Babson Family Business Summit 2024
Join us at the Babson College Family Business Club’s premier event of the year, the Family Business Summit, on March 30th, 2024, at the illustrious Winn Auditorium, Babson College, Wellesley.
This one-day event brings together leading minds in the family business and entrepreneurship world, featuring a keynote by Jonathan Ram, CEO of Clarks, and panels led by industry stalwarts.
Schedule
09 AM: Reception, Breakfast & Networking by Uncle John’s Coffee
10 AM: Opening Speech by Dr. Stephen Spinelli, President of Babson College
10:15 AM: Hiring a CEO: Fusion of Transformation & Tradition by Jonathan Ram, CEO of Clarks, Moderated by Jay Rao, Professor, Babson College
11:30 AM: Financial Literacy in Family-Owned Businesses by Stephen Martiros (Kindros), Harish Dadoo (Dadoo Associates) & Andrew Altenbach (Bulfinch Group), Moderated by Bret Bero, Professor, Babson College
12:30 PM: Lunch & Networking
1:30 PM: Founding a Family Business by Shoko Nilforoushan (Medistri) & Lauri Union (Bertarelli Institute of Family Entrepreneurship), Moderated by John Hallal, Professor, Babson College
2:45 PM: Next Generation via Entrepreneurship by Frank Foster (Hixon Properties & Gidean Hixon), Mat Paisner (Scrubadub), Mariana Restrepo (Babson College) Moderated by Samuel Buehl, Generation Transition Advisor
3:45 PM: Closing Speech
4 PM: Networking at Roger’s Pub
Dive deep into the dynamics of family businesses, from traditions and transformations to financial literacy and founding principles. Whether you're part of a family business or interested in the unique challenges and opportunities they present, this summit offers invaluable insights and networking opportunities.
Tickets:
Breakfast, lunch & Networking Aperitif at Roger’s Pub included.
Keynotes
Opening Speech
Speaker: Dr. Stephen Spinelli, President of Babson College
Overview: Kickstart the summit with an inspiring welcome from Dr. Stephen Spinelli, exploring the vision of Babson College and the significance of family businesses in today’s economy.
Hiring a CEO: Fusion of Transformation & Tradition
Keynote Speaker: Jonathan Ram, CEO of Clarks
Moderator: Jay Rao, Professor, Babson College
Overview: Delve into the critical decisions behind hiring a CEO in a family business, balancing innovation with cherished traditions, guided by insights from Jonathan Ram.
Panels
Financial Literacy in Family-Owned Businesses
Speakers: Stephen Martiros (Kindros), Harish Dadoo (Dadoo Associates) & Andrew Altenbach (Bulfinch Group)
Moderator: Bret Bero, Professor, Babson College
Overview: Unpack the importance of financial acumen in sustaining and scaling family businesses, with expert perspectives from leaders in the field.
Founding a Family Business
Speakers: Shoko Nilforoushan (Medistri) & Lauri Union (Bertarelli Institute of Family Entrepreneurship)
Moderator: John Hallal, Professor, Babson College
Overview: Explore the foundational pillars of starting a family business, from ideation to execution, and the journey of maintaining family values.
Next Generation via Entrepreneurship
Speakers: Frank Foster (Hixon Properties & Gidean Hixon), Mariana Restrepo (Babson College), Mat Paisner (Scrubadub)
Moderator: Samuel Buehl, Generation Transition Advisor
Overview: Discuss the pathways for the next generation to innovate within family businesses, ensuring growth and relevance in the modern market.
Reserve your spot today for an enlightening experience that bridges the gap between tradition and innovation in the realm of family businesses.
Biographies
Jonathan Ram, Clarks
Geographies: Worldwide
Industries: Shoes, Retail, Fashion, Leather
Jonathan Ram is the Chief Executive Officer of Clarks, a renowned British international shoe manufacturer and retailer. Before joining Clarks in April 2022, Ram had an extensive career in the footwear and fashion industry, highlighted by his tenure as the Group President of Global Activewear at HanesBrands, Inc. In this role, he was instrumental in driving the growth of the company's global activewear business. His career also includes a significant period at New Balance, where he spent sixteen years working across various international territories, managing the LATAM, EMEA, and North American businesses.
