Family Governance

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Breaking Up: Division in Family Philanthropy
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This Passages is part two of a two-part series on divorce and division in family philanthropy, featuring tips for what board and staff can do to plan ahead for potential change. The second part includes stories and advice from those who have been through, or advised, families as they divided their philanthropy. Learn more by reading part one, Breaking Up: Divorce in Family Philanthropy.

Breaking Up: Divorce in Family Philanthropy
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This Passages guide is part one of a two-part series on divorce and division in family philanthropy, featuring tips for what board and staff members can do to prepare and cope. This first part includes case studies on family foundations that have navigated divorce, questions to consider when developing board policies, and perspectives on the implications of divorce on assets and grantees.

Succession Stories: Lessons Learned from Former Family Office CEOs
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Every family’s succession journey is unique, and the change can feel uncomfortable. To help navigate that transition in leadership, 32 former family office CEOs offer their succession stories with the intent of sharing their advice and lessons learned to light the path for those for whom such a transition may be on the horizon. Along with the important lessons learned are helpful resources that include a sample succession plan.

Family Meeting Handbook
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This handbook is designed to support families connected through wealth understand the importance and value of family meetings. It provides the concepts, tools, and resources with the intention of helping them optimize their family meetings and build towards a more cohesive, resilient, adaptive family.

The Rising Generation Engagement Pipeline
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At our Family Office Exchange (FOX) Rising Gen Leadership Programs held in February and June, we noticed developing themes from our next-generation attendees. It became clear their needs and concerns were coalescing around three emergent areas. In this article we’re presenting a simple engagement pipleline to guide families and rising gen on their learning journey. This intentional approach is based on our research and the best practices of leading families.

Evolution Across Generations: The Caroline Rose Hunt Family Story
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Caroline Rose Hunt was the 3rd child of H.L. Hunt Jr. an American oil tycoon and entrepreneur. She established her family enterprise in the early 1980s, focusing on hotels and leisure, and exited in 2011. Today the enterprise holding company, The Rosewood Corporation, has a centralized ownership structure, headed by John Dziminski, enterprise president. John oversees three diversified business lines including oil and gas exploration, private equity direct investments, and real estate direct ownership.

The Role of Independent Board Members in Bringing New Insights to the Family
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This experienced panel of family leaders shared their insights from working with independent directors on governing boards (both Gen 2 and Gen 5 perspectives). They described the benefits derived from adding independent directors and how to find the right people for these important roles. They explored how independent directors help balance the tension between supporting the family’s legacy and enabling the enterprise to find new opportunities to thrive during challenging times.

The Courage to Choose Wisely: Why the Succession Decision May Be a Defining Moment in Your Family
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There is an evolution taking place in the world of succession that is aligning the overall purpose of the family business with the motivation and beliefs of NextGen leaders. This report—the first in a series of four on family business succession—explores the courage to choose the right successor at the right time and provides the six key considerations family business leaders proposed that influenced their decision. For more key insights from the series, check out the other three reports:

The Power of Women in Family Business: A Generational Shift in Purpose and Influence
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Emerging from the shadows is the increasing number of women in the workforce, and it marks one of the most significant changes in economies throughout the world in the last 40 years. This report—the second in a series of four on family business succession—takes an up-close look at the demographic shifts that are changing the role of women in family businesses and the unique competitive advantages they can deliver. For more key insights from the series, check out the other three reports:

Creating Value Through Good Governance: How to Balance What is Right for the Business and For the Family
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Choosing the right governance practices in a family business is a critical ingredient for its long-term sustainability. This report—the third in a series of four on family business succession—examines the many layers of family and business governance systems and mechanisms and the ways in which the evolving principles of good governance create value for both the business and the family. If you missed the other three reports in the series, you will find them here: