manufacturing

While many countries in the West understand the importance of having a clear governance plan, ultra-high-net-worth Asian families tend to be led by the patriarch or matriarch, often with little thought given to family succession [1].

Family businesses play a critical role internationally and in the context of African economies. However, due to a lack of reliable data their significance and contributions are not fully appreciated or understood. One thing is clear, however—family-owned businesses are the backbone of the African economy.

William Clay Ford Jr, the family principal behind the motor giant’s electrification

The $1 billion electric vehicle transformation by the Ford Motor Company in Europe is a vindication for its fourth-generation executive chairman, William Clay Ford Jr, a lifelong environmentalist.

The $155.9 billion family-controlled automaker announced this week all of its passenger and commercial vehicle ranges in Europe will be zero-emissions capable—all-electric or plug-in hybrid—by 2026, moving to entirely electric by 2030.

In 2006, as Ford Motor Company headed towards a $12.7 billion loss, the worst in the company’s 103-year history, Bill Ford, chief executive and great-grandson of the legendary Henry Ford, realised he needed help.

In an email to staff, Ford introduced his new top man: former Boeing transformation master Alan Mulally, who over the next eight years executed a revitalisation which saw the automaker’s stock appreciate more than 1000% from recession lows, and Mulally remembered as one of the all-time great business leaders.