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Quest Training

Family Business Governance & Succession Planning Training Course

Shows family-owned businesses how to balance family, ownership and business interests through governance structures and a clear succession plan.

CG · Corporate GovernanceAll Levels#2948ClassroomEnglish , Arabic
Duration
5 Days
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Free substitution at any time · 30+ days' notice: full refund minus 10%. Cancellation policy

Sectors:Risk, Compliance & GovernanceCategories:Corporate Governance

Course Overview

This course provides a practical framework for establishing effective governance structures and succession planning strategies in family-owned businesses. It addresses the challenges of balancing family relationships, ownership interests, and business performance while ensuring professional management, clear accountability, and long-term business continuity. Participants will explore family governance structures, family constitutions, ownership arrangements, family councils, boards of directors, and the separation of family, ownership, and management responsibilities. The course also examines leadership succession, next-generation development, conflict resolution, shareholder agreements, and the management of sensitive decisions affecting family businesses. Through practical case studies and structured exercises, participants will learn how to establish governance policies, prepare succession plans, manage ownership transitions, and strengthen communication between family members and business leaders. The programme supports family enterprises seeking to preserve business value, reduce succession-related risks, and achieve sustainable growth across generations.

Learning Objectives

  • Explain the principles of family business governance and their role in long-term business continuity.
  • Distinguish family, ownership, board, and executive management responsibilities.
  • Develop governance structures that support professional management and transparent decision-making.
  • Establish family governance policies, constitutions, and decision-making protocols.
  • Design succession planning frameworks for ownership, board leadership, and executive positions.
  • Assess potential successors against leadership competencies, performance, and business requirements.
  • Apply approaches for managing family conflicts and resolving disagreements constructively.
  • Strengthen financial transparency, accountability, and communication among family shareholders.
  • Identify succession risks and develop strategies to protect business continuity and organizational stability.
  • Prepare an integrated governance and succession roadmap aligned with family values and business objectives.

Who Should Attend

Owners and shareholders of family-owned businesses. Founders and second- or third-generation family business leaders. Family members preparing to assume executive or board responsibilities. Board members and independent directors of family enterprises. Chief executive officers and senior executives working in family-owned organizations. Family office executives and advisers involved in family wealth and business governance. Human resources leaders responsible for leadership development and succession planning. Legal, financial, and corporate governance advisers to family businesses. Professionals responsible for shareholder relations and ownership transition arrangements. Consultants supporting family business restructuring, governance development, and intergenerational succession.

Learning Outcomes

  • Identify governance challenges specific to family-owned enterprises.
  • Define the boundaries between family matters, ownership decisions, board oversight, and business management.
  • Design suitable family governance structures, including family councils and family constitutions.
  • Establish clear policies for family employment, compensation, ownership rights, and decision-making.
  • Develop succession plans for founders, senior executives, board members, and ownership transitions.
  • Evaluate potential successors using objective leadership and competency criteria.
  • Apply conflict resolution and communication techniques to address disagreements among family stakeholders.
  • Strengthen accountability, financial transparency, and shareholder engagement.
  • Assess risks associated with succession delays, ownership disputes, and leadership transitions.
  • Develop an actionable family governance and succession plan with defined responsibilities, timelines, and review mechanisms.

Course Outline

Day 1

Family Business Governance Fundamentals

  • Characteristics, lifecycle stages, and governance challenges of family-owned businesses.
  • Understanding the interaction between family relationships, ownership interests, and business operations.
  • Separating family governance, shareholder governance, board oversight, and executive management.
  • Establishing family councils, boards of directors, and advisory boards where appropriate.
  • Defining family business values, vision, mission, and long-term objectives.
  • Developing governance principles that support professionalism, accountability, and business continuity.
  • Practical Exercise: Map the family, ownership, board, and management structures of a sample family business and identify governance gaps.
Day 2

Family Governance Structures, Policies, and Conflict Management

  • Developing a family constitution and defining its purpose, scope, and implementation principles.
  • Establishing family councils, family assemblies, and communication protocols.
  • Defining family employment policies, qualification requirements, compensation principles, and performance expectations.
  • Clarifying shareholder rights, ownership responsibilities, dividend policies, and transfer restrictions.
  • Identifying common sources of family conflict and applying structured resolution approaches.
  • Establishing transparent decision-making processes and procedures for addressing disagreements.
  • Practical Exercise: Develop a preliminary family governance policy covering family participation, decision-making, conflict resolution, and shareholder communication.
Day 3