Ram's educational background includes a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing, which he obtained from Concordia University in 1992, and a Master of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurial Studies from Babson College - Franklin W. Olin Graduate School of Business in 2008. His leadership at Clarks has been marked by a focus on innovation and expanding the brand's appeal, including launching new product partnerships and targeting younger consumers
Frank Foster, Hixon Properties & Gidean HIXON
Geographies: United States
Industries: Real Estate, Venture Capital
Frank Hixon Foster serves as the Chairman Emeritus of Hixon Properties and the Managing General Partner of the Gideon Hixon Fund, a venture capital fund. He has been with the Gideon Hixon Fund since 2004 as a Managing General Partner and since 1990 as a General Partner. Foster has played a significant role in managing and expanding the Hixon family's wealth and investments, leveraging his extensive experience in venture capital and his deep understanding of family business dynamics.
His tenure as Chairman of Hixon Properties, from 2013 to 2022, showcases his leadership in the real estate sector, while his role in the Gideon Hixon Fund reflects his commitment to supporting innovative entrepreneurs and startups. Frank Foster's career is marked by a focus on cultivating generational wealth, engaging the next generation of family business owners, and ensuring the Hixon family's legacy continues to thrive.
His background and expertise in venture capital, combined with his dedication to family enterprise, make him a prominent figure in both the real estate and venture capital industries
Mat Paisner, ScrubaDub
Geographies: New England, United States
Industries: Automotive Care Industry
Mat Paisner is a key figure in the family-owned and operated business, ScrubaDub Auto Wash Centers, serving as the Principal of ScrubaDub's Business and Real Estate Development. The ScrubaDub brand, established in 1966 by Marshall and Elaine Paisner, has grown into New England's premier car wash company. Mat, continuing the family legacy, has significantly contributed to the business's growth and community engagement efforts. Mat was granted a high-paying job opportunity but chose to contribute to the family business instead. This decision reflects his commitment to sustaining and expanding the ScrubaDub legacy. Under his leadership, the company has maintained a focus on providing exceptional service and supporting local communities.
Stephen Martiros, Kindros
Geographies: New England, United States
Industries: Finance, Education, Technology
Stephen Martiros is the founder and CEO of Kindros, a public benefit corporation dedicated to improving financial literacy. With over 30 years of experience in the wealth management industry, Martiros has focused his career on helping individuals, family offices, and businesses navigate financial complexities. Prior to founding Kindros, he established Summitas, an award-winning B2B cloud software application designed for family offices, and served as its CEO. Martiros's work in creating Kindros stems from his commitment to providing a safe space for people to learn about personal finance, thereby empowering them to take control of their financial lives. His efforts in the field of financial literacy aim to close the opportunity gap by offering unbiased financial knowledge through a B2B modular knowledge platform, addressing the needs of organizations and individuals alike
Harish Dadoo Ader, Dadoo Associates
Geographies: Mexico, South America
Industries: Investment Banking, Finance
Harish Dadoo Ader is a highly accomplished professional with a notable career spanning across various sectors. He serves on the board of HIMEXSA SAB de CV and is the Founding Partner of Dadoo & Asociados SA de CV. Harish holds an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Additionally, he has an AD-2 Senior Management Degree from IPADE.
Before founding Dadoo & Asociados in 1994, Harish worked for 11 years as an independent consultant. During this time, he advised Global Investment Banking Firms and Foreign Multinationals on Mergers and Acquisitions, as well as Co-Investments in Mexico.
Mariana Martiros, Babson College
Geographies: United States, Colombia
Industries: Plastics
Mariana Restrepo is a junior at Babson College, pursuing a double concentration in Strategy & Consulting and Economics. As a member of the third generation of a Colombian family business, she has gained exposure into various sectors including the agro-industry, real estate, post consumption PET-plastic manufacturing, and solar energy. She has further enhanced her financial literacy and understood the importance of informed decision-making while working at Kindros. This summer, Mariana eagerly anticipates her internship with Generation Transition Advisors, where she aims to develop skills in family business advisory.
Shoko Nilforoushan, Medistri
Geographies: Switzerland, Europe
Industries: Pharmaceutical, Medical Devices
Shoko Nilforoushan is the CEO and Founder of Medistri, a leading provider of sterilization and laboratory services. Medistri, established under Nilforoushan's leadership, has become a trusted partner for companies in the healthcare sector, including the pharmaceutical, medical device, aerospace, and biotechnology industries. The company is recognised for its commitment to using state-of-the-art technology and adhering to stringent quality standards to offer efficient and reliable services. Nilforoushan's leadership at Medistri is marked by a focus on innovation, sustainability, and the delivery of high-quality services that meet the evolving needs of the healthcare industry.
