Family Business Succession: Balancing Legacy, Leadership and Letting Go
Build a Future Your Family & Business Can Thrive In
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Family Business Succession Made Clear
Family businesses face unique challenges when it comes to succession. Unlike other companies, the decision-making process is often complicated by family dynamics, unspoken expectations, and the emotional weight of legacy.
This webinar will give business owners and advisers practical tools to address both the personal and commercial realities of family succession, and share proven strategies and insights to help protect family wealth, relationships, and business future.
Learning Highlights
- Understand how to navigate the emotional and commercial tensions in family succession.
- Learn how to prepare the next generation for leadership with the right skills, mentoring, and governance structures.
- Discover how to create clear family governance, including constitutions, councils, and conflict resolution mechanisms.
- Explore ownership structures, tax, and legal frameworks to protect assets across generations.
- Gain practical advice on how to build a documented succession plan that preserves both business value and family harmony.
Designed for Business Owners and Advisers
- Family business owners looking to prepare for succession and eventual exit.
- Next-generation leaders who want clarity on their roles and responsibilities.
- Financial advisers, accountants, and succession planners supporting family businesses.
- Board members and non-executive directors involved in governance of family enterprises.
Find Answer To Common Questions Here
Family business succession can feel overwhelming, with many moving parts to consider — family expectations, leadership readiness, tax, legal, and governance issues. To help you gain clarity, we’ve put together answers to some of the most common questions business owners and advisers ask when planning for succession.
Q1. What is family business succession?
It is the structured process of transitioning ownership, management, and leadership of a family-owned business to the next generation or new leaders.
Q2. Why is succession planning important for family businesses?
It ensures continuity, protects relationships, reduces disputes, and helps maximise the long-term value of the business.
Q3. How is succession in family businesses different from other businesses?
Family businesses must balance commercial priorities with emotional and personal relationships, which makes governance more complex.
Q4. When should we start succession planning?
Ideally years in advance. Developing future leaders and putting governance structures in place should begin long before retirement or exit.
Q5. What governance structures are useful in family businesses?
Family constitutions, councils, clear role definitions, and documented ownership protocols are essential to reduce conflict and maintain clarity.
Q6. What if the next generation is not interested in taking over?
It is important to confirm interest early and consider alternative succession strategies such as external management or employee ownership.
Q7. How do we handle conflicts in family succession?
A structured process with independent advisers, clear governance frameworks, and conflict resolution mechanisms helps prevent disputes.
Q8. What are common mistakes in family succession?
Leaving planning too late, failing to train successors, ignoring governance, and avoiding difficult conversations.
Q9. How do legal and tax issues affect succession?
Ownership structures, trusts, shareholding arrangements, and tax planning are vital to ensure smooth and efficient transfer of assets.
Q10. Can we manage succession without outside advisers?
It is strongly advised to involve independent experts. Family members are part of the problem and rarely able to mediate objectively.