Women in Family Business
From successfully navigating financial crises to pioneering innovative strategies, women in family businesses are showing us ways to safeguard their family’s legacy and ensure the growth and success of their companies for generations to come. Their stories highlight the resilience and determination of female leadership while illustrating the enduring power and strength of the family unit.
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.
In this collection of quotes, the wisdom, insights, and stories shared by these incredible women encapsulate the challenges they faced, the triumphs they celebrated, and the lessons they learned along the way.
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.
Women in Family Business (WiFB) is delighted to announce our collaboration with leading private banking partner First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) to launch a new series under the theme “Leadership and Innovation in the Family Enterprise”.
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.
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.
This episode is brought to you by A recent report by the International Energy Agency projects that renewable energy will become the largest global source of electricity by 2025 – that’s enough energy to power all of China in 5 years. Considering this revelation, it’s becoming increasingly hard to […]
In this episode, Smruti Sriram, CEO of leading sustainable packaging and merchandise manufacturer Supreme Creations/Bag of Ethics, provides a unique perspective on how her ethically driven family business continues to innovate and adapt in an era of change while remaining true to its core principles. Even when confronting today’s challenging uncertainties, Smruti believes respect and kindness is the strategy that brings success both in leadership and life.
An Interview with Marina Vaughan Spitzy, Director and Founder of Tecolote Advisory A recent UBS study revealed that 59% of widows and divorcees regret not being involved in long-term financial planning when they were married, and 98% would advise other women to take an active role in finances immediately [1]. […]
Li Tan, Chief Strategy Officer of Asia Green Group, Co-Founder of Rare Whiskey Holdings, and Co-Founder of Audacy Ventures, discusses the expectations next-generation members confront after joining the family business, what lessons they can draw from building their own business, and the crucial role communication plays in enabling healthy family-work relationships.
These ten women succeeded their fathers at some of the most successful and iconic family businesses around the world.