The 2006 Irish Family Business Conference will be held at UCC on 29
September next and will be headlined by Bob Geldof KBE. The theme for
the conference is "Prevention is better than cure - Avoiding conflict
through good governance". The potential for conflict in family
businesses can be greater than for many other businesses - typically
due to a clash between commercial and emotional concerns. This
conference seeks to explore how family businesses might avoid such
conflict through strong leadership and careful planning. In 2005
the John C. Kelleher Family Business Centre at UCC held its first
national conference on sustaining the family business, at which the
former British Prime Minister John Major was the keynote speaker.
This year's conference will be opened by an tUas Micheál Martin TD,
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Bob Geldof KBE is the
keynote speaker, addressing the theme of leadership and making a
difference. In addition to his remarkable record as a humanitarian and
activist for the poor of Africa, Mr Geldof has many achievements as a
businessman and entrepreneur. He has built a number of successful
ventures including Planet24, sold to Carlton TV in 1994, and an online
travel business sold for $17 million dollars in 2001 and he retains an
8% share in Ten Alps Communication.
Two family business owners will share their experiences and develop the
theme further - Senator Feargal Quinn, President of Superquinn, and
Liam Griffin, Managing Director of the Griffin Group, owners of Hotel
Kilkenny, Ferrycarrig Hotel, and destination Spa 'Monart' in
Enniscorthy. Both will give an insight into how they manage the
intersection between family and business. Finally, Professor Joachim
Schwass of the International Institute for Management Development in
Lausanne will discuss the lessons to be learned from leading family
businesses throughout the world. The conference will be chaired by Alan
Crosbie, Chairman of Thomas Crosbie Holdings Ltd, and Adjunct Professor
at the John C. Kelleher Family Business Centre.
In late 2001 UCC set up the Family Business Forum, a consultative group
which was designed to understand how UCC might best support family
business in Ireland. Its membership drew from some of the most
successful family businesses in the country, and it has given rise to a
number of successful initiatives. In May 2004 it launched the John C.
Kelleher Family Business Centre to further enhance the package of
UCC-led initiatives aimed at developing the family business sector in
the region and throughout Ireland. The guiding principles for the
Centre are as follows:
- To strengthen the knowledge base and professional managerial capability of family businesses in Ireland
- To build knowledge, research and professional competence concerning family business within the Faculty of Commerce
- To network with national agencies and organizations which have a
role in advancing knowledge of or providing service to family businesses
- To enhance research-based teaching and learning for those involved directly or indirectly with family businesses
- To bridge the scholarly and analytical world of academia with the world of family business.
Dr Joan Buckley, Director of the Family Business Centre at UCC, says
"This year's conference will examine one of the more thorny aspects of
family business, and I believe we will gain useful insights from all
the speakers into ways of avoiding conflict. We are particularly
pleased that Thomas Crosbie Holdings Ltd have continued as our main
sponsor this year, and are also fortunate to have associate sponsorship
from Davy, Enterprise Ireland, PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Ronan Daly
Jermyn Solicitors. We are very grateful to have such active sponsors