Global Family Business Center

Helping families build a stronger family business ecosystem by addressing their societal, business, ownership, family and individual strategies and well-being.
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01:2560 Seconds with Peter Vogel
Helping families shift their mindset from family business to family in business.
60 Seconds with Peter Vogel, Professor of Family Business and Entrepreneurship, Director of the Global Family Business Center
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Leading the Family Office
Helps families of wealth set up and sustainably govern their own Single Family Office
Duration: 3 days
Fee: 12'400 CHF
Next start: 30 May 2023
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Navigating your Family Enterprise into the Future
Program for enterprising families run as part of IMD's OWP program, a transformational experience providing cutting-edge insights on the hottest management topics.
Fee: 10'900 CHF
Next start: 26 June 2023
teaser
Leading the Family Business
Helps family businesses to better understand and manage their own challenges by sharing experiences and benchmarking success with other family firms.
Duration: 4-5 days
Fee: 10'500 CHF
Next start: 4 September 2023

Discover a unique customized journey

video
01:01MANE – IMD Academy
MANE-IMD Academy: A multi-year journey touching all parts of the family business ecosystem.
The focus is on future proofing the business through work with the family, board, senior management and the future leaders.
1988
IMD launched the world's FIRST open enrolment program for families in business
3000 +
family business alumni in all open programs since launch
1996
first IMD Global Family Business Award - presented annually - distinguishing prestigious family businesses around the world
6 awards
In 2021 the center was recognized by well-known institutions for its major contributions to education, research, and outreach
Family enterprises are faced with a set of unique challenges related to governance, succession, family dynamics and strategy. The IMD Global Family Business Center has been a trusted partner for enterprising families for more than three decades, helping them navigate into a bright future.
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Publications

Browse some of the Center's recent publications by type

I by IMD special edition

The family business issue: Adapt to survive and thrive

Family enterprises are among the most resilient businesses in the world. But now more than ever striking the right balance between resilience and adaptability is vital. In Issue 8 of I by IMD we present crucial insights into how families can face up to the challenges created by a world in flux.

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Navigating Your Family’s Philanthropic Future Across Generations

A research report in collaboration with FBN International that highlights how philanthropy becomes a lifelong passion as families start to see that they can make a real difference in the world.

To support family philanthropists in their philanthropic journeys, we joined forces with FBN International to conduct a global research project entitled “Navigating Your Family’s Philanthropic Future Across Generations.” In this report, we share insights collected from leading philanthropic families from around the globe.

We have examined their approach to family philanthropy, opportunities, and challenges, as well as the impact of their philanthropy on various levels, such as the cause, the family, business, and society at large. This extensive research project has informed not only this report but was also an invaluable source of knowledge for the “Family Philanthropy Navigator”.

Download full report

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News
Colombia’s Carvajal wins 2022 IMD Global Family Business Award
Topics: Family Business
29 September 2022

Carvajal, a leading diversified, family-owned Colombia-based company, has been selected as the winner of the 2022 IMD Global Family Business Award.

Established in 1904 by Manuel Carvajal Valencia and his sons Alberto and…

News
In memory of Mario Marconi
Topics: Family Business
1 September 2022

It is with great sadness that we share the tragic news that IMD Alumnus, Executive in Residence and family office expert Mario Marconi has passed away after a short illness.

Mario, a senior advisor and partner…

News
VELUX Group wins 2021 IMD-Pictet Sustainability in Family Business Award
Topics: Family Business, Sustainability
30 June 2022

The IMD-Pictet Sustainability in Family Business Award recognizes excellence in sustainability in the sphere of family-owned enterprises, helping to inspire positive impact in areas such as climate change,…

News
Peter Vogel features in Poets & Quants Best 40 Under 40 MBA professors list
Topics: Family Business
16 May 2022

Poets & Quants has named Peter Vogel, IMD Professor of Family Business and Entrepreneurship, as one of the Best 40 Under 40 MBA professors worldwide in its 10th annual list.

