Programme

Wed 5 June

PRE-CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES

 13:00-16:00

Family Business Learning Journeys

You'll visit some of the South West's greatest family businesses, including Bath Ales, Bristol Port and Clarks. Find out more.

 17:00-18:00

Pre-Conference Workshops

1. Are You Positioned for Long-Term Success? With David Dickson. This workshop is aimed at 1st and 2nd generation family businesses. It will introduce you to family business concepts and how they affect the running and long-term success of your family business.

2. NowGen Leadership: How to Drive Change facilitated by Nick Ellerby (Oasis School of Human Relations). In this session we will explore four of the core polarities that enable change; self-assess each person’s leadership preferences in relation to change;  and share tips for making change for the time hungry. This will be a highly interactive session which will integrate participant’s experiences, emergent research and applied practice. Find out more about the Now Gen Forum. 

* Please note this workshop is open to family business members only.

 19:00-21:00

Buffet Dinner at Atrium of Apex City of Bath Hotel

Join us at this Buffet Dinner where all delegates can gather and socialise ahead of the conference. Dress code: casual.

 19:00-22:00

Next Generation Dinner at Hall & Woodhouse

A must-attend event for all next generation delegates (18-39), this is a unique chance for younger family members to meet and network in a relaxed setting. Dress code: smart casual.

Thu 6 June

CONFERENCE at Apex City of Bath Hotel

8:15-9:00

Registration and Breakfast

9:00-9:15

Welcome & Opening Remarks with Hugh Clark (IFB Chairman) and Elizabeth Bagger (IFB Director General) 

9:15-10:00

Driving Your Business Culture with Family Values with Randel S. Carlock (INSEAD) 

Family businesses are the most trusted organisations because their culture and strategies are aligned by the owning family’s values. Value-driven planning is a competitive advantage for family firms because it creates a strong alignment between the two most important factors in business performance—culture and strategy. The power of family business comes from the family’s shared assumptions and beliefs that underpin their shared values. These shared values become the organisation’s personality on such characteristics as innovation, risk-taking, goal-orientation, long-term investment and caring for people. In this session, we are going to explore business culture and how the organisation’s collective behaviours and shared thinking supports performance and sustainability.

10:00-11:00

The Role of the Family Business Leader in the 21^st Century

In this plenary speech, Andy Rubin, Chair of Pentland Brands, will explore the role of the family business leader as the conduit of the family’s values and the guardian of its culture. He will share his insights on how family business ownership can create competitive advantage, and will talk through the importance of leadership, culture and the role the family plays.

11:00-11:30

Coffee Break

11:30-12:45

Parallel Workshops 

It's All About Values: The Force Within with Randel S. Carlock (INSEAD) and Keng-Fun Loh (Family and Business Learning)

Family values unite a family by providing a social glue that shapes thinking on what is important and how they should behave.  Where do family values come from? They are transmitted across generations.  If our grandfather grew up poor and only had a limited education, he is likely to value education for the family.

This experiential workshop uses an activity from the new fieldbook A Family Business on the Moon: 24 activities to plan your family and business future, so the participants learn to identify their family values and are motivated to continue their discussion at home. Beyond values, the family will also learn how to communicate about important ideas. A family completing the values exercise will have begun the process of clarifying their shared values and appreciate the importance of using values to align the family and business actions and plans.

How to Shape Culture in 7 Uneasy Lessons with Ian Waddelow 

Culture is the foundation of any family business and is fast becoming the vital discriminator for customers, suppliers and employees alike. Yet, in most cases, it is left to evolve by chance. By exploring the 7 key pillars to a winning family business culture, in this interactive workshop we’ll uncover how you can shape your culture, on purpose.

How to set healthy boundaries in the family business: managing the personal and the professional with Annabel Park and Helen Selka (The People Project)

Long-term success in family business is rooted in balance, as well as exceptional management and leadership. In this dynamic workshop, Helen Selka and Annabel Park will explore how family business owners can avoid family business entanglements through recognition and observance of key boundaries and the importance of creating a safe space where family members can be heard and listened to with compassion.

12:45-13:45

Lunch

13:45-14:30

How to build a culture of intergenerational collaboration in family business with Norman Springford (Apex Hotels Ltd), Sonya Eastaugh (William Jackson Food Group) and Will Vickers (Mary Randall Vickers & Co), facilitated by Juliette Johnson (Juliette Johnson Consultancy)

This panel discussion will explore the opportunities, as well as the challenges, of creating a culture of intergenerational collaboration in family business. Juliette Johnson will be in conversation with next generation and senior family business owners, who will share their families’ initiatives for reaping the benefits of intergenerational collaboration.

