Forum to deliberate on Mideast family business practices

The International Institute for Family Enterprises (IIFE) will be hosting ‘the Owners Forum Middle East’ at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel between October 22 and 23.

This conference is the fourth one organized by the IIFE and promises to bring with it the largest owner-level delegation of family businesses and long-term investors from Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

The IIFE has previously held Arab-German Family business summits in Egypt, Bahrain and Jordan, which brought family businesses from throughout the Middle East and German-speaking Europe together with academics for an intercultural exchange of ideas regarding family business practices.

The Owners Forum 2011 will broaden the scope of this exclusive gathering to include long-term investors, sovereign wealth funds, and family office leaders. It will also include presentations, in which leaders can elaborate on joint investment projects to a diverse audience of renowned decision makers.

The first day will have an Owners Day, which will focus on issues of immediate relevance to family enterprises such as leadership, governance, family dynamics, and successful planning.

The second day will be the ’Responsible Investors Day’, for placing family enterprises in a broader macro-economic context by inviting family offices, sovereign wealth funds, and long-term investors to focus on issues pertaining to sustainable and responsible investment.

Topics on the responsible investors’ day will cover regional and global economic outlooks, global risks, and psychological biases impacting long-term investment behavior.