HISTORY AND MISSION

The Institute for Family Business (IFB) is a not for profit, membership organisation supporting and promoting UK family business through events, connections, advocacy and the latest family business knowledge.

Our mission is to help family businesses to celebrate, leverage and sustain their unique contribution to the long-term prosperity of the UK’s economy.

The IFB was founded in 2001 by a group of family business owners to create a safe and non-solicitous environment where they could get together to talk openly about their challenges and share their experiences to help others.  Those founding principles are still core to how we operate today. 

As a not-for-profit organisation we put the needs of our members at the heart of everything we do.

CONNECTIONS

We provide a trusted environment for current and next generations of business families and family business members to connect, share important insights and lived experiences, and learn from each other. Through this strong, trusted and growing community, for the past 16 years we have been helping family businesses across the UK to achieve their long-term objectives. IFB members are part of a wider, global network of over 3,000 family firms through the Family Business Network (FBN).

EXPERTISE

We provide family businesses with key insights on important family business issues, through our lively programme of events and knowledge hub. We offer access to family business expertise and best practice from within and outside our community, thanks to our long-established connections with leading family firms and experts from all over the world.

Our sister organisation, the IFB Research Foundation, regularly publishes reports that shed new light on the state, needs, challenges and opportunities of UK family business.

ADVOCACY

Family business is the backbone of the UK economy. Turning over £1.4 trillion, they account for a quarter of GDP and employ over 12 million people.

The IFB is the voice of UK family firms. We work to raise awareness of their outstanding contribution to our economy and to represent family business needs in Parliament, Government and the devolved administrations. Through IFB membership, family firms have access to European Family Businesses (EFB), the family business voice in Europe.

NEXT GENERATION

We provide a trusted space for younger family members to connect, learn, share experiences and develop into the leaders of tomorrow.

Whether they are currently involved in the business or not, younger members of your family (18-40) are part of a dynamic and social group of peers who regularly meet to explore important questions and the challenges they face.

Members of the IFB Next Generation also have exclusive access to the international Next Generation Summit, held annually by FBN.