Professor Vogel, who serves as Director of…

News
Two IMD family business experts named in Top 100 family business influencers list
Topics: Family Business
22 February 2022

Leading family enterprise platform  Family Capital has selected Professor of Family Business and Entrepreneurship Peter Vogel and Alfredo De Massis, intellectual contributor at the Wild Chair in Family Business, among…

News
IMD launches call for nominations for 2022 IMD Global Family Business Award
Topics: Family Business
26 January 2022

The IMD Global Family Business Awardrecognizes excellence in the art of building and managing a successful, sustainable and well-governed, family-owned enterprise. Since 1996, the award has developed a…

News
Purpose-driven water tech firm Grundfos wins 2021 IMD Global Family Business Award, sponsored by Pictet
Topics: Family Business
20 October 2021

Grundfos is the world’s largest manufacturer of water pumps and technology, employing more than 19,000 people in 59 countries around the globe. Established in 1945, the 3rd generation of…

News
IMD Global Family Business Center wins the Family Firm Institute International Award
Topics: Leadership, Family Business
30 June 2021

The IMD Global Family Business Center (GFBC) has been bestowed with the distinguished International Award from the Family Firm Institute (FFI). The FFI Committee unanimously agreed on the&…

News
J.M. Huber Corporation wins 2020 IMD-Pictet Sustainability in Family Business Award
Topics: Communication
24 June 2021

With sustainability rapidly becoming business critical as a licence to operate, the IMD-Pictet Sustainability in Family Business Award acknowledges and motivates family-owned enterprises that strive to excel in corporate…

Global Family Business Award

Distinguishing prestigious family businesses around the world since 1996

Promotes the indispensable role family businesses play in the global economy and serves as a platform for family businesses to exchange best practices and analyse the economic backdrop.

Learn more

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Sustainability in Family Business Award

Celebrating commitment to sustainability by family businesses since 2019

Rewards family-owned enterprises that are leaders in sustainability, demonstrating exceptional breadth and depth in their sustainability strategy, and exemplary implementation and impact.

Learn more

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Our MISSION is to inspire enterprising families to help them ensure family unity, business success and to have a positive impact on society.
Our VISION is to be the number one center of excellence and trusted learning partner for globally leading enterprising families.
We have an outstanding and unparalleled LEGACY with 33 years of experience working with family businesses, family offices and family foundations.

With sincere thanks to Wild Group and Debiopharm

We are very fortunate to benefit from two Chairs dedicated to the study and support of family businesses.

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The Wild Group Chair on Family Businesses

The Wild Group Chair on Family Businesses has been instrumental in funding research and educational activities at the Center since 2001.

The purpose of this Chair is the exploration of the management needs of family-…

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The Debiopharm Chair for Family Philanthropy

The Debiopharm Chair for Family Philanthropy aims to increase the social and financial impact of family giving as well as to develop best practices in family philanthropy. Another of its aims is to leverage…

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IMD was the birthplace of family business education in 1988.

We are forever indebted to Frank Tilley, former executive-in-residence, who identified family business as a field IMD ought to be active in, and to Professor Alden Lank, the first faculty member to lead the initiative.

Professors John Davis, Ivan Lansberg and John Ward were instrumental in launching the first Leading the Family Business (LFB) program in 1988. Dr. Stephan Schmidheiny underwrote the pilot study.

The IMD Global Family Business Award was launched in 1996, with The Lego Group, the first of many prestigious winners over the years. The award has continued to grow in reputation, promoting the indispensable role that family businesses play in the global economy.

LFB continues to be an enormous success, generating much interest from around the world. The subsequent demand for custom programs (tailor-made for specific family business needs) has increased steadily and, in 2004, after welcoming more than 400 families from over 40 countries, we celebrated the 1,000th family business participant milestone.

In 2008, the 20th anniversary of family business research and education at IMD was marked with the presence of Warren Buffett, who engaged openly with faculty and families alike. In 2009, the Biennial Family Business Forum was introduced as well as the first program specifically for Chinese family businesses.

The IMD Global Family Business Center, in its current form, was officially inaugurated in 2011. Growing demand saw the welcome introduction of a new program: Leading the Family Office (LFO) in 2013.

