Events
The Challenge
To build a successful multi-generational family business or family office is to beat the odds; few businesses survive in family hands to the second generation and of these, under one-in-ten reach the third generation.
Any family business or family office faces unique issues, not least because the family itself may be a source both of strength and of additional complexity. How can your family avoid these pitfalls?
The Solution
The Family Business Forum is designed exclusively for family members with major family firms or family offices. At it, you will discover the solutions to your unresolved issues, by hearing from and working with business families from every continent.
What makes the Forum different is its emphasis on live family cases in table-sized groups. Firstly, you hear from a family about a real-life challenge they faced; next, in groups, you discuss what you might have done in their place; finally, you learn directly from the family about what they actually did.
World-class family business teachers, writers and consultants help facilitate discussions, draw broader lessons and contribute their own presentations.
The Family Business Forum
This intensive, dynamic and highly-enjoyable conference is led by top family business expert Peter Leach of Imperial College London. It is built around in-depth, live cases during which leading business families agree to share their hard earned experience in live family cases.
The final part of the Forum is devoted exclusively to a peer-to-peer advice workshop. This is the opportunity for you to seek advice on whatever questions are on your mind, by learning from the other families in a table-sized discussion group, together with practical advice from the facilitator.
Maintaining Family-to-Family connections
After the Forum, families are encouraged to stay in contact to share experiences and so make their different family business journeys all the easier.
The next Family Business Forum will be in the 25th Anniversary year since the founding of Loedstar. It will take place over two full days on Tuesday-Wednesday, May 14-15, 2024, in the George V Hall at The Bloomsbury hotel, London.
Please see below for fuller details of the speakers, live family cases and discussion workshops.
Founder and Chairman, Peter Leach Associates Ltd.
Author “Family Enterprises, The Essentials”
After the group work, Conor will explain what the family actually did, including developing a collective vision based on a Roche Family Partnership. It included creating a family constitution, communication training, early transition of ownership from G2 to G3 and developing a family office. In the Q&A session, Conor will be joined by one of his siblings to bring the perspective of a non-executive family owner.
Former General Manager, Corporate Human Resources, Zamil Group
Dr. Basma Al Zamil, a third generation family leader, will outline the family’s dilemma at that time. Next, Forum participants will be asked to suggest solutions to different aspects of family training and development, based on their own experiences
She will be joined by a fourth generation Zamil family member to discuss their innovative Generation-to-Generation (G2G) programme (designed for family members between the ages of six years old and young adult).
Andy Rubin, member of the third generation and Deputy Chair of the Pentland Group, will outline this history before setting discussion tasks for the table-sized groups within the themes of family influence, leadership and culture.
In the next part of the case, Andy will outline the company’s unique culture, recognized by awards including “Best Corporate Workplace in the UK” and the “2017 IMD/FBN Global Family Business Award”. He will explain how family ownership, with its direct influence on a firm’s culture and values, can be used as a key competitive advantage. In a closing discussion with Peter Leach, Andy will be joined by his son Charlie Rubin, a fourth generation (G4) family member who has been with the Group for five years.
Author of “Talk Lean: Shorter meetings. Quicker results. Better relations.”
This session will introduce you to a simple set of verbal frameworks and principles which allow you to be consistently direct yet respectful, concise yet courteous, concrete yet empathetic - whatever the context, whatever the relationship.
Alan Palmer and his colleagues at Interactifs have taught their innovative Talk Lean approach to thousands of executives in multiple countries, including at leading family firms and top business schools. To illustrate some of the key principles, Alan will run a role play, using Talk Lean principles to prepare for and hold a difficult family business meeting effectively.
In advance of the event, you will be asked to suggest or select topics that are on your mind. At the workshop, you will be allocated to a table-sized discussion group, along with others who are interested in the same topic (members of the same family will be on different tables).
Firstly, you will seek advice on your chosen topic, by drawing on the hard-earned experience of the other families at your table. Peter Leach will then bring the room together to draw broader conclusions. Finally, Peter will answer any outstanding questions, so that you return home with next steps for whatever challenges you may be facing.
Case Studies
Retail and distribution (Ireland)
In a large family, with few in the business, how can the family remain committed to the business?
Forum helped family realise the risks of future shareholders with limited understanding or connections to the firm
Second generation (Middle East)
Pre-empt future problems
Identified predictable future issues; jointly created a family constitution to address them early
Multi-generational retail business (Europe)
Many family members but few in the business; reducing emotional connection between family and firm
Hearing from another family encouraged them to create a detailed family constitution that defines how everyone can be involved
Diversified (Middle East)
Former Family CEO who has handed on key responsibilities finding it hard to let go and risking creating tensions
Confidential discussions arranged with elders from other firms who had successfully changed their role. This led to a creative solution that suited everyone