Under Nilforoushan's guidance, Medistri has grown significantly to meet the growing demand from its client base. Medistri's role in supporting global healthcare needs, includes its contribution to the sterilization of over 500 million vaccine vials in 2023, highlighting its critical role in the pharmaceutical supply chain.
Andrew Altenbach, Bulfinch Group
Geographies: United States
Industries: Wealth Management
Andrew provides financial, business, and estate planning solutions for professionals and businesses nationwide. He guides clients regarding investments, insurance, retirement planning, wealth transfer and asset protection solutions, business continuity and exit planning, executive retention programs, and sophisticated risk management techniques.
Jeff Kendall, Laurell Mountain Partners
Geographies: United States
Industries: Waste Management
Jeff Kendall has been a prominent figure in the waste management and environmental services sector as the Managing Director of Laurel Mountain Partners for over 25 years. His leadership has driven the acquisition, development, and operation of numerous assets and companies, exemplified by projects such as the financing and development of Cougar Landfill in Houston and the acquisition and operation of a large MSW landfill in Fort Payne, Alabama.
Under his guidance, Laurel Mountain Partners has successfully acquired nearly 200 companies in seven consolidation plays, with many of these businesses being sold either to public companies or private equity firms. Kendall's strategic vision and operational expertise have been instrumental in the firm's growth and success in the environmental services industry.
Jeff Kendall's educational background includes a BA from Penn State, an MILR from Cornell University, and a JD from the University of Pittsburgh. His comprehensive education and extensive experience in building, buying, and selling companies across the waste and environmental services sector have made him a respected leader and innovator in the field.
Lauri Union, Bertarelli institute of family entrepreneurship
Geographies: United States
Industries: Metals, Residential Materials
Lauri Union serves as the Nulsen Family Executive Director of the Bertarelli Institute for Family Entrepreneurship at Babson College. Her role is pioneering, focusing on enhancing the scope and impact of family entrepreneurship through innovative educational and research initiatives. Union's extensive experience in family business leadership and entrepreneurship significantly informs her work at the institute. Her leadership has been instrumental in guiding Babson College students to explore their motivations and values within the context of their family's business and potential new ventures. This work aligns closely with Babson's mission to empower entrepreneurial families worldwide to create economic value and social impact based on strong family relationships.
At the age of 27, Lauri became president and CEO of her family business, Union Corrugating Company, a deeply troubled manufacturer of building products. Union grew the company significantly and led it to become an industry leader, remaining on the board after a private equity sale.
The Bertarelli Institute, under Union's guidance, adopts a unique approach to family entrepreneurship, emphasizing the integration of family dynamics with entrepreneurial activities across generations. This perspective is distinct from the traditional focus on family businesses, as it explores how families as systems engage in entrepreneurial activity over time. The institute's innovative three-circle model reflects this focus, highlighting the intersection of entrepreneurial opportunity, family functioning, and self-reflection in its courses and programs.
Union's leadership and the institute's mission reflect a commitment to exploring the nuanced relationship between family dynamics and entrepreneurship. The institute aims to serve as a global leader in the academic and practitioner fields of family entrepreneurship, offering a range of courses and programs designed to enhance the entrepreneurial capacity of families.
Jay Rao, Professor, Babson College
Geographies: India, United States, Switzerland
Industries: Consulting, Strategy, Innovation
Jay Rao is a professor at Babson College, where he has been teaching since 1995. He is involved in various capacities beyond his teaching role, including serving as a board member and trustee of Hymamshu in Bangalore, India, since 2001, and as a principal of InnoQuotient & Dicere Global S.A. in Spain since 2013. Rao was also a member of the Innovation Advisory Board at Ocean Spray from 2010 to 2015 and served on the Flavor Advisory Board at Firmenich from 2015 to 2018.
