Governing Family Enterprises

Enhance Your Board's Effectiveness

If your family company has or will have sibling and cousin shareholders, this is the program for you. The Kellogg School recognizes the specialized knowledge and skills needed to govern a complex family business effectively. This highly interactive and collaborative program is designed to enhance your family’s capacity to tackle the challenge of continuity.

In this program, you will learn to differentiate the roles and responsibilities of owners, family members (in and out of management), independent directors, and executives, and acquire skills necessary to build trust and govern the family enterprise successfully. You will learn how to articulate a common vision for the enterprise and involve your key stakeholders collaboratively in the design of a governance architecture for the future.

The case studies used in the program and, indeed, many of the participants who will be your peers, are from some of the oldest and most respected family companies in the world. Taught by senior Kellogg School faculty who are leading experts in family business governance and who themselves serve as advisors and directors of “Best in Class” family companies globally, this program will inspire you to engage in the challenges facing your family enterprise.

Featured Faculty Video

• Professor John Ward and Ivan Lansberg

What Past Participants Say

• "The program is very well structured and organized. It offers many new ideas about family governance structures. The quality of the faculty is excellent. It is a great opportunity to share and exchange points of view with other family companies."
  Chairman, Agrolimen, Spain
• "Your program was the most meaningful and beneficial experience I have ever had - and not just in the realm of family business, either. From the breadth and depth of the material covered, to the outstanding group of participants involved, to the structure of the program that maximized the efficiency of every second we were there, it was simply fantastic!"
  Shareholder, Pella Corporation, U.S.A.
• "I want to express my strong feelings of satisfaction for the high quality of the seminar on Family Business we just attended. Even our highest expectations were exceeded."
  Board Vice-President, Grupo Gerdau, Brazil
• "This was without a doubt the most relevant, stimulating, creatively productive learning exercise I have ever experienced!"
  Chairman, Demco, Inc., U.S.A.
• "The ability to work with lecturers who lead in this field and to mix with individuals who are facing the same issues and challenges created a highly stimulating environment."
  Chairman, Ogier & Le Masurier, Advocates & Solicitors, United Kingdom
• "This program gave me hope that despite the concentration of power in our family, a change in vision and governance structure can change the company's decision making process, and therefore its direction."
  Shareholder, Intermatic Incorporated, U.S.A.
• "The quality of the program attracted a diverse and highly talented group. The combination of high quality curriculum and experienced participants created tremendous take-home value."
  Family President, Laird Norton Company LLC, U.S.A.
• "This was an extremely well-planned and delivered program. It provided me with a mirror with which to look at our company critically."
  Board of Directors Member, Merweoord B.V., Holland

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