Ian Macnaughton, Ph.D., is the founder of Transition Point Coaching in Vancouver, Canada. Throughout his lengthy career in business and family coaching and in advising, he has helped build relationships and frameworks that keep families and their enterprises together to create a common future that lasts for generations. A member of a family company himself, Ian is an FFI Fellow and a member of the FFI Global Education Network (GEN) faculty.

Dianne H.B. Welsh, Ph.D., is the Hayes Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship and founding director of the Entrepreneurship Programs at The University of North Carolina Greensboro. An FFI Fellow, she is a recognized scholar in women-owned businesses and franchising. In 2015, she held the Fulbright-Hall Distinguished Chair for Entrepreneurship in Central Europe. With more than 150 publications in the field, Dianne is also the chair of the FFI Academic Awards Best Dissertation Committee.

Patricia Angus, JD, MIA, TEP, is CEO of Angus Advisory Group LLC and an adjunct professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Business, where she is founding Managing Director of the Family Business Program. A recognized thought leader in multi-generational family governance and wealth, she has advised families with businesses, trusts, and charitable foundations for more than two decades, building bridges across disciplines through her teaching, education, and thought leadership. The author of The Trustee Primer: A Guide for Personal Trustees, Patricia is an FFI Fellow and a faculty member in the FFI Global Education Network (GEN).

STEP is a worldwide professional association for those advising families across generations. It promotes best practice, professional integrity and education to its 20,000 members across 96 countries. STEP’s members help families plan for their futures: from drafting a will or advising family businesses, to helping international families and protecting vulnerable family members. STEP’s Business Families Special Interest Group marshals expertise, promotes best practice, and champions the family business area.