Advice on Leadership and Ownership

We advise entrepreneurs, business owners and their Boards on making the right leadership choices and decisions to ensure the viability of the business.

We do this through executive search and Board search, evaluation of leaders, succession planning and ownership advisory.

LEADERSHIP

CEO Succession

Advising on the most critical leadership decision a company must make

At a time when companies need to master fundamental transitions – digitalisation, sustainability, performance improvement – effective leaders have never been in higher demand. And appointing a new CEO is likely to be the single most important people decision that most Boards and Owners will ever have to make. Put simply: this is too important to get wrong.

Executive Search

Helping companies attract top class talent

Our economy is in continuous change – and factors such as major skill shifts, digitalisation, ESG, or crisis management lead to an even faster pace and higher necessity to adapt. In this context, people are a key success driver of your business; finding and securing the right talent should be top of your priority list.

Onboarding & Integration

Helping incoming and newly promoted executives to succeed

The appointment of any leader to a new role is a decisive moment in both the executive’s life and that of the organisation. Yet while great energy and attention is often given to the selection of that leader in terms of the search process, there is another element to the appointment that, in our view, is equally important: making sure the leader is well prepared for success.

Management Appraisal

Evaluating management performance and potential

Leading a business, you will find yourself in critical leadership situations in which human capital decisions set the ground for the future success of your organisation.

Board Search & Effectiveness Review

NED recruitment and evaluation of Board effectiveness

Boards matter! The sustainability and success of a company depends on its ability to conceive appropriate business strategies, to plan for the future and to attract capable leadership talent – and this depends on the quality of its governance. The key to ensuring good governance is to have an effectively staffed and functioning Board.

OWNERSHIP

Governance

Advising on governance structure and ownership strategy

Talent and inclination for an entrepreneurial role cannot simply be inherited by the next generation. We believe that only those who take the owner’s role seriously, and perform it professionally, are “legitimate owners”. One crucial key to success is to organisationally – and mentally – separate the role of owner from that of an operational executive.

Ownership Planning

Planning and coordinating transfers of ownership

The transfer of wealth is often a complex exercise and laden with complicated, multi-jurisdictional legal and tax challenges. Too often, though, ownership planning is mainly driven by tax optimisation. The power of a successful transition, however, lies in an over-arching strategy and objectives putting the shareholders in the centre.

Next Generation Transition

Helping owners pass the baton to the Next Generation

The transition from a founder or head of a family business to his/her successor(s) is an emotional and challenging moment in the history of a family business. Each generational transition is an opportunity to reflect on the foundations of the business – the vision and guiding principles of the shareholding family, the ownership strategy and governance/management structure. Preparing for this transition in advance is critical to the continued success of the business.

Family Office & Foundation Development

Establishing and professionalising Family Offices and Foundations

Planning for the long-term means not only making good people decisions but also setting up sustainable structures for managing the family’s wealth and interests. We support our clients with the organisation of their private assets, working with owning families on developing solutions for Family Foundations and Family Offices.

Coaching, Moderation & Mediation

Assisting in personal development and managing conflict situations

Wherever families and businesses meet, tough discussions, underlying conflicts or even open disputes can arise. How much economic and emotional value is destroyed in the process depends crucially on how the individuals have developed their perspective and resilience as well as how good the conflict management of the family and its professional advisors is.