His work focuses on innovation, the implementation of innovation initiatives within firms, corporate entrepreneurship, and customer experience innovation. Rao teaches extensively in Babson Executive Education programs, offering insights and expertise in these areas to both executives and organizations worldwide. His commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship is reflected in his contributions to executive education and his advisory roles in various organizations
Samuel Bruehl, Generation Transition Advisor
Geographies: United States, Europe, Middle East
Industries: Family Advisory
Samuel Bruehl is a co-founder and partner at Generation Transition Advisors, a firm focused on assisting family enterprises around the world to plan and execute effective and respectful transitions in ownership and leadership. His work includes counseling client families on governance, business family relationships, ownership, succession, and transition planning. Before his current role, Bruehl served as a senior advisor at BanyanGlobal, where he also focused on governance and family business dynamics, contributing his expertise to developing family and owner policies and fostering next-generation leadership.
Bruehl's educational background includes attendance at Clark University, where he focused on areas that would later define his career in family business consulting and transition advising. His experience spans a range of roles that have equipped him with a deep understanding of the complexities involved in family business operations, governance, and succession planning. Through his work, Bruehl has become known for his ability to navigate the intricate dynamics of family enterprises, offering strategic advice to ensure successful generational transitions.
Bret Bero, Professor, Babson College
Geographies: United States
Industries: Private Equity, Turnarounds, Consulting
Bret Bero is a Assistant Professor of Practice in the Management Division of Babson College, where he has taught Strategy, Strategic Problem Solving, Management Consulting, Leading Business Turnarounds, and Disruptive Change and Business Transformation to Undergraduate and Graduate students. He also teaches in the executive education programs through the BECC.
Prior to joining the Babson Faculty in August 2016, Mr. Bero was a Managing Director at American Capital, Ltd., were he led middle market private equity portfolio companies in formulating investment strategies, driving operational improvements, enhancing financial performance, and achieving successful exits. He has served as Chairman of two portfolio companies, CEO of five portfolio companies, and on the Board of 12 companies. Mr. Bero has conducted business diligence on over 30 potential acquisitions, including several that resulted in a successful transaction. He developed American Capital's Acquisition Integration toolkit, and the executive transition process operating standard.
Mr. Bero has over 18 years of increasing leadership roles in world class consulting firms. He was President of the North America region for DBM, a leading provider of career transition services. As a Partner at Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting), he developed the Organization Strategy service offering, and was a member of the team that won Andersen Consulting's Kenneth Earnst Strategy Thought Leadership award for work on alliance management. Mr. Bero was a Vice President who led multi-discipline project teams in addressing business transformation, business strategy, and organization change issues for clients in the Diversified Industries/Diversified Services industry group at Gemini Consulting. While with Price Waterhouse, Mr. Bero led engagements addressing portfolio strategy, business turnarounds, organization effectiveness, and financial effectiveness issues. His clients have included firms such as Marriott, Highmark BlueCross/BlueShield of Western PA, Ferguson Enterprises, Bausch & Lomb, National Services Industries, Lanier, General Motors, Tupperware, Harry & David, KeyCorp, IBM, New York Life, and International Thomson. Mr. Bero and a business school classmate acquired ECHO Industries, Inc., a small lot deep draw metal forming manufacturing company, in a leveraged buy-out in 1997. The business was sold in 2019.
Mr. Bero was a candidate for Lt. Governor of Massachusetts during the 2022 election cycle. He has served on the Town of Carlisle Finance Committee and the Revenue Enhancement Committee.
John Hallal, Professor, Babson College
Geographies: United States
Industries: Law, M&A, Medical device
John Hallal has a proven track record of success in entrepreneurship, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and advising emerging growth companies. Since establishing Network Blue in 2004 , John has advised founder-led companies through various M&A transactions. Utilizing a comprehensive approach, his firm manages all facets of the process, from financial analysis, brokerage, negotiation, deal structuring, and due diligence, ensuring a seamless experience from start to closing. In addition to Network Blue, John has spearheaded several entrepreneurial ventures across diverse industries. These include helping restart and ultimately sell a medical device manufacturer and distributor in Arizona, co-founding a durable medical equipment supply company in Massachusetts, and starting a cannabis wholesale and distribution business in California. An active angel investor and longstanding member of Boston Harbor Angels, John is deeply passionate about Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA). Since 2007, he has invested in and advised numerous startups, entrepreneurs, and investment funds. At Babson, John shares his expertise by teaching ETA courses and M&A in the MBA program.