In 2019, the IMD-Pictet Sustainability in Family Business Award was launched, celebrating and rewarding effort, performance and progress in the field of sustainability.

In September 2019, Professor Peter Vogel took over the directorship of the Global Family Business Center. Before him, prestigious family business faculty have led IMD’s family business initiatives over the years, including Joachim Schwass, Denise Rouvinez. All have delivered premium programs and published cutting-edge research and insights in family business, contributing significantly to both the reach and reputation that the Center continues to enjoy today.

The story continues...

 

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Recognized for its major contributions to education, research, and outreach, our world-leading hub is a unique place to prepare family businesses for sustainable success.

 

2022 EUROPEAN INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCES STUDIES IN MANAGEMENT (EIASM), Workshop on Family Firm Management Research

  • BEST PAPER AWARD "Family Leadership and Radical Innovation " by Alfedo De Massis, Ivan Miroshnychenko, with co-authors Lorenzo Ardito an Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli.

2022  FAMILY BUSINESS HALL OF FAME

  • For his contributions to the family business field, Alfredo De Massis has been inducted into the Family Business Hall of Fame, which recognizes exceptional individuals in the family business sector. > read more

2022 POETS & QUANTS BEST 40 UNDER 40 MBA PROFESSORS

2022 TWO IMD EXPERTS IN TOP 100 FAMILY BUSINESS INFLUENCERS LIST

  • Peter Vogel and Alfredo De Massis celebrated for their expertise and thought leadership in the field of family business > read more

2022 INTERNATIONAL FAMILY ENTERPRISE RESEARCH ACADEMY (IFERA) AWARDS 

  • BEST PAPER AWARD: "Welcome or not? A mixed methods study on artificial intelligence technologies in family-influenced firms" by Jonas Soluk, Ivan Miroshnychenko and Satish Nambisan.
  • Best Reviewer Award: Ivan Miroshnychenko nominated

2022 EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT (EURAM) AWARDS

  • BEST PAPER AWARD on “Management Challenges in Family Business”: “Artificial intelligence adoption in family-influenced firms: A social capital perspective” by Jonas Soluk, Ivan Miroshnychenko and Satish Nambisan.

2022 FAMILY FIRM INSTITUTE INTERNATIONAL AWARD (FFI) AWARD

  • BEST UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH PAPER: “Conflict Origin and Management Mechanisms in Family Firms” by Marco Mismetti, Cristina Bettinelli, and Alfredo De Massis.
  • HONORABLE MENTION: “The global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on corporate performance of family and nonfamily firms” by Ivan Miroshnychenko, Giorgio Vocalelli, Alfredo De Massis, Stefano Grassi, and Francesco Ravazzolo.

2021 FAMILY FIRM INSTITUE INTERNATIONAL AWARD (FFI)

  • The Center being recognized for its major contributions to education, research, and outreach > read more

2021 INTERNATIONAL FAMILY ENTERPRISE RESEARCH ACADEMY (IFERA) AWARDS 

  • BEST TEACHING CASE STUDY: "Brown-Forman: nothing better in the market" by Marta Widz, Marc Chauvet under the supervision of Benoit Leleux
  • BEST PAPER ON GENDER DIVERSITY: "Toward a reconciliation of discrepant perspectives on debt in female led firms" by Alfredo De Massis, Fernando Muñoz-Bullón, María José Sánchez-Bueno, Pilar Velasco and Silvio Vismara.
  • BEST PAPER ON CONFERENCE THEME: "Family Business and the Natural Environment" by Ivan Miroshnychenko, Danny Miller, Alfredo De Massis, and Isabel Le-Breton-Miller.


2021 FAMILY AWARD at the Family Enterprise Research Conference (FERC

  • BEST RESEACH ON DIVERSITY: "Women’s leadership and leverage decisions: Exploring the nature of family firms and their governance,” co-authored with Fernando Muñoz-Bullón, María José Sánchez-Bueno, Pilar Velasco and Silvio Vismara.

