Global Family Enterprise
Mental Health Report

The Global Family Enterprise Mental Health Report is a first-of-its-kind study exploring mental health conditions among business families and their implications for the enterprise.

Drawing on survey responses from 246 family enterprise members in 37 countries, the report offers new insights into the prevalence of mental health conditions among respondents, how these conditions can affect business operations, and the impact on the broader enterprise.

The research project is a collaboration between the Global Family Business Center at IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland, the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute (FELI) at the University of Ottawa, Canada, and the world’s leading organization of business families, Family Business Network (FBN).

Mental health conditions were frequently reported. More than half of respondents reported that a family member had been diagnosed with a mental health condition and/or learning disability, while nearly one-third reported having received such a diagnosis themselves.

Awareness decreases at the enterprise level. While close family members were often aware of a condition, awareness dropped sharply within the ownership group, suggesting that mental health conditions largely remain unknown within the group responsible for governance and strategic direction.

The enterprise is impacted. Most respondents reported their mental health condition impacted the family enterprise. Effects were reported to be highest in the ownership group, business operations, and the board.

A governance issue, not just a personal one. The findings position mental health as a family enterprise governance and continuity challenge that requires informed policies and proactive planning.

Report preview

With a goal towards offering research-backed guidance, the report proposes a set of practical approaches that may be applicable across a range of situations within enterprising families.

The Global Family Enterprise Mental Health Report is the first phase of a larger, multi-phase research project exploring the implications of mental health conditions for enterprising families and family enterprises.

Download the full report to explore the first global research into mental health in family enterprises and its implications for ownership, governance, leadership, and continuity.

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Leading your Family Office

Helps families of wealth set up and sustainably govern their own Single Family Office.

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Authored by:

Elizabeth Tetzlaff, Peter Jaskiewicz, Peter Vogel, Katrina Barclay, and Alexis du Roy du Blicquy

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