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LEADING THE FAMILY BUSINESS (LFB)

Assuring the continuity of family-owned enterprises

Who

You are a member of a business-owning family or a senior non-family executive or board member.

What 

  • Understand family business challenges and how to manage critical issues
  • Probe key issues facing family businesses: growth, governance, succession and culture
  • Benchmark best practices and network to broaden your understanding of successful family businesses

Duration

Leading the Family Business is offered in two formats:

  • 6 days as part of the Orchestrating Winning Performance program (OWP/LFB)
  • 4 days as a stand alone Leading the Family Business program (LFB)

When

Dates 2010

June 20 - June 25, 2010

October 17 - October 21, 2010

Dates 2011

June 26 - July 1, 2011

October 23 - October 27, 2011

If you wish to sign up for the OWP/LFB session (June 26 - July 1, 2011) please go to www.imd.ch/owp.

Fees 2010

June session: CHF 12,000; CHF 9,500 for alumni and each additional participant from the same team. Includes participation in OWP.

October session: CHF 10,500; CHF 9,250 for alumni and each additional participant from the same team.

Fees 2011

June session: CHF 12,000; CHF 9,500 for alumni and each additional participant from the same team. Includes participation in OWP.

October session: CHF 10,500; CHF 9,250 for alumni and each additional participant from the same team.

Our participants

The Leading the Family Business program is for:

  • Members of business-owning families - active and inactive
  • Senior non-family executives and board members
  • Spouses and next generation family members

We recommend team attendance for ideal learning benefits:

  • Two or more generations
  • Siblings
  • Cousins
  • Key non-family managers attending with family members

A typical LFB Program has 40 participants representing 15 countries and a diverse range of roles:

  • CEO/chair/president 25%
  • Next generation family executives 32%
  • Board members 8%
  • Family members/spouses/shareholders 20%
  • Non-family executives of family Firms 15%

Generation of Ownership:

  • 1st Generation 12%
  • 2nd Generation 28%
  • 3rd Generation 40%
  • 4th Generation 11%
  • 5th Generation 9%

"My aim was to try and form a good model for our fifth generation and I have picked up many great ideas and heard some interesting perspectives."

Owen Sisk, Director
Sisk Group, Ireland


"The peer interaction is probably the most valuable element of the program, but the most interesting conversations were a result of the well-presented and thought provoking courses. Representation from various companies, generations and family/non-family groups made for a plethora of viewpoints that were much appreciated."

Shareholder
Alex Lee INC., United States


"Truly fantastic and highly relevant. Finally an organized and well-structured approach dealing with all the challenges facing us as a family and business entity."

Henrik Topsoe, CEO
Haldor Topsoe Holding A/S, Denmark


"The lectures by all the professors were excellent. I now have a good idea of what kind of problems I can expect in the future, and feel equipped with useful ideas and tools to solve them. Discussions with participants from all over the world were also very interesting and beneficial."

Hisakazu Mike Yokoyama, President
Sanmatsu Kogyo Co., Ltd


"LFB has taken our family one important step further on why and how we should strive to develop our family business. Education is one of the keys to our future success."

Tore Ulstein, Board Member
Ulsmo AS, Norway


"The key learning points for me were new insights, the exchange with family business members from different cultures, and understanding generational issues better. You see and understand that there is not only one road for you. LFB gives you a helicopter view of your own situation while momentarily taking you away from your daily routine."

Managing Director
Acta Marine, The Netherlands

What

Leading the Family Business (LFB) is the longest-running family-business program in the world. The program broadens your understanding of successful family firms and helps you to better understand challenges and manage critical issues in your own family business. We probe the key issues facing family businesses: growth, governance, succession and culture.

  • Are your current strategies and governance systems operating effectively?
  • Do you have the right succession plans in place?
  • Is the next generation prepared for ownership and leadership?
  • Do you focus more on your strengths or weaknesses?

LFB helps you analyze your business today and reshape it for tomorrow. It is an opportunity to network, share and benchmark with other family firms, all with similar business dilemmas. Learn from each other and tap into IMD’s 22-year history with some of the most successful family businesses in the world.

By attending LFB, you will discover:

  • The best strategies and governance structures to preserve and grow your family business and wealth
  • How to accommodate the growing family within the business by offering more diverse roles
  • How to add value over generations, by family members, non-family managers and board members
  • How to benchmark: Are you doing the right things and doing things right?

