IMD business school for management and leadership courses

Founded in 1920 as a modest trading house in the Arabian Gulf, Zamil Group has grown into one of the Middle East’s most diversified business groups, with activities spanning manufacturing, petrochemicals, real estate and investments. As the portfolio expanded and some operating companies were listed or divested, the family gradually shifted from…

Though little-known outside of its home country of France, the Mulliez family enterprise is one of the largest privately held business networks in the world. The Association Familiale Mulliez (AFM) unites over 1,000 family shareholders and oversees a portfolio of more than 90 companies operating across retail, services and other sectors. Its fla…

Case B of the Mulliez Family Business case series examines the family’s entrepreneurial ‘DNA’: the unique set of characteristics that have enabled the Association Familiale Mulliez (AFM) to successfully nurture the ventures of the next generations. Case B picks up in the 1990s, as the Mulliez family renews its focus on entrepreneurship. It first…

City Developments Limited (CDL), one of Singapore’s largest listed property developers, had been a cornerstone of the Kwek family business empire in Singapore since 1972. With an enterprise value of S$19.5 billion (US$15.1 billion) in January 2026, CDL operated across 168 locations in 29 countries. The company’s success was rooted in the vision …

From its origins as a manufacturer of hospital equipment for the Indian market, Thermax has grown into a multinational corporation operating in 90 countries, offering integrated solutions in heating, cooling, power generation, water treatment and recycling, air pollution control, and chemicals with a focus on ensuring clean air, clean energy and…

YCH Group, a pioneering family-owned logistics company in Asia evolved from a small transport business into a regional leader in supply chain solutions focused on e-commerce, the Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics. This remarkable transformation was thanks to executive chairman Dr Robert Yap, a visionary who was fond of disruption and who rem…

The Handtmann case examines the co-CEO leadership model in the context of family business. Based on interviews with three key executives – the co-CEOs and the President of the Advisory Board – the case focuses on how Handtmann handled the leadership transition to the next generation. In Case B of “Co-CEOs at Handtmann: Can the Family Business be…

The Handtmann case examines the co-CEO leadership model in the context of family business. Based on interviews with three key executives – the co-CEOs and the president of the advisory board – the case focuses on how Handtmann handled the leadership transition to the next generation. Starting with a history of the five generations at the head o…

BARCELONA, JANUARY 2023. What started in 2016 as a humble entrepreneurial attempt to contribute to a more sustainable future had turned into a solid eyewear brand present in major Western markets. François van den Abeele was even more excited by the rapid development of the Sea2see Foundation, which he set up in Ghana. But success brought its ow…

Founded by Lim Hock Chee in 1985, Sheng Siong has evolved from a humble grocery store into a leading supermarket chain in Singapore, renowned for its cost-effective pricing and commitment to customer satisfaction. Mr Lim’s unique philosophy, which emphasizes self-cultivation, perseverance and positivity, has been instrumental in shaping Sheng Si…

This case highlights Ragn-Sells’ remarkable journey from facing financial difficulties to establishing itself as a global authority on the circular economy and sustainability. In 2015, Pär Larshans joined the Swedish waste management company during a period of financial uncertainty, prompting a re-evaluation of its business strategy. Through a c…

Unyarat Pornprakit (Unya) is the youthful chief executive officer of Jubilee Enterprise PLC, a diamond jewelry retailer. Since Unya became CEO in 2008, she has expanded the chain to 128 stores and grown the revenue to $400 million. She has managed to deliver record earnings for 12 straight years. Unya’s father began the process of professionaliz…

The Carvajal case is based on interviews with four family members and executives of Carvajal S.A., one of Latin America’s leading family businesses. The case focuses on how, over the span of 120 years, the Carvajal family built a holistic family enterprise to govern both its business and its family ownership structure. The system includes the ty…

On 7 October 2020, the employees of Raya, an Egyptian holding company, received an email that sent shockwaves across the entire firm. The board had just announced that Medhat Khalil, Raya’s co-founder, primary shareholder and long-serving CEO, would be stepping down after 21 years, leaving the position to his son Ahmed Khalil, who was just under…

Without much family discussion, PDJ put majority ownership of Grundfos into the Poul Due Jensen Foundation in 1975. His family would receive a 15% stake in the company. This ownership stake was important, since by Danish law, the company could be sold if family ownership fell below 10%. The 8-member foundation board would oversee the company’s l…