2016 – YEAR IN REVIEW

Family Capital looks back at some of the big stories, themes, and developments in 2016.

January 5   Five family investment themes for the year ahead

Did they pan out in 2016?

January 22  Five things Count Anton-Wolfgang von Faber-Castell’s life can teach businesses

The great German family business icon dies – and leaves a great legacy

February 17 The forefathers of stakeholder capitalism

These days everyone is talking about stakeholder values in business, but some have been talking about it many years before

February 25 This man owns and controls the perfect private investment office

Johan Andresen runs a unique single-family office – and he’s very open about it

March 22  Family businesses and the entrepreneurial conundrum

Can a big family business ever be particularly entrepreneurial anymore?

April 13  India is where the action is for family offices in emerging markets

Family offices are growing faster in India than in any other emerging market

May 4  Is Sweden the best place in the world to have a family business?

Contrary to the popular imagine, the tax regime for family businesses is one of best in the world

May 25  Why does everyone think family businesses are small?

When family business is mentioned in conversation, the immediate perception is a small business. But many of them are huge.

June 16  Are family-run banks better for family businesses?

There are more family-run banks then you might expect, but does that mean they are good for family businesses?

June 30  Family businesses – the digital revolution is coming to get you

Most family businesses are watching the digital phenomenon passively – that isn’t a good thing

June 30  Family offices respond to Brexit – with detached coolness

And they have proven right to do so…

July 12  Family Capital’s 10 Great Reads for the Summer

All of them are still very relevant…and a good read

August 9  Shareholder disputes often underline failed family businesses

Unlocking disputes between family shareholders can sometimes become impossible

August 17  Why startups love family offices

They’re more likely to commit for the long term, compared with VC funds

August 23  Family businesses don’t value public relations. Should they?

Many family businesses often neglect corporate communications, believing the success of their business is good enough to do the talking for them

September 14  Why educating family shareholders is a top priority for Germany’s Mittelstand

Germany’s family businesses are increasingly being owned, but not operated by their owners. The difficulty with this development is that ownership without knowledge of how to run these businesses could pose a threat to many of them.

September 21  The growth and growth of published research on family businesses

Want to know how big the family business world has become, then look at the success of the main academic journal on the subject, the Family Business Review

September 28  How family businesses are innovating through tradition

When innovation is all about the new and the future, how can a 300-year-old family business, with all its traditions and legacies, innovate and compete? Very well, in fact, because many family businesses innovate through tradition.

October 6  Ten great startups backed by family offices

A list of 10 startups and the family offices backing them

October 18  Why be more transparent as a family office? Access to better investments

Some good reasons why a single-family office shouldn’t hide behind an anonymous sign

October 26  Family businesses & private equity – foes or competitors or partners?

A partnership: This is where a family could be a very worthwhile partner to a fund. Not a limited partner in the traditional sense, but a partner of growth

November 3  Impact investments and family offices – some thoughts

Impact investing is catching on, or at least that’s what an increasing number of proponents say. But does it have the legs to really attract serious investors, or will it always be a niche asset class for a few very rich and idealistic families?

November 16  The fraught relationship between advisers and family businesses – and how to improve it

Family businesses have traditionally been reluctant to talk to advisers. What possible advice could an external specialist give me when my family knows the business inside out? So the argument goes. But the flip side of this is family businesses need advice from external specialists more than ever.

November 28  How can family offices deal with the big data revolution?

How can an organisation with a relatively small investment team such as a family office deal with the deluge of data that can inform investment processes today?

November 30   Family Capital’s Investor of the Year: The Pritzker Group

This year, Family Capital’s Investor of the Year goes to the Pritzker Group and its two principals – brothers Tony and JB Pritzker.

December 6  Lego’s restructuring: Three lessons for family businesses

Given the high esteem the Lego company is held in the world of family businesses, there are three lessons family enterprises can take from the reorganisation of Lego.

December 13  Cleantech – can family offices make any money from it?

The recent announcement that some of the wealthiest investors in the world are backing a big cleantech fund is likely to spark renewed interest in the sector, despite many venture capital firms suffering big losses for years in cleantech. What should family offices, traditionally among the biggest investors in cleantech, do now?