2021 AXIOM BUSINESS BOOK AWARD 

2021 FAMILY FIRM INSTITUE INTERNATIONAL AWARD (FFI)

  • Ivan Miroshnychenko received the Family Business Review Excellent Reviewer Award 2021

2020 TWO IMD EXPERTS IN TOP 100 FAMILY BUSINESS INFLUENCERS LIST 
> read more

The Center offers pioneering research, executive education and advisory services that bring together a unique team.

Peter Vogel
Professor Peter Vogel
Professor of Family Business and Entrepreneurship, holder of the Debiopharm Chair of Family Philanthropy and Director of IMD Global Family Business Center.

Peter Vogel is an expert on family enterprises and leads IMD's work in this field as Director of the IMD Global Family Business Center. He was named by Poets&Quants as one of the world’s best business school professors…

Alfredo De Massis
Professor Alfredo De Massis
Entrepreneurship and Family Business

Alfredo De Massis is an award-winning expert in the management and governance of family enterprises. His research has advanced understanding of how family business leaders balance economic and non-economic goals in…

Image placeholder
Nathalie Martin
Family Business Engagement Manager at IMD

Nathalie helps family businesses, family offices and family foundations around the world find their ideal learning solutions to build a stronger and sustainable family business ecosystem.

She is an École Hô…

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Matthew Crudgington
Director of Family Business Learning and Center Operations at IMD

Matthew develops and manages the relationships with business owning families, family offices and strategic partners. He oversees the design and delivery of learning journeys as well as operations within the center.

A…

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Virginie Boillat-Carrard
Project Manager at IMD

Virginie coordinates and ensures the smooth running of center's activities. She manages various projects and initiatives including center's events, communication and the two Family Business awards (IMD Global Family…

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Ivan Miroshnychenko
Research Fellow & Term Research Professor at IMD

Ivan Miroshnychenko is Research Fellow & Term Research Professor at IMD’s Global Family Business Centre and Sustainability Initiative. Ivan holds a PhD in Management from the Sant’Anna School of Advanced…

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Malgorzata Smulowitz (née Kurak)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Debiopharm Chair for Family Philanthropy at IMD

Malgorzata earned her Ph.D. in Economics, Management and Organization from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) in Spain. She has an extensive research, business and teaching experience gained as Global Shaper…

Family businesses are highly complex. They must continuously align the interests of the family with the ownership and objectives of the business. They typically have a very long-term, values-based approach; each generation wanting to ensure the success of the business for the next.

Complicated and sensitive family, business, ownership and financial issues can often present a tough challenge for family businesses. Family conflicts can flare up over a lack of clarity on the evolving roles of family members or diverging business visions. These issues present risks to both the family and the business. We are committed to focusing on the characteristics and challenges unique to family businesses.

We do so with an incredible pool of faculty experts in their field. 

Faculty team

teaching in family business programs

Sameh Abadir
Professor Sameh Abadir
Professor of Leadership and Negotiation

Sameh Abadir is a Professor of Leadership and Negotiation at IMD. Abadir's fields of expertise are negotiation, conflict management, crisis management, and leadership. Before his academic career, he served in the…

Ben Bryant
Professor Ben Bryant
Professor of Leadership and Organization, Director of IMD CEO Learning Center

Ben Bryant is a Professor of Leadership and Organization at IMD in Lausanne and the director of the IMD CEO Learning Center. He holds the Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Chair for Responsible Leadership. Ben is a highly skilled…

Didier Cossin
Professor Didier Cossin
Chaired Professor of Governance and Finance Founder and Director of IMD Global Board Center

Didier Cossin works with owners, boards, and senior leaders to help them improve organizational performance through best-in-class governance and decision making. He is the Founder and Director of the IMD Global Board…

Alfredo De Massis
Professor Alfredo De Massis
Entrepreneurship and Family Business

Alfredo De Massis is an award-winning expert in the management and governance of family enterprises. His research has advanced understanding of how family business leaders balance economic and non-economic goals in…

Stephane Garelli
Emeritus Professor Stephane Garelli
Professor of World Competitiveness

Stéphane Garelli is Professor Emeritus of World Competitiveness at IMD and Professor at the University of Lausanne.

