“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” — Winston Churchill

The challenges of the past year have impacted every corner of the globe and changed the ways we understand families and businesses. For better or worse, the last 12 months have been a universal point of connection through shared experiences, evolving work practices, and managing through uncertainty.

As we enter 2021, which may well be the “end of the beginning,” we invite our global community of thought-leaders in family enterprise advising and research to reflect on how we collectively shape the future of our field. What do we want future family enterprise advising practices, professional education, and applied and academic research to look like as together we “Evolve, Emerge and Engage” and do our part in Shaping Futures?

Proposals for the 2021 FFI Annual Global Conference

Proposals in the four categories below are suggested. Proposals should be designed for professional advisors, consultants, academics, and researchers and focus on “evolving, emerging, and engaging” in shaping futures. The committee welcomes individual presentations, interviews, and small panels that address cross-cultural, multi-generational, and interdisciplinary sessions. Presentations with a technological component are encouraged.

• Engaging New Family Enterprise Models and Trends
  How will classic models and currently held research on trends be impacted, e.g., the three-circle model, SEW, impact investing, longevity, systemic approaches, entrepreneurship to family and business, What will be the role of collective and individual experiences and memory in family enterprises? How will new models and evolving trends impact the work of sole-practitioners, family enterprise advising firms, family office configurations? Will research agendas at academic institutions change?
• Evolving Concepts of Resiliency, Impact Investing, Climate Change – and more
  The coming years will be about creating resilient business strategies. How will multigenerational companies participate in and navigate profound changes, delivering value and positive outcomes for the world. Will there be a shift in the philosophy of family protocols initiated by the next generation of leaders? How can bridges between generations be built? For example, what is the role of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in this discussion?
• Emerging Public Policy
  How or is public policy changing worldwide? How do policy makers view emerging family enterprise agendas? How might these differ from an SME agenda? How do family enterprise advocacy efforts vary across socio-economic regulative framework and cultures? Are there overarching threads, trends emerging? Case studies are welcome here as examples of approaches that have been successful or less than successful.
• Shaping the Future of Work
  What are the emerging opportunities and challenges for advising and researching family companies in new work environments? Possible topics include scenario planning, expedited succession planning and new partnership models. Are there game changers on the business side, e.g. de-internationalization, cultural reconfiguration? Is this a “moment in time” for accelerated next-gen involvement?

2021 FFI Annual Global Conference Program Committee

Chair: Panikkos Poutziouris, University of Central Lancashire Cyprus, Larnaka, Cyprus
Tony Bogod, Resonance Partners LLP, London, England
Richard Lane, Farrer & Co. LLP, London, England
Marko Nikolic, Ernst & Young, Istanbul, Turkey
Khaled Soufani, Cambridge Judge Business School, Cambridge, England
Blair Trippe, Continuity Family Business Consulting, Boston, MA USA
Helena von der Esch, Grant Thornton Sweden AB, Stockholm, Sweden