Featuring FFI Authors

Prepared Exclusively for FFI Members

August 01, 2025

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FI members, presenters, and award winners consistently drive innovation and offer invaluable insights into the family enterprise field—and beyond. Today, we are pleased to feature their recent publications.

Have we missed a recent book or report? Help us keep this feature vibrant by sharing news about publications from the FFI community.

John Broons

Creating A Thriving Family Business: Progress Not Perfection

In Creating a Thriving Family Business, family business advisor John Broons shares a lifetime of experience working inside and alongside family enterprises. The book guides readers step by step through building an aligned and resilient family enterprise and transitioning across generations—all while keeping the family intact and the business strong.

John Broons
FFI Fellow

John Broons, FFI Fellow, has dedicated more than forty years to helping families in business thrive. One of the founders of FBA Victoria and multi-award-winning advisor, John draws on personal experience and his Thriving Family Business methodology to guide families worldwide toward sustainable success and strong relationships.

Bob Chernow

Reflections of a Futurist

Reflections of a Futurist provides insights into pattern recognition and detecting trends, showing readers how to think like a futurist and sharpen skills in decision making and long-term strategic planning. The book also offers Chernow’s perspective on topics including the future of global health, climate change implications, and how science fiction influences innovation.

Bob Chernow
FFI Fellow

Bob Chernow, FFI Fellow, is a former vice chairman of the World Future Society. He was a stockbroker for more than forty years until his retirement in 2023. He currently operates the Tellier Foundation.

Christopher Gibson (contributing author)

Intellectual Property Licensing Under International Investment Law, Research Handbook of Intellectual Property Licensing

Intellectual Property Licensing book cover

The second edition of the Research Handbook on Intellectual Property (IP) Licensing explores the multiple facets of IP licensing law from a global and comparative perspective through the opinions of leading experts. This handbook goes beyond the analysis of classical substantive issues and ultimately aims to offer a scholarly contribution to the development of global or regional IP licensing laws and policies. Christopher Gibson wrote Chapter 4, “Intellectual Property Licensing under International Investment Law,” with co-author Henning Grosse Ruse-Khan.

Christopher Gibson
2025 Global Conference keynote speaker

Christopher Gibson is a professor of law and director of the Business Law and Financial Services Concentration at Suffolk University Law School in Boston. He is an expert in international law, international arbitration and intellectual property and technology issues. He will deliver the keynote “AI and How It’s Impacting the Family Enterprise Field” at the Global Conference in October.

The James E. Hughes, Jr. Foundation and The Philanthropic Initiative (publishers)

A Generous Life: Reflections on Inspired Giving by Peter Karoff

The James E. Hughes, Jr. Foundation is honored to partner with The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI) to share an e-book of A Generous Life: Reflections on Inspired Giving by Peter Karoff, late founder of TPI. A Generous Life recounts lessons learned, provocative ideas, and stories about the power and potential of philanthropy. Through speeches, essays, and blog posts spanning decades, the book presents giving as a journey, acknowledging the challenges and celebrating the philanthropic connections that can add value to society.

The James E. Hughes, Jr. Foundation, rooted in Hughes’ study of the five capitals (human, intellectual, social, spiritual, and financial capitals), is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the field of family governance and generational well-being.

The Philanthropic Initiative is a Boston-based nonprofit philanthropic advising firm that designs transformative giving solutions at the local, national, and global level. For more than three decades, TPI has provided consulting and program management services to help families, individuals, foundations, other philanthropies, and companies increase the impact of their philanthropy.

Jonathan Ramos

Legacy in Action: A Transformative Planning Journey for Every Family Business

Legacy in Action is a roadmap for transforming the personal challenges and hard-won lessons of Filipino entrepreneurs into enduring success for the entire family enterprise. This book offers insights drawn from Ramos’s lived experience on how to navigate conflicts, succession dilemmas, and intergenerational leadership transitions.

Jonathan Ramos
FFI Fellow

Jonathan Ramos, FFI Fellow, is the founder and CEO of Premier Family Business Consulting, a multi-disciplinary family business consulting firm in Southeast Asia. He has been an independent advisor, facilitator, and consultant to family enterprises across multiple industries, and he served on the FFI Board of Directors from 2019 to 2023.

Previous Edition

The FFI Board of Directors provides strategic vision and oversight for the development of the organization. Over the past few months, the 2025 Nominating Committee has solicited suggestions for nominees and interviews with potential candidates have been held. The Committee is pleased to announce the following nominees for four-year terms on the FFI Board of Directors. Voting will be conducted by electronic ballot, which will be sent to FFI members on September 5. New board members will take office following the annual meeting, which will be held virtually on November 10.