ACTIVITY

REPORT 2017
An inclusive community
for entrepreneurial families
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
During 2017 BFF continued to build up a community for
entrepreneurial families who are seeking to learn together, renew
themselves and sustain their purposeful contributions to the triple
bottom line of people, planet and profit.

The major development of the year has been the further proof-of-
concept of our intrapreneurial initiative, which is prompting a shift
in traditional thinking about succession. Three cohorts have now
undertaken our “Intrapreneurship in Family Business” program and we
are set for roll-out in new locations and a second language in 2018.

Additional developments include a successful Family Matters Forum in

Vancouver, the launch of a new course in the “Ownership” series, and
on-going growth of online materials that will keep BFF as the reference
point in family business online education.

With new co-chairs of our foundation, and an expanded Board, we

started a strategic review process during 2017. Looking forward,
we are excited about the clear opportunities for making a collective
impact, particularly with BFF now positioned for executive education
through our intrapreneurship program.

Olivier de Richoufftz
President, Business Families Foundation

2 |  BFF Activity Report 2017

CONTENTS “Entrepreneurial
families are already
thinking of their
grandchildren and
4 The Intrapreneurial Initiative future generations
6 Family Matters Forum that are not yet
born. As the current
8 Learning Community generation we may
& Online Content never get to meet
them but we still
10 Governance want the best for
11 Looking into 2018 them and to pass on
something better
than we ourselves
have been fortunate
to receive.”
Margaret‑Jean Mannix and
Alex Adelaar, Co‑chairs,
Business Families Foundation

BFF Activity Report 2017  | 3

THE INTRAPRENEURIAL
INITIATIVE
As our biggest initiative, we continue to promote intrapreneurship as a real

1st place
alternative to traditional succession planning. The initiative is based on two
key insights: first, that many people in the Next Generation don’t want to
be forced to follow in the footsteps of their parents but prefer projects that

ranking have personal meaning. Secondly, that there is a way to accommodate this,
by developing intraprises that are led by the Next Generation while still
receiving support and commitment from parents and the family business.
on Google for
Three cohorts of intrapreneur-mentor pairs have now completed our
intrapreneuriat program. During the course of 14 weeks their challenge is to create
(French for a fresh intrapreneurial project, assisted by 36 hours of coaching and
consulting, five immersive workshops, exclusive discussions with
intrapreneurship) experienced intrapreneurs, and access to personalized online resources.

2,500
targeted followers on
social media channels
Expanding our Presence
The initial cohorts were French speakers and, building on the program’s
success, we are now preparing for English-speaking cohorts. We have
hired Chris Dohnal to coordinate the English-speaking program and he
is based in the Toronto offices of Family Enterprise Xchange (FEX).
The quality of our program has been noticed by non-family companies
who have an interest in developing and retaining younger employees.

29
In response to demand, we have extended our target market and
promotional materials to include corporate businesses.

intrapreneurial Partnerships
projects developed Alongside the program, which was developed with the support of
Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec (CDPQ), we joined with
Deloitte University in hosting ideation workshops which stimulated

5
thought-challenging creative discussions. We also organized webinars
as well as a face-to-face masterclass to provide insights into what it
takes to succeed at intrapreneurship.
intraprises now Another strand of our work was the creation of an alumni club that is
in operation open to those who have completed our intrapreneurship program.
Alumni members will continue to network and serve as ambassadors
of the burgeoning intrapreneurial movement. Media interest in the
movement was shown through newspaper articles that have talked of
“turning business families into intrapreneurial families.”

4 |  BFF Activity Report 2017

 FUELLED BY

Jean-Philippe Gagnon was a member of the

initial cohort of our program. He says that
the detailed roadmap, weekly meetings
and impressive experts created a unique
and supportive environment. He was able
to refine a value proposition that is similar
to the family’s existing business,
which operates in the technology
space. However his project
is focused on a completely
new segment, sport, which
is one of Jean‑Philippe’s
passions. The ultimate
goal is to accelerate
the process of re-
applying innovations
designed for elite
athletes to ordinary
sports enthusiasts.

