A project by Women in Family Business, in collaboration with Tecolote Advisory and Marina Vaughan Spitzy
Some are born to greatness. Others have it thrust upon them. And some quietly redefine it, one choice at a time.
We’ve met them in boardrooms, across kitchen tables, at family gatherings, and in the spaces in between. Women who carry responsibility, sometimes eagerly, sometimes reluctantly, and shape the future of their family enterprises with resilience, care, and quiet conviction. Yet too often, their stories remain untold.
Hear from Marina and Ramia on why this project matters so much:
Beat the silence by taking the survey now.
At Women in Family Business (WiFB), we’ve long been driven by a deep curiosity to understand the lived experiences of women in family enterprises. That’s why we’re launching the Women in Power Survey, an open invitation to hear directly from the women who lead, own, and steward their family’s shared legacy across the world.
This is not academic research for the sake of filling a gap; rather, it is driven by a genuine need. It’s applied research with a purpose: to surface what’s already true, but often unspoken, to better understand the many ways leadership shows up, and what it means when it does.
Why this survey?
Family enterprises are a pillar of the global economy, driving up to 80% of GDP and employing the vast majority of people worldwide. And yet, when we talk about leadership in these systems, women’s voices are still not fully heard.
Women make up only 18% of family business leaders globally. But the story is more complex and more promising than that statistic suggests. Many of the largest family businesses now include women on their boards. Others are seriously considering female successors. And across the board, we’ve seen that diverse leadership not only improves performance, it strengthens long-term decision-making and legacy.
But what does leadership really look like for women in these settings? How do they come into their roles—by choice, by inheritance, or by necessity? What values shape their decisions? What support do they have, or lack? And what does power feel like when it’s shared, earned, or unacknowledged?
What we’re doing and how you can be part of it
Together with Marina Vaughan Spitzy, founder of Tecolote Advisory and a fellow member of a multi-generational family business, we are inviting women around the world to complete a short, anonymous survey.
It takes just 10 minutes and is open to women who:
- Own, lead, or help steward a family enterprise (including businesses, family offices, foundations, or other shared family assets)
- Have entered through choice, succession, or circumstance
The survey combines multiple-choice questions with opportunities to reflect in your own words. Your insights will be used only in aggregated form and will contribute to a global report designed to inform, inspire, and support others on similar paths.
Whether you’re a board chair or a next-generation family member still finding your voice, your experience matters.
“This study isn’t about proving anything. It’s about surfacing what’s already true, just often unspoken.”
— Ramia El Agamy & Marina Vaughan Spitzy
Why now?
Over the past year, we conducted a pilot study with 11 women across continents and contexts. Their stories were powerful, diverse, and deeply moving. Some led quietly from behind the scenes. Others found themselves in roles they never expected. Still others fought to be seen, only to transform the very systems they inherited.
What united them wasn’t a title. It was a sense of responsibility, and a desire to lead in ways that felt true to who they are.
Now, we’re expanding that work. The Women in Power Survey will collect many more stories from across regions, generations, and leadership styles. From family businesses and foundations to family offices and shared ownership structures, we’re looking to capture a wide spectrum of lived experience.
And because we come from family enterprises ourselves, we understand the tensions, the complexities, and the quiet triumphs that often go unnoticed.
To participate in the survey or learn more, visit here
We’re proud to partner with peers who share our belief in women’s empowerment like Marina and the team at Tecolote Advisory. And we’re grateful to every woman who chooses to add her voice.
Because leadership doesn’t always look the way we expect.
But when we listen closely, we find it was always there.