He has founded the IMD World Competitiveness Centreand has pioneered research in this field for 30 years…

Susan Goldsworthy
Professor Susan Goldsworthy
Affiliate Professor of Leadership, Communications and Organizational Change

As a former Olympic finalist, award-winning writer, executive coach, and speaker with more than 20 years of corporate experience with large multinationals, Susan Goldsworthy brings knowledge from the fields of sport,…

Jennifer Jordan
Professor Jennifer Jordan
Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior

Jennifer Jordan is a social psychologist and a digital transformation and business ethics expert. Her teaching, research and consulting focus on ethics, digital leadership, influence and power. In 2019 she was named by…

Benoît Leleux
Professor Benoît Leleux
Stephan Schmidheiny Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance

Benoît Leleux is recognized as a leading specialist in entrepreneurship, venture capital, private equity, and corporate venturing, particularly in emerging markets, and is the winner of numerous case writing awards in…

Jean-Francois Manzoni
Professor Jean-Francois Manzoni
President and Nestlé Chaired Professor of Leadership & Organizational Development

Jean-François Manzoni’s research, teaching, and consulting activities are focused on leadership, the development of high-performance organizations, and corporate governance. In recent years, he has been concentrating…

Joachim Schwass
Emeritus Professor Joachim Schwass
Professor of Family Business and Entrepreneurship

Schwass teaches family business and entrepreneurship with a focus on generational and owner-related issues. He has lectured and conducted family business programs around the globe and has advised many leading global…

Paul Strebel
Emeritus Professor Paul Strebel
Professor of Governance and Strategy

Paul Strebel works with boards of directors and top management teams as an educator and advisor on strategic vision and the resolution of boardroom conflicts. In addition to personal experience as a board director, he…

Francisco Szekely
Adjunct Professor Francisco Szekely
Adjunct Professor of Global Leadership and Sustainability

Francisco Szekely is Adjunct Professor of Leadership and Sustainability at IMD.

His work contributes to the understanding of the interrelationships between the emergence of new social, economic and environmental trends as…

Ina Toegel
Professor Ina Toegel
Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change

Named one of the top business school professors globally by Poets & Quants, which included her on its 'Best 40 under 40' list in 2021, Ina Toegel's work focuses on how to build and sustain high-performance teams. She…

Omar Toulan
Professor Omar Toulan
Dean of MBA and Professor of Strategy and International Management

Omar Toulan is Professor of Strategy and International Management and the Dean of the MBA program at IMD. Professor Toulan's areas of expertise include strategic management, international business, growth strategies, and…

Peter Vogel
Professor Peter Vogel
Professor of Family Business and Entrepreneurship, holder of the Debiopharm Chair of Family Philanthropy and Director of IMD Global Family Business Center.

Peter Vogel is an expert on family enterprises and leads IMD's work in this field as Director of the IMD Global Family Business Center. He was named by Poets&Quants as one of the world’s best business school professors…

With sincere thanks to Wild Group and Debiopharm

We are very fortunate to benefit from two Chairs dedicated to the study and support of family businesses.

Image placeholder
The Wild Group Chair on Family Businesses

The Wild Group Chair on Family Businesses has been instrumental in funding research and educational activities at the Center since 2001.

The purpose of this Chair is the exploration of the management needs of family-…

Image placeholder
The Debiopharm Chair for Family Philanthropy

The Debiopharm Chair for Family Philanthropy aims to increase the social and financial impact of family giving as well as to develop best practices in family philanthropy. Another of its aims is to leverage…

Image placeholder

IMD was the birthplace of family business education in 1988.

We are forever indebted to Frank Tilley, former executive-in-residence, who identified family business as a field IMD ought to be active in, and to Professor Alden Lank, the first faculty member to lead the initiative.

Professors John Davis, Ivan Lansberg and John Ward were instrumental in launching the first Leading the Family Business (LFB) program in 1988. Dr. Stephan Schmidheiny underwrote the pilot study.