Succession Planning and Next-Generation Leadership Development

  • Understanding succession planning for founders, executive leaders, board members, and ownership.
  • Identifying critical roles and assessing the risks associated with leadership transitions.
  • Establishing objective criteria for selecting and evaluating potential successors.
  • Developing leadership competencies through mentoring, training, job rotation, and practical experience.
  • Preparing next-generation family members for governance and executive responsibilities.
  • Designing succession timelines, transition stages, contingency arrangements, and emergency succession plans.
  • Practical Exercise: Prepare a succession matrix for key leadership positions, including successor candidates, competency gaps, development actions, and transition priorities.
Day 4

Ownership Transition, Financial Governance, and Business Continuity

  • Understanding ownership transfer options, including family transfers, buyouts, and other succession arrangements.
  • Coordinating succession planning with shareholder agreements, legal structures, and applicable regulatory requirements.
  • Establishing principles for dividend distribution, reinvestment, and long-term capital allocation.
  • Improving financial reporting, transparency, accountability, and shareholder communication.
  • Managing business continuity risks arising from leadership changes, family disputes, or ownership uncertainty.
  • Evaluating governance considerations relating to family wealth, business assets, and long-term enterprise preservation.
  • Practical Exercise: Develop an ownership transition and business continuity scenario that addresses financial implications, stakeholder responsibilities, and key governance safeguards.
Day 5

Implementing the Family Governance and Succession Roadmap

  • Integrating family governance policies with business strategy and organizational development.
  • Prioritizing governance improvements and succession initiatives according to risk and business needs.
  • Defining responsibilities for family councils, boards, shareholders, and executive management.
  • Establishing milestones, performance indicators, and review procedures for succession readiness.
  • Monitoring successor development and evaluating the effectiveness of governance arrangements.
  • Creating a long-term framework for intergenerational continuity, adaptability, and sustainable business growth.
  • Practical Exercise: Prepare an integrated family business governance and succession roadmap with prioritized initiatives, accountable owners, implementation milestones, successor development measures, and periodic review arrangements.

Upcoming Dates

Selected date

Singapore · 8 – 12 Feb 2027 · Classroom

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CityDatesPrice per ParticipantEarly Bird
CasablancaScheduled
2 – 6 Nov 2026€4,300—
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DammamScheduled
8 – 12 Nov 2026€4,200—
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BerlinScheduled
9 – 13 Nov 2026€5,800—
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DohaScheduled
15 – 19 Nov 2026€4,400—
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DubaiScheduled
15 – 19 Nov 2026€4,400—
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ErbilScheduled
22 – 26 Nov 2026€3,100€2,790until 2 Nov
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IstanbulScheduled
30 Nov – 4 Dec 2026€4,700€4,230until 9 Nov
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GenevaScheduled
30 Nov – 4 Dec 2026€6,300€5,670until 9 Nov
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JeddahScheduled
6 – 10 Dec 2026€4,200€3,780until 16 Nov
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Kuala LumpurScheduled
14 – 18 Dec 2026€4,400€3,960until 23 Nov
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KigaliScheduled
14 – 18 Dec 2026€5,100€4,590until 23 Nov
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LisbonScheduled
21 – 25 Dec 2026€5,400€4,860until 30 Nov
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MadinahScheduled
28 Dec 2026 – 1 Jan 2027€4,200€3,780until 7 Dec
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LondonScheduled
28 Dec 2026 – 1 Jan 2027€5,600€5,040until 7 Dec
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MadridScheduled
4 – 8 Jan 2027€5,400€4,860until 14 Dec
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MakkahScheduled
11 – 15 Jan 2027€4,200€3,780until 21 Dec
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MarbellaScheduled
18 – 22 Jan 2027€5,400€4,860until 28 Dec
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ManamaScheduled
18 – 22 Jan 2027€4,700€4,230until 28 Dec
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MuscatScheduled
25 – 29 Jan 2027€5,300€4,770until 4 Jan
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OnlineScheduled
31 Jan – 4 Feb 2027€1,700€1,530until 11 Jan
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ParisScheduled
1 – 5 Feb 2027€5,700€5,130until 11 Jan
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SingaporeScheduled
8 – 12 Feb 2027€6,700€6,030until 18 Jan
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AbujaScheduled
15 – 19 Feb 2027€5,100€4,590until 25 Jan
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AccraScheduled
15 – 19 Feb 2027€5,100€4,590until 25 Jan
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AmmanScheduled
21 – 25 Feb 2027€3,100€2,790until 1 Feb
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AmsterdamScheduled
1 – 5 Mar 2027€5,400€4,860until 8 Feb
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BarcelonaScheduled
8 – 12 Mar 2027€5,400€4,860until 15 Feb
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BakuScheduled
8 – 12 Mar 2027€4,800€4,320until 15 Feb
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BeirutScheduled
14 – 18 Mar 2027€4,000€3,600until 22 Feb
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CairoScheduled
21 – 25 Mar 2027€3,300€2,970until 1 Mar
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Available in: Istanbul · Dubai · London · Doha · Amsterdam

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