FUELLED BY

Élodie Doua is an employee of Havas, an

advertising agency that was keen to
participate in our Intrapreneurial Program.
She had already created a small event
management service with a friend, as a
hobby, in her own time. Her employer
saw her activities not as a threat but
as an opportunity for Élodie to
become an even better employee
while opening up an interesting
new market. The company’s
VP of Strategy agreed to
become her mentor and
believes that Élodie’s
project is a “treasure” and a
potential win-win situation.
FAMILY MATTERS FORUM
The Family Matters Forum is our major gathering of entrepreneurial
families who want to grow with purpose. Participants listen to TED Talk-
For entrepreneurial style speakers and also work on generating relevant and practicable
families who want to ideas. Families are welcome to bring their trusted advisers so they
can enhance team spirit and share in the inspiration of fresh ways
grow with purpose. of thinking.

Held in Vancouver, the 2017 Forum encouraged participants to share

their concerns, hopes and actionable solutions related to the three P’s:
people, planet and profit. Under the overall theme of “Entrepreneurial
Families and the Triple Bottom Line” the Forum explored how we
invest in people, how we contribute to a sustainable planet, and how
we assess profit and value-creation.


Family Matters Forum 2017
Participants were invited to a
“Dinner Amongst Owners” with
special guest Joel Solomon, author
of The Clean Money Revolution

6 |  BFF Activity Report 2017

People
The concerns of participants included
corporations’ difficulties in tapping into
employee ideas and passions. As family
businesses strive to become truly great,
not just good, how can leaders do more
to build trust and strengthen relationships
within their organizations?

Planet
The millennial generation is embracing
the idea of doing something that is
bigger than themselves. This is often
tied to the environment and, to say it
simply, if the planet dies there will be
no business opportunities for anyone.
Technology has allowed us to better
measure our ecological footprint but what
about metrics for repairing damage and
reducing future harm?

Profit
The wealth gap is increasing along with
growing mistrust of traditional sources of
authority including CEOs and business leaders.
There needs to be conversations around what
wealth means to a family and how it translates
to values, as well as opportunities to put “slow
money” to work. When owners see themselves
as stewards, how do they measure success,
beyond indicators of financial gain?

More in-depth insights from the Forum are

available at www.businessfamilies.org
LEARNING COMMUNITY
& ONLINE CONTENT
In 2017 BFF continued to launch new online materials as we

9,080
progressively increase our educational offer to our learning community.

Newsletters were sent by email to more than 10,000 people who

active learners subscribe to our mailings, using English, French and Spanish. Blogs
were also posted at www.businessfamilies.org covering items such
as “the power of two,” “the soft side of family business” and “issues of

2,548
legacy.”

Thought leadership was focused on a deeper understanding of

enterprising families who are part of the 1% of wealthiest people. Data
premium users suggest that they tend to be “wealth creators” rather than just “wealth
collectors” so they are positive contributors to broader economic
goals. BFF facilitated research into the topic, leading to publications by

38% Michael Carney and Robert Nason of Concordia University Montréal.

of users are aged 18–24

65%
of users are from
North America

16,145
engagements with our
courses and exercises

8 |  BFF Activity Report 2017

“Discovering Family
Ownership”
In partnership with the Royal Bank of Canada,
we are developing a new four-module online
course within the Ownership series. It explores
questions such as: What is ownership? What
does it mean to me? What are my strengths and
challenges as an owner? The learning points
include the role of emotional ownership, the
dynamics within ownership structures, the
impact of values on decision-making, common
exit strategies, and opportunities for life after
ownership transition.

“Intrapreneurship in
Family Business”
is our program to stimulate intrapreneurial
projects that renew existing businesses
(see page 4). The course empowers young
intrapreneurs to find their own paths
for the future while their older mentors
have the opportunity to support the on-
going success of their business and Next
Generation. Through blended learning,
participants explore the concepts and
tools of intrapreneurship, as well as gaining
hands-on experience.