The IMD Global Family Business Award was launched in 1996, with The Lego Group, the first of many prestigious winners over the years. The award has continued to grow in reputation, promoting the indispensable role that family businesses play in the global economy.

LFB continues to be an enormous success, generating much interest from around the world. The subsequent demand for custom programs (tailor-made for specific family business needs) has increased steadily and, in 2004, after welcoming more than 400 families from over 40 countries, we celebrated the 1,000th family business participant milestone.

In 2008, the 20th anniversary of family business research and education at IMD was marked with the presence of Warren Buffett, who engaged openly with faculty and families alike. In 2009, the Biennial Family Business Forum was introduced as well as the first program specifically for Chinese family businesses.

The IMD Global Family Business Center, in its current form, was officially inaugurated in 2011. Growing demand saw the welcome introduction of a new program: Leading the Family Office (LFO) in 2013.

In 2019, the IMD-Pictet Sustainability in Family Business Award was launched, celebrating and rewarding effort, performance and progress in the field of sustainability.

In September 2019, Professor Peter Vogel took over the directorship of the Global Family Business Center. Before him, prestigious family business faculty have led IMD’s family business initiatives over the years, including Joachim Schwass, Denise Rouvinez. All have delivered premium programs and published cutting-edge research and insights in family business, contributing significantly to both the reach and reputation that the Center continues to enjoy today.

The story continues...

 

Image placeholder
Recognized for its major contributions to education, research, and outreach, our world-leading hub is a unique place to prepare family businesses for sustainable success.

 

2022 EUROPEAN INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCES STUDIES IN MANAGEMENT (EIASM), Workshop on Family Firm Management Research

  • BEST PAPER AWARD "Family Leadership and Radical Innovation " by Alfedo De Massis, Ivan Miroshnychenko, with co-authors Lorenzo Ardito an Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli.

2022  FAMILY BUSINESS HALL OF FAME

  • For his contributions to the family business field, Alfredo De Massis has been inducted into the Family Business Hall of Fame, which recognizes exceptional individuals in the family business sector. > read more

2022 POETS & QUANTS BEST 40 UNDER 40 MBA PROFESSORS

2022 TWO IMD EXPERTS IN TOP 100 FAMILY BUSINESS INFLUENCERS LIST

  • Peter Vogel and Alfredo De Massis celebrated for their expertise and thought leadership in the field of family business > read more

2022 INTERNATIONAL FAMILY ENTERPRISE RESEARCH ACADEMY (IFERA) AWARDS 

  • BEST PAPER AWARD: "Welcome or not? A mixed methods study on artificial intelligence technologies in family-influenced firms" by Jonas Soluk, Ivan Miroshnychenko and Satish Nambisan.
  • Best Reviewer Award: Ivan Miroshnychenko nominated

2022 EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT (EURAM) AWARDS

  • BEST PAPER AWARD on “Management Challenges in Family Business”: “Artificial intelligence adoption in family-influenced firms: A social capital perspective” by Jonas Soluk, Ivan Miroshnychenko and Satish Nambisan.

2022 FAMILY FIRM INSTITUTE INTERNATIONAL AWARD (FFI) AWARD

  • BEST UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH PAPER: “Conflict Origin and Management Mechanisms in Family Firms” by Marco Mismetti, Cristina Bettinelli, and Alfredo De Massis.
  • HONORABLE MENTION: “The global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on corporate performance of family and nonfamily firms” by Ivan Miroshnychenko, Giorgio Vocalelli, Alfredo De Massis, Stefano Grassi, and Francesco Ravazzolo.

