Over the years, the Chair of Family-Owned Business has written extensively about one central idea: strong families don’t automatically evolve into strong owners. Solid values, commitment and a long-term perspective are real advantages of family ownership, but they only translate into sustainable performance when supported by robust governance. In many family firms, governance issues might […]
Bodegas Pradorey: where tradition meets innovation
Fernando Rodríguez de Rivera is the general director of Bodegas Pradorey, a winery located in Spain’s Royal Site of Ventosilla. Here he shares Pradorey’s “long and winding” 30-year path to success as one of the most renowned Ribera del Duero wineries. Pradorey can’t be understood without mentioning the Royal Site of Ventosilla, where the winery […]
Session with Nobel Laureate Bengt Holmström
Bengt Holmström is an MIT professor and the recipient of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Economics. In his recent remarks at the 2021 IESE-ECGI Corporate Governance Conference, he warns of a data-driven tsunami that will radically change how businesses operate and structure their corporate governance systems. Don’t miss this thought-provoking session! Video Session with Bengt […]
Collaborative philanthropy: possibility or pipe dream?
Organizations and business leaders around the world always stress the importance of teamwork but in the realm of philanthropy, most people act alone. Yet as the world’s challenges become increasingly complex and interconnected, a joint approach might be more effective to promote the common good than “going solo.” But is collective philanthropy a viable option? […]
Family members in leadership roles: when emotions eclipse meritocracy
The roles that family members want, can and should play in the family business is a central issue that firms need to address as they evolve and new generations enter their leadership ranks. Yet emotions can blur objectivity and unduly influence the decision-making process. Emotions can also run high in families, which makes decisions in […]
Are family firms really more socially responsible?
For socially responsible firms, corporate performance is more than financial statements and shareholder returns. Looking beyond the balance sheet, they aspire to serve all stakeholders, from employees, customers and suppliers, to local communities and society at large. In the realm of family-owned firms, a core dimension of this focus is socioemotional wealth (SEW), which refers […]
Nobel laureate Bengt Holmström: “We see signs of a tsunami”
In early October, IESE’s Madrid campus welcomed scholars and guests – both in person and online – to the 2021 IESE-ECGI Corporate Governance Conference, an annual event that gathers some of the foremost experts in management and economics. On the first day of the conference, I had the great honor of moderating a panel session […]
Osborne Group: 8 generations of passion and drive
As the head of Osborne Group’s institutional relations, Carla Terry Osborne leads initiatives to foster pride of belonging among the company’s 330-plus shareholders, including Osborne’s broad calendar of events to commemorate its 250th anniversary in 2022. I joined Grupo Osborne in 2016 as head of corporate public relations and communication for the Osborne Foundation. Before […]
Do we have an ownership strategy?
In our 2012 book Genesis of the Board, José María Navarro-Rubio and I explore the concurrence of three distinct spheres in family-controlled firms – ownership, business and management – which business owners must address in parallel. First is the ownership strategy, which outlines the owners’ vision in terms of the type of company they aspire […]
Baerlocher: Building on nearly 200 years of success
Michael Rosenthal joined Baerlocher in 1976 and served as its CEO from 1980 to 2004, when he became chairman of the board. Founded in Bavaria in 1823, the firm is a leading supplier of plastic additives, with operations in 14 countries and more than 1,150 employees. In this article, he describes his experiences at its […]
A sense of purpose in family-owned firms
“The importance of serving stakeholders and embracing purpose is becoming increasingly central to the way that companies understand their role in society. A company cannot achieve long-term profits without embracing purpose and considering the needs of a broad range of stakeholders.” – Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock This powerful message, directed at the […]