14:30-15:45

Parallel Workshops 

It's All About Values: The Force Within with Randel S. Carlock (INSEAD) and Keng-Fun Loh (Family and Business Learning)

Family values unite a family by providing a social glue that shapes thinking on what is important and how they should behave.  Where do family values come from? They are transmitted across generations.  If our grandfather grew up poor and only had a limited education, he is likely to value education for the family.

This experiential workshop uses an activity from the new field book A Family Business on the Moon: 24 activities to plan your family and business future, so the participants learn to identify their family values and are motivated to continue their discussion at home. Beyond values, the family will also learn how to communicate about important ideas. A family completing the values exercise will have begun the process of clarifying their shared values and appreciate the importance of using values to align the family and business actions and plans.

How to Shape Culture in 7 Uneasy Lessons with Ian Waddelow 

Culture is the foundation of any family business and is fast becoming the vital discriminator for customers, suppliers and employees alike. Yet, in most cases, it is left to evolve by chance. By exploring the 7 key pillars to a winning family business culture, in this interactive workshop we’ll uncover how you can shape your culture, on purpose.

How to set healthy boundaries in the family business: managing the personal and the professional with Annabel Park and Helen Selka (The People Project)

Long-term success in family business is rooted in exceptional management and leadership. In this dynamic workshop, Helen Selka and Annabel Park will explore how family business owners can understand and negotiate the complexity of intertwined relationships through recognition and observance of key boundaries.  By honing their listening skills, participants will practice holding a safe space where family members can be heard and listened to without judgement.

15:45-16:15

Coffee Break

16:15-17:00

In Conversation With Martin Thatcher (Thatchers Cider)  

In this session, facilitated by Rupert Phelps (Smith & Williamson), Martin Thatcher (Thatchers Cider) will share the growth journey or Thatchers Cider and explore values and culture in his family business. 

17:00-17:45

The Love Child of Tradition and Rebellion with Sir Tim Smit KBE (Eden Project)

In the last plenary speech of the day we'll hear from Sir Tim about the fascinating history of how the Eden Project was created and developed. Sir Tim will also focus on how they have balanced the need for formal structures and governance with keeping the fire of the organisation's belly alive. 

17:45-18:00

Closing remarks

19:00-22:00

Gala Dinner at The Pump Rooms

Fri 7 June

CONFERENCE at Apex City of Bath Hotel

8:30-9:00

Registration

9:00-9:15

Welcome with Hugh Clark (IFB Chairman) 

9:15-9:30

Policy Update with Fiona Graham (IFB)

Fiona will highlight the recent developments in the UK’s rapidly evolving policy landscape and explain how future political trends will redefine what is possible for family business - both in terms of opportunities and threats.

9:30-10:15

The Future of Work: What Culture Will Attract Great People in the Future?

Panel discussion with  Camilla Faith (Grosvenor), Neil Russell (PJ Care), Professor Veronica Hope Hailey (University of Bath), facilitated by Simon Fenton (Spencer Stuart)

In this ever changing world driven by disruptions in technology and global markets, leading companies place a much greater emphasis on culture. This panel session will look at how family business culture can be a differentiator in attracting and retaining talent; at the shifts in the mindsets and in the ways future talent will work; and explore the key role of leaders and HR teams in creating exceptional cultures to attract and retain outstanding talent.  

10:15-10:45

Coffee Break

10:45-11:30

Is Your Board's Culture Fit For Purpose? with Andrew Osborne (Geoffrey Osborne), Michael Turner (Fuller, Smith & Turner) and Marcus Moir (Archwood Group). Facilitated by Peter Leach (Deloitte)

The role of boards in the governance structure of family businesses is extremely important and getting their culture right is key. In this panel discussion we will explore the critical role of culture in overall board performance; share insights on how you can diagnose and manage your board’s culture to facilitate constructive interaction between board members; and discuss the crucial role of the Chair and outside resources in changing your board culture.

11:30-11:45

IFB Research Foundation Update with Sir Michael Bibby (IFB Research Foundation Chair)

11:45-12:30

Family Business in the Community: What Do You Really Stand For? with Jo Charles (Willmott Dixon), facilitated by Nadine Exter (Work with Purpose)

In this session, Nadine will be in conversation with Jo Charles to explore the role of family business in the community, recognising that this is one of the key elements of being a responsible family business. The aim of this discussion will be to inspire and challenge participants into thinking about their own impact on their community: is it managed well? Is it properly measured? And should it be more robust?

12:30-13:15

Seeing the Future: Conjuring Forth Answers From the Data-Driven Holographic Crystal Ball with Dr. Pippa Malmgren (Author of "The Leadership LAB: Understanding Leadership in the 21st Century" and Co-founder of H Robotics) 

13:15-13:30

Closing Remarks

13:30-14:30

Lunch An opportunity to continue the conversations before the end of the conference.