Responsible Ownership: Reshaping Business as a Force for Good

All around the world, demand is rapidly growing for a new type of leadership capable of securing sustainable long-term value creation rather than short-term profit maximization. For decades, some owners have treated “responsibility” as the business model and have found that their returns are often superior to less principled approaches, especially when measured over the long term.

Family businesses are an important stakeholder group in this space, as they are often driven by the values and outlook of their founding families. Thinking and acting in a sustainable and long-term manner is deeply rooted in their DNA, with different levers to address global challenges, including their operating business with concentrated ownership, their investment vehicles, their philanthropic platform.

The purpose of this White Paper is to revisit the roles and responsibilities of family shareholders in today’s context and to propose a forward-looking way of exerting their role, as well as a governance framework for family shareholders, their boards and executives who support long-term value creation.