min read
Ensuring a smooth transition of a family enterprise starts with answering the questions of the next in line, write Peter Jaskiewicz and Sabine B Rau...
What fictional family dramas can teach us about real life
February 1, 2023 • by Kimberly A. Eddleston in Family business • 5 min read
Family businesses seem to be made for the movies and television. They have everything: success, power and riches, as well as dysfunction and drama. Most are a caricature of reality, but nonetheless...
In times of transition, allow emotions to enter the room
Emotions are not often talked about in most organizations and yet they are a significant factor in every decision made. Neuroscience and behavioral economics have clearly demonstrated that we are emotional beings...
The anatomy of a merger: ensuring the long-term future of a family firm
To sell, merge, list or delist is a difficult decision that many business-owning families face at some point. Peter Vogel reflects on just such a turning point in the history of Firmenich,...
In turbulent times, family enterprises must reinvent and renew to survive
January 13, 2023 • by Peter Vogel in Family business • 15 min read
Family businesses have been traditionally hard-wired for longevity and stewardship, seeking to preserve and grow wealth across generations. This patient approach offers transferable lessons for all organizations navigating uncertain times. But family...
How Twitter is redefining the family-run business
January 5, 2023 • by Arturo Bris in Family business • 4 min read
In a context in which private equity is infiltrating family-run businesses, Twitter could be considered the latest rendition of the family-run firm....
A passionate investment
December 15, 2022 • by Christina Gaw in Family business • 8 min read
Gaw Capital, a real estate investment firm, was set up by two brothers and a friend from university in 2005. Three years later, their banker sister Christina Gaw accepted an offer to...
The silent but powerful investor: the evolution of the family office
As family offices grow in popularity and expand into riskier investments, families should take a holistic view of their whole ecosystem to build a healthy future for themselves and society, argues family...
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