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Case Study

Entrepreneurial philanthropy: “Be a non-conformist”

By Joachim Schwass, John L. Ward and Colleen Lief

7 pages

August 2007

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Reference: IMD-3-1743

Raymundo Leal, a self-made Mexican businessman, turned 50 in 1994. The first 25 years of his life were spent educating himself and getting married. The next 25 were devoted to building a business and raising a family. Would he spend the last part of his life as he had the previous 25 years? Should he continue accumulating money that, according to his lifestyle, he would never use? He asked himself – Is this all there is to life? Would inheriting money be the best legacy he could pass along to his children? Perhaps leaving the leadership of his company and devoting himself to Mexico’s poor with smart, effective charitable giving would be the best use of his time. There were serious ramifications to such radical change. Who would lead the business if he were to devote himself to philanthropy? How would his family react to this shift in priorities and the resulting financial implications?

Learning Objective

Identifying an individual path to philanthropy; Family business succession transitions; Exploring philanthropy (or family office or family governance) as a way to maintain family cohesion and direction.

Keywords

Settings

Mexico
1990 - 2007

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

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