career

This is the final article in the planned series of four, in preparation for the 18th Campden Wealth European Families in Business Forum in Berlin, Germany on 30-31 March, 2022. My prior articles—written for successors—addressed in turn the issue of successor value and the support successor's need to put in place to smooth succession over time.

Siemon, a Dutch entrepreneur, has directed the same passion for sustainable and impact investments with PureTerra Ventures as he had in his lifelong career of IT deals.

PureTerra’s mission is to enable technologies and entrepreneurs like Siemon to provide dramatic sustainable solutions which match the long-term interest of the global environment.

“I believe in the team, which is heavily invested in the fund themselves and are entrepreneurs,” Siemon said.

Picture yourself as a successor, recently arrived in a foreign market with no clear job description, no clarity on why you are there and a suspicious local management team. Your brief is to 'Find your own way and make a difference' in a company with €1 billion plus sales and a track record of minimum active family involvement.

Why should a family business recruit non-family talent, and in particular a non-executive director (NED)? The answer lies in three areas—fresh perspectives and breadth of experience, independent oversight and constructive challenge, and performance.

Independent research commissioned by the Institute of Directors found that the NED contribution added value to the firm with most believing the NED role improved profitability.