Family Business

Philanthropic foundations are combining resources to tackle grand challenges and increase impact. Peter Vogel and Malgorzata Smulowitz explain how one collaboration sets an example for others in giving, and beyond.

Nine out of every ten employees globally work for a private business, and their capitalization and turnover dwarf those of list companies — but their challenge for the future is not only doing good, but to be seen to be doing good.

In many ways, overconfidence is advantageous to business owners — but it also carries risks. Taking the time to become aware of how you think and being mindful of the stories you tell about your firm will help you mitigate against disaster.

The strategic use of the past in firms is more complex than previously thought, but also more powerful and could even boost innovation, according to new research.

Fourth-generation family members Dato’ Yong Yoon Li, the Managing Director, and Chen Tien Yue, the Executive Director, explain how drafting a ‘family charter’ and creating opportunities for social bonding has helped Royal Selangor navigate some of…

IMD’s Peter Vogel outlines three lessons that non-family leaders can learn from the Sika takeover battle.

Signaling affiliation with well-known members of the global elite could be a useful way to smooth the international expansion of family firms, a new paper suggests.

IMD’s Peter Vogel and Martin Liechti of the Cambridge Family Enterprise Group demystify the concept of the family office, explore emerging trends in the field of dynastic wealth, and share insights into the best ways to safeguard your family legac…

The baby boomer generation is leaving the workplace. This raises the inevitable issue of succession for first-generation family business entrepreneurs, says Simon Minder.

From the rise of wealth creation in Asia to the challenges posed by volatile financial sectors – the complexities, strategies, and considerations for families venturing into the world of specialized wealth management.

Alexa Firmenich is one of a new wave of philanthropists seeking to transform the way societies operate through purpose-led, professional interventions. In this interview, Peter Vogel explores how philanthropy has shifted from traditional charitabl…

Philanthropy can have a powerful galvanizing effect on the broader family business ecosystem – but extracting the greatest benefit requires making trade-offs

Susanne Stein, managing partner of Vienna’s MANZ Publishers, explains how she harnessed Artificial Intelligence to transform the company from a traditional publishing house to a cutting-edge online legal publisher.

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 who happen to think, rather than t…

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, a 127-year-old Swiss family business which earlier this ye…

In a context in which private equity is infiltrating family-run businesses, Twitter could be considered the latest rendition of the family-run firm.

The Wallenberg sphere operates in about 180 countries and its holdings generate a total of $160bn of annual revenue. But Marcus Wallenberg, chairman of the family holding company, explains to Jean-François Manzoni why working for the benefit of hi…

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 education, healthcare, and housing. Cristina Carvajal, p…

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 fam…

It’s too early to tell which of the current wave of successful enterprises will turn out to be built to last, but the creation of family-led giants in the mold of Tata or Ford seems unlikely in an ICT-driven business landscape.

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 some useful themes emerge. Kimberly Eddleston, a …

After the controversy surrounding rap star Ye’s anti-Semitic comments, the sportswear giant adidas found itself under the spotlight for historical links to the Nazi regime. Lindsay Krasnoff explains how a legacy company can reframe the narrative.

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

Innovation and the pursuit of excellence are driving the success of Saudi family enterprise Obeikan Investment Group (OIG). Chief Executive Abdallah Al-Obeikan talks to Hischam El-Agamy about the company’s digital transformation journey and his mi…