Interviews

Conversations with women about their multiple roles in the family business.

Meghan Juday and Marina Vaughan Spitzy: How Women in Power Balance Bias with Opportunity

Meghan Juday and Marina Vaughan Spitzy: How Women in Power Balance Bias with Opportunity

In this episode, Meghan Juday, Chair of Ideal Industries Inc., governance advisor, and founder of The Lodis Forum, and Marina Vaughan Spitzy, founder of legacy planning firm, Tecolote Advisory, and fifth-generation family business stakeholder, and Ramia El Agamy, Co-Founder of WiFB, discuss the results of their recent study entitled ‘Women in Power’ for which they interviewed near a dozen women who told their stories of bias and success in the family enterprise.

Eva Fischer Hansen: Parting Ways with the Family Business

Eva Fischer Hansen: Parting Ways with the Family Business

In this episode, Eva Fischer Hansen shares the personal and professional hurdles she overcame to safeguard the future of her family’s business, even after the decision to sell had been finalised. She also talks about the values instilled by her father that continue to guide her business decisions, and emphasises how focusing on a family member’s shortcomings rather than their role within the family unit may indicate that it is time to sell the business.

Haleema Al Owais: Turning Adversity into Opportunity

Haleema Al Owais: Turning Adversity into Opportunity

In this episode, Haleema Al Owais talks about the challenges she faced while navigating the UAE’s construction sector at just 23 years old. She shares valuable lessons she learned through adversity and the pivotal steps she took after assuming her leadership position — including opening a family construction firm to mitigate the effects of gender discrimination in the industry.

Muna Al Gurg: Innovation in Family Governance and Business

Muna Al Gurg: Innovation in Family Governance and Business

In this episode, Muna Al Gurg, who is now Vice Chair and Director of Retail for the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group, one of the UAE’s leading diversified conglomerates with a portfolio of over 30 companies, talks about the innovative mindset she believes has always been essential for family businesses to thrive, the new opportunities that exist for firms willing to challenge traditional models, and the ‘three Ps’ that she believes should be the ethos of every family business: Profitability, People, and Purpose.

Marco Ideas Unlimited: Generational Shifts and Entrepreneurial DNA

Marco Ideas Unlimited: Generational Shifts and Entrepreneurial DNA

In this episode, Nancy Gudekunst, President of promotional product speciality company Marco Ideas Unlimited, discusses her unique journey into leadership within the business her mother founded. She delves into the role her own entrepreneurial background played in modernising the operation and managing professional relationships. Nancy also reflects on the challenges of guiding the company through periods of economic uncertainty and the intricacies that arose as the third generation of the family became involved in the business.

Rotana – Preparing for the Unexpected

Rotana – Preparing for the Unexpected

In this episode, Shaikha discusses how investing in the development of people leads to dedication, commitment and, ultimately, success. Shaikha also details the many important lessons she learned from her father, company co-founder, Nasser Al Nowais, and how he helped shape her strength and conviction, especially when facing adversity. Shaikha believes that accessibility and engagement are key to generating the new ideas that businesses need to confront the inevitability of change.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Thermax Ltd: Tackling Outer Pressures with Inner Resolve

Meher Pudumjee, Chairperson of energy and environment solutions company, Thermax Ltd, talks about the lessons she learned working her way up through the family business, and the challenges she faced when her mother unexpectedly asked her to lead it. Despite feeling the pressure of following in the footsteps of her visionary parents, Meher focused on what she believed was one of their greatest gifts to her — the wisdom to make decisions that reflect who she truly is.

Putting People First – How Culture Can Shape Family Business Success

Putting People First – How Culture Can Shape Family Business Success

Cecily McGuckin, CEO of Queensland Steel and Sheet, one of Australia’s longest-running, family-owned steel distributors, talks to us about her extraordinary journey to becoming the first female CEO in Australia’s steel industry, how to build on the first generation’s legacy while managing necessary change, and why a people-centric culture is a winning formula.

Trends and Strategies Shaping Family Businesses’ Future

Trends and Strategies Shaping Family Businesses’ Future

In this episode and article, Karmen Yeung, National Head of KPMG Private Enterprise, KPMG China; Camilla Cullinane, Tax Partner, KPMG Private Enterprise, KPMG Ireland; and Robyn Langsford, Partner in Charge, Family Business and Private Clients, KPMG Private Enterprise, KPMG Australia, explore Trends and Strategies Shaping Family Businesses’ Future, how family businesses are responding globally, and the foundational approaches that can lead to success.