Program structure

Program structure

How

IMD’s Leading the Family Business program is offered in two formats:

1. OWP/LFB June

For those who wish to combine the benefits of Leading the Family Business with an overview of the latest thinking on a wide spectrum of general management and personal development issues, LFB is offered as part of IMD’s renowned Orchestrating Winning Performance (OWP) program. Some 300 international business leaders attend OWP each year. In the mornings there are sessions exclusively for family business participants; in the afternoons you will attend sessions with other OWP participants.

2. LFB October

For those who wish to focus entirely on Leading the Family Business, an intensive and comprehensive 4-day program is offered in October.

After LFB, follow an IMD private program, tailor-made for your family business.

 

Best practice

You will learn through practical research material; real-life case studies; best practices from the most successful, multi-generational family businesses around the world; active class discussions; small group workshops; and networking activities with your peers.

The coursework will be demanding, engaging, relevant and fun.

 

The process

IMD has been working with family businesses for over 20 years, so we know how families learn best, individually and as a group. Classes are highly interactive and our Faculty stimulates and leads meaningful, relevant discussions among participants.

The end result: You will return to your family company with new ideas and action plans to help your business grow and succeed into the next generation and beyond.

 


Our Faculty

Our Faculty members are recognized world authorities in their fields. They divide their time between teaching, research and acting as consultants to international companies. They remain on top of the latest management trends.

You can expect timely, innovative learning activities, materials and content in all IMD programs.


LFB Program Director

Joachim Schwass
German
Family Business and Entrepreneurship
PhD University of Fribourg

Contact
Biography
Publications

Professor Joachim Schwass
LFB Faculty
J. Peter Killing
Canadian
Strategy
PhD University of Western Ontario


Contact
Biography
Publications
Killing_Peter

George Kohlrieser
American
Leadership and Organizational Behavior
PhD Ohio State University

Contact
Biography
Publications

Professor George Kohlrieser

Benoît F. Leleux
Belgian
Stephan Schmidheiny Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance
PhD INSEAD

Contact
Biography
Publications

Leleux_Benoit

John L. Ward
American
LFB Guest Lecturer
PhD Stanford University

Ward_John

John Weeks
American
Organizational Behavior
PhD MIT Sloan School of Management

Contact
Biography
Publications

Weeks_John_VIS5

In this section, you will find important information on the program fee, application, invoicing, cancellation and transfer. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our program advisors.

Fee

The LFB program fee (which is mentioned on the overview page) includes tuition, teaching materials, and lunch on weekdays. Travel or living expenses are not covered. You must settle your own hotel bills, both when in Lausanne and on off-campus assignments, as well as all dinners and lunches on weekends when applicable. IMD reserves the right to modify the program fee at any time.

Tentative reservation

To make a non-binding reservation, send us a completed tentative reservation form. This carries no obligation and is not a substitute for the formal application form.

Application & invoicing

Your application is forwarded to the program director who will evaluate it to ensure that the program corresponds to your objectives and profile. This can take approximately 1 week.

The information & registration office will notify you of the outcome of your application. If you are accepted, they will send your acceptance letter and invoice fee together by priority mail. From this point, your enrollment will be considered firm by both you and IMD.

Please pay the program fee within 30 days of the invoice date and no later than the commencement of the program. If you register within 1 month of the start of the program, you must settle the invoice immediately without exception.
Payment can be made by bank transfer or credit card.

Up to six weeks before the program start date, a program coordinator will contact you with information on hotels and pre-program preparation. Please note that IMD reserves enough rooms for each participant on the program.

If accepted, you understand that you must be completely free of professional duties while attending this program and that you must attend all scheduled sessions and activities.


Cancellation & Transfer Policy

IMD must be notified in writing of all cancellations and transfers. If you are admitted to a program, but find that you are unable to attend, you have the following cancellation and transfer options:

Up to six weeks before program start:

  • Cancellation:
    You receive a full refund of the program fee.
  • Transfer:
    You may transfer to the next available session with no transfer fee.

Note: IMD programs tend to be fully booked well in advance. Space may not be available in a later session.


From six weeks to up to 11 days before program start:

  • Cancellation:
    You incur a 50% cancellation fee.
  • Transfer:
    You incur a 20% transfer fee.

Within 10 days before program start:

  • Cancellation:
    You incur a 100% cancellation fee.
  • Transfer:
    You incur a 100% transfer fee.

Substitution

A participant can be substituted on the same program session without incurring any fees. The substitute needs to apply and be admitted.

Note: Once you have paid the program tuition fee, if you do not attend another program within 24 months, the program fee will be forfeited.


 

Cancellation and transfer policy
Program Dates for LFB

Oct 17 - Oct 21, 2010


Your next step

 
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