Post by WIFU - Wittener Institut für Familienunternehmen

🌍 Global Family Business Insights: Highlights from Our International Conference 🌍 "Borrow from the grandchildren." With this thought in mind, we just concluded our inspiring conference ‼️ "The Family of the Family Business: An International Perspective" at WIFU - Wittener Institut für Familienunternehmen, Universität Witten/Herdecke from September 24th to 26th, 2025. ‼️ This event marked the grand finale of Dr. Tobias Koellner's five-year collaborative project with researchers from India, Japan, Peru, Russia, and beyond. We delved into multigenerational wisdom and bold new ideas from all corners of the globe. A heartfelt thank you goes to Professor Dennis Jaffe from the U.S., who enriched us with insights from his interviews with family businesses worldwide that have thrived for over a hundred years. His well-known book "Borrow from your Grandchildren" truly set the tone for our discussions. And of course, a huge thank you to Tobias and his team for making all of this possible. We also owe special thanks to Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp for his inspiring dinner speech, in which he shared valuable insights from his very old business family, Merck. On the final day, we also held a smaller circle to explore future collaboration opportunities, with colleagues from many other countries, also joining via Zoom. It was a fantastic conclusion to a truly global exchange. Finally, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to the WIFU-Stiftung, and especially to Professor Tom A. Rüsen. Without the generous support of the foundation, this large-scale five-year project would not have been possible. Years ago, Tom planted the idea of exploring multigenerational business families across the globe to uncover the secrets of their longevity—and this vision has now come to life. #FamilyBusiness #InternationalConference #GenerationalWisdom #GlobalCollaboration