A MAJOR conference takes place on Belfast later this month aimed at bringing together representatives of the tens of thousands of family-owned and run businesses in the north.
The 'Family Business Forum' is an initiative set up by Harbinson Mulholland and supported by Ulster University Business School’s SME Centre.
It has been created as a hub for family firms to connect with each other, share experiences, exchange ideas and learn in a friendly and sociable setting.
The forum will host regular events exclusively for family owned businesses, providing an opportunity to meet other business owners, hear stories from guest speakers and benefit from the skills of experts in sector.
Each event will be focused on a specific theme, hosted in a private, confidential environment and reserved for smaller groups to exchange lively and focused networking.
Research undertaken by UU earlier this year shows that 72 businesses out of the top 100 most profitable locally-owned businesses in Northern Ireland are family-controlled (details of the findings at www.harbinson-mulholland.com/family-business/ni-family-business-forum).
The forum's autumn/winter schedule will focus on managing relationships in the family business, and kicks off with a session on Wednesday October 19 at which Michael Walsh, chief executive of of Woodford Capital, will look at how two of Ireland’s most entrepreneurial families, the Roche and Doyle families, developed their own family governance structures.
As well as the keynote address from Mr Walsh, there will be a “We the Family” workshop with Darren McDowell, a partner at Harbinson Mulholland, and round-table discussions on future-proofing your family business led by Michael McQuillan, director of the UU Business Institute, and Ian Smyth, a lecturer in human resource management at UU.
Partners from Harbinson Mulholland will be at the forum to discuss the role family businesses have played in Northern Ireland's economy.
Details of the forum are available at www.harbinson-mulholland.com/family-business/ni-family-business-forum