2021 FAMILY FIRM INSTITUE INTERNATIONAL AWARD (FFI)

  • The Center being recognized for its major contributions to education, research, and outreach > read more

2021 INTERNATIONAL FAMILY ENTERPRISE RESEARCH ACADEMY (IFERA) AWARDS 

  • BEST TEACHING CASE STUDY: "Brown-Forman: nothing better in the market" by Marta Widz, Marc Chauvet under the supervision of Benoit Leleux
  • BEST PAPER ON GENDER DIVERSITY: "Toward a reconciliation of discrepant perspectives on debt in female led firms" by Alfredo De Massis, Fernando Muñoz-Bullón, María José Sánchez-Bueno, Pilar Velasco and Silvio Vismara.
  • BEST PAPER ON CONFERENCE THEME: "Family Business and the Natural Environment" by Ivan Miroshnychenko, Danny Miller, Alfredo De Massis, and Isabel Le-Breton-Miller.


2021 FAMILY AWARD at the Family Enterprise Research Conference (FERC

  • BEST RESEACH ON DIVERSITY: "Women’s leadership and leverage decisions: Exploring the nature of family firms and their governance,” co-authored with Fernando Muñoz-Bullón, María José Sánchez-Bueno, Pilar Velasco and Silvio Vismara.

2021 AXIOM BUSINESS BOOK AWARD 

2021 FAMILY FIRM INSTITUE INTERNATIONAL AWARD (FFI)

  • Ivan Miroshnychenko received the Family Business Review Excellent Reviewer Award 2021

2020 TWO IMD EXPERTS IN TOP 100 FAMILY BUSINESS INFLUENCERS LIST 
> read more

The Center offers pioneering research, executive education and advisory services that bring together a unique team.

Peter Vogel
Professor Peter Vogel
Professor of Family Business and Entrepreneurship, holder of the Debiopharm Chair of Family Philanthropy and Director of IMD Global Family Business Center.

Peter Vogel is an expert on family enterprises and leads IMD's work in this field as Director of the IMD Global Family Business Center. He was named by Poets&Quants as one of the world’s best business school professors…

Alfredo De Massis
Professor Alfredo De Massis
Entrepreneurship and Family Business

Alfredo De Massis is an award-winning expert in the management and governance of family enterprises. His research has advanced understanding of how family business leaders balance economic and non-economic goals in…

Image placeholder
Nathalie Martin
Family Business Engagement Manager at IMD

Nathalie helps family businesses, family offices and family foundations around the world find their ideal learning solutions to build a stronger and sustainable family business ecosystem.

She is an École Hô…

Image placeholder
Matthew Crudgington
Director of Family Business Learning and Center Operations at IMD

Matthew develops and manages the relationships with business owning families, family offices and strategic partners. He oversees the design and delivery of learning journeys as well as operations within the center.

A…

Image placeholder
Virginie Boillat-Carrard
Project Manager at IMD

Virginie coordinates and ensures the smooth running of center's activities. She manages various projects and initiatives including center's events, communication and the two Family Business awards (IMD Global Family…

Image placeholder
Ivan Miroshnychenko
Research Fellow & Term Research Professor at IMD

Ivan Miroshnychenko is Research Fellow & Term Research Professor at IMD’s Global Family Business Centre and Sustainability Initiative. Ivan holds a PhD in Management from the Sant’Anna School of Advanced…

Image placeholder
Malgorzata Smulowitz (née Kurak)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Debiopharm Chair for Family Philanthropy at IMD

Malgorzata earned her Ph.D. in Economics, Management and Organization from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) in Spain. She has an extensive research, business and teaching experience gained as Global Shaper…

Family businesses are highly complex. They must continuously align the interests of the family with the ownership and objectives of the business. They typically have a very long-term, values-based approach; each generation wanting to ensure the success of the business for the next.

Complicated and sensitive family, business, ownership and financial issues can often present a tough challenge for family businesses. Family conflicts can flare up over a lack of clarity on the evolving roles of family members or diverging business visions. These issues present risks to both the family and the business. We are committed to focusing on the characteristics and challenges unique to family businesses.

We do so with an incredible pool of faculty experts in their field. 