Learning videos
continued to be added to our collection
during 2017. There are now well over 500
videos of varying lengths that feature the
advice and experience of families and
leading experts. Key themes in the videos
are ownership, intrapreneurship, governance,
triple bottom line, innovation, leadership,
succession, values, and business life cycles.
GOVERNANCE


Business Families Foundation’s During 2017 BFF’s visionary founders, Philippe and Nan-b de Gaspé
Board of Directors
L–R: Margaret-Jean Mannix, Alex
Beaubien, passed on the baton of leadership after 27 years. Along with
Adelaar, Paulina Garza Lagüera Gonda, so many others in the community of enterprising families we express
Mauricio M. Brittingham, Brigitte our gratitude and appreciation for all their work and inspiration.
Mayaud, Nan-b de Gaspé Beaubien,
Antoine Mayaud, Philippe II de Gaspé
Beaubien, Sumitra Aswani, Pramod Our new co-chairs are Margaret-Jean Mannix and Alex Adelaar.
Nair, John A. Davis, Patricia Annino, Building on the concept of the “power of two” we have invited spouses
Robert Carr, Émilie Gaudet, Olivier to join the Board and we now have equal gender representation. Our
de Richoufftz, Sach Chandaria Board members represent three continents and 10 countries.
Missing from photo: Minu Aswani,
Sajen Aswani, Sujata Chandaria,
Robert Frances, Mary del Papa, Ronald The change in Board membership has been a good opportunity to
Mannix, Diane Deacon, Smitha Raju engage in a period of self-reflection and strategic review. We are using
Grandhi, G.B.S. Raju, François de Gaspé
Beaubien, Tinah Tanoto, Sukanto Tanoto
the “Innoweave” process to provide fresh clarity on the impact that we
want to have as a foundation as we plan ahead for the next five years
and beyond.

10 |  BFF Activity Report 2017

LOOKING INTO 2018
Strengthening Connections
Two of BFF’s most valuable assets are our
reputation and our connections with like-minded
organizations. These connections include strong
relationships with 10 academic institutions, eight
family business associations, six networks of
entrepreneurs and four family foundations. The
connections can be both organizational and
personal: for example Margaret-Jean Mannix, our
co-chair, is a Board member of Family Enterprise
Xchange (FEX), a Canadian organization for family
enterprises, and Olivier de Richoufftz serves on
their leadership council. In 2018 we will seek to
strengthen connections with all those who share
our mission of supporting entrepreneurial families.
New Developments
In terms of online content, an exciting project in
2018 will be a brand‑new program that explores the
issues of siblings and cousins in intergenerational
families. The format will feature three 2.5‑day
face‑to‑face sessions separated by 90 days for
reflection, application, and online learning.
Modules will include “knowing yourself,” “family &
heritage” and “purpose & leadership.”
Another exciting development is a collaboration
with Women in Enterprising Families Initiative
(WEFI) and Woman’s Business Enterprise Canada,
to achieve the shared goal of supporting women
in family businesses, and to develop and present
to them opportunities that may be helpful in
addressing related issues.
A Global Vision
An important principle is that all of our programs
are now being developed for global scalability.
We believe that the type of issues that we
address — such as ownership, intrapreneurship,
leadership succession, and socially responsible
practices — are relevant to families of every culture
and language. Going forward we will make it easy
for all our materials to work on a worldwide basis,
with equal impact and relevance. We want our
distinctive blended-learning programs to have the
potential to be used in any country, at any time, by
any learning family.
BFF Activity Report 2017  | 11
Business Families Foundation
3 Place Ville Marie, Office 12350
Montreal, QC H3B 0E7
www.businessfamilies.org

Intrapreneurial Initiative
www.intrapreneurialinitiative.org (English)
www.intrapreneuriat.org (French)

Women in Enterprising Families Initiative

www.weficommunity.org