On May 30, we welcomed nearly 200 owners and leaders of family-owned firms to our Barcelona campus for the 2nd annual IESE-IEF Family Business Forum for Reflection. Under the theme “Building the Future: Key Moments in the Evolution of the Family Business,” the event featured a roster of top-caliber speakers from diverse companies and industries,…

The phenomenom of financial activism has broadened its reach, no longer reserved for U.S.-based companies or large multinationals. More and more, activist funds–especially hedge funds–are buying stakes in companies they consider “mismanaged” or under-optimized, aiming to force changes in their strategy and governance, and in some cases, even their shareholder structure. Hedge funds and family…

When I meet a business family, I usually start by asking about their values. With one notable exception, when my query was answered with a portfolio of stock market investments–naturally I had to redirect the conversation–most open up by sharing their personal values and those they hold as a family. In my dealings with successful,…

In an era increasingly defined by frequent adverse natural events and economic uncertainty, the European Union’s latest step toward integrating ecosystem restoration into market-based frameworks—the development of a Nature Credit system—marks a conceptual and regulatory shift with profound implications. Emerging under the stewardship of Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall and initially proposed by Commission President Ursula…