Faculty team

teaching in family business programs

Sameh Abadir
Professor Sameh Abadir
Professor of Leadership and Negotiation

Sameh Abadir is a Professor of Leadership and Negotiation at IMD. Abadir's fields of expertise are negotiation, conflict management, crisis management, and leadership. Before his academic career, he served in the…

Ben Bryant
Professor Ben Bryant
Professor of Leadership and Organization, Director of IMD CEO Learning Center

Ben Bryant is a Professor of Leadership and Organization at IMD in Lausanne and the director of the IMD CEO Learning Center. He holds the Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Chair for Responsible Leadership. Ben is a highly skilled…

Didier Cossin
Professor Didier Cossin
Chaired Professor of Governance and Finance Founder and Director of IMD Global Board Center

Didier Cossin works with owners, boards, and senior leaders to help them improve organizational performance through best-in-class governance and decision making. He is the Founder and Director of the IMD Global Board…

Alfredo De Massis
Professor Alfredo De Massis
Entrepreneurship and Family Business

Alfredo De Massis is an award-winning expert in the management and governance of family enterprises. His research has advanced understanding of how family business leaders balance economic and non-economic goals in…

Stephane Garelli
Emeritus Professor Stephane Garelli
Professor of World Competitiveness

Stéphane Garelli is Professor Emeritus of World Competitiveness at IMD and Professor at the University of Lausanne.

He has founded the IMD World Competitiveness Centreand has pioneered research in this field for 30 years…

Susan Goldsworthy
Professor Susan Goldsworthy
Affiliate Professor of Leadership, Communications and Organizational Change

As a former Olympic finalist, award-winning writer, executive coach, and speaker with more than 20 years of corporate experience with large multinationals, Susan Goldsworthy brings knowledge from the fields of sport,…

Jennifer Jordan
Professor Jennifer Jordan
Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior

Jennifer Jordan is a social psychologist and a digital transformation and business ethics expert. Her teaching, research and consulting focus on ethics, digital leadership, influence and power. In 2019 she was named by…

Benoît Leleux
Professor Benoît Leleux
Stephan Schmidheiny Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance

Benoît Leleux is recognized as a leading specialist in entrepreneurship, venture capital, private equity, and corporate venturing, particularly in emerging markets, and is the winner of numerous case writing awards in…

Jean-Francois Manzoni
Professor Jean-Francois Manzoni
President and Nestlé Chaired Professor of Leadership & Organizational Development

Jean-François Manzoni’s research, teaching, and consulting activities are focused on leadership, the development of high-performance organizations, and corporate governance. In recent years, he has been concentrating…

Joachim Schwass
Emeritus Professor Joachim Schwass
Professor of Family Business and Entrepreneurship

Schwass teaches family business and entrepreneurship with a focus on generational and owner-related issues. He has lectured and conducted family business programs around the globe and has advised many leading global…

Paul Strebel
Emeritus Professor Paul Strebel
Professor of Governance and Strategy

Paul Strebel works with boards of directors and top management teams as an educator and advisor on strategic vision and the resolution of boardroom conflicts. In addition to personal experience as a board director, he…

Francisco Szekely
Adjunct Professor Francisco Szekely
Adjunct Professor of Global Leadership and Sustainability

Francisco Szekely is Adjunct Professor of Leadership and Sustainability at IMD.

His work contributes to the understanding of the interrelationships between the emergence of new social, economic and environmental trends as…

Ina Toegel
Professor Ina Toegel
Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change

Named one of the top business school professors globally by Poets & Quants, which included her on its 'Best 40 under 40' list in 2021, Ina Toegel's work focuses on how to build and sustain high-performance teams. She…

Omar Toulan
Professor Omar Toulan
Dean of MBA and Professor of Strategy and International Management

Omar Toulan is Professor of Strategy and International Management and the Dean of the MBA program at IMD. Professor Toulan's areas of expertise include strategic management, international business, growth strategies, and…

Peter Vogel
Professor Peter Vogel
Professor of Family Business and Entrepreneurship, holder of the Debiopharm Chair of Family Philanthropy and Director of IMD Global Family Business Center.

Peter Vogel is an expert on family enterprises and leads IMD's work in this field as Director of the IMD Global Family Business Center. He was named by Poets&Quants as one of the world’s best business school professors…

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