From the Chair

Prepared Exclusively for FFI Members

From the Chair

November 24, 2023

D

ear Colleagues,

We’re still fresh off an amazing and intellectually challenging FFI conference in New York in late October—feeling enthusiastic and excited about all the connections made and learning shared among the 350+ participants that joined us! Many thanks to the IMD Business School for acting as the academic host, to Belinda Sneddon and the Program Committee for creating an unparalleled experience, to the pre-con sponsors for enriching the program on Wednesday afternoon, and of course to Green Associates for helping to make this event a reality!

The FFI Board met following the annual meeting on November 7 and began planning many opportunities for continued connection and learning through FFI in the year ahead. Elected as board officers were Debbie Bing, chair; Maya Prabhu, vice-chair; Dan Frosh, secretary; and Sandra McNeely, treasurer.

Stay tuned as always for a steady stream of opportunities to engage with your colleagues from across the globe—from GEN programs, to webinars, to diving into fresh content in one of our terrific publications—and to the 2024 conference in London next October. Meanwhile, I’m pleased to provide you with a brief report from the November 7 FFI Annual Meeting. It was our fourth virtual annual meeting! Here is a summary.

Secretary’s Report

Ken McCracken, secretary, formally announced that Jeremy Cheng, Helena von der Esch, and Bilal Zein were elected to the Board of Directors by the membership in September 2023. They began their terms on November 7, following the annual meeting. Outgoing board members Mary Duke, Lisa Morel, Jon Ramos, and Carlo Salvato were gratefully acknowledged and thanked for their many contributions to the board and to FFI during their terms.

Jeremy Cheng

GEN+ Family Business Advisory & Research

Helena von der Esch

Formue

Bilal Zein

Quanon Capital Ltd

Treasurer’s Report

Sandra McNeely, treasurer, gave the treasurer’s report, which included audited numbers from 2021 and 2022 as well as year-end projections for 2023. She noted that FFI is in a strong financial position and commented that the auditors had again complimented the Finance and Audit Committee and FFI itself for the positive position the organization was in, following the many challenges of the past three years. The Finance and Audit Committee for 2023 included Joe Ambrose, Mary Duke, and Anthony Macaluso, as well as the treasurer.

President’s Report

Judy Green, president, gave updates on membership and on the strategic initiatives of FFI, which are education, research, and public awareness. The following are highlights from her report.

Membership

The membership of approximately 1900 members in 75 countries remains similar to past years, with 82% of the members classifying themselves as professionals and 18% as educators/researchers. The geographic distribution was also similar to last year, with 48% of the members in the US and Canada, 24% in the UK and Europe, 14% in the Pacific Rim, and 14% in Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East.

GEN Program

The GEN program continues to thrive with 160+ enrolled in 2023, coming from nearly 40 countries. It is anticipated that more than 100 certificates will be granted by year’s end, including 20 new Fellows, bringing the total number of Fellows to more than 300. More than 20 people are currently on the GEN faculty.

The FFI Fellows ceremony at the 2023 conference. Monika Hudson, 2022 Fellow, and Nancy Drozdow, 2001 Founding Fellow, presented the 2023 Fellows certificates. Back row (L to R): Helena von der Esch (partially obsured), Mairi Mickel, Anita van Gils, James Coutre (partially obsured), Dan Frosh, Alfredo De Massis, Juan Pablo Cerón de la Torre, Maria Milanetti, Nancy Drozdow. Front row (L to R): Standing: Monika Hudson, Amy Hart Clyne, Davon Cook, Esther Kong. Kneeling: Elaine King, Kimberly Eddleston, Natalie McVeigh, Armando Alvarez

2023 Conference

The 2023 Conference Program Committee, chaired by Belinda Sneddon, was thanked for its diligent and extremely creative approach to this year’s event. More than 350 people registered for the conference, from 40 different countries. Keynotes were 2086 Society Scholar-in-Residence Jason Jay, NYC historian Barnet Schecter, and Grace Lordan from the London School of Economics.

Research, Publications, and Public Awareness

The FBR editor, Don Neubaum, and associate editors were thanked for their excellent work this year in increasing the FBR 2-year Impact Factor to 8.8 and a ranking among Business Journals to 28/154, according to the Journal Citations Report.

FFI Practitioner and FFI on Friday continued their weekly publishing schedule with a variety of articles and authors as well as member information. Readership remained high in 2023.

Coming in 2024

The 2086 Society will announce plans for 2024.
The October conference will take place in London, England. The program committee chair is Miles Evans of Clairmont Trust.
…and much more!

Cordially,

Debbie Bing
FFI Board Chair

Previous Edition

We are pleased to provide you with an advance look at the December 2023 issue of Family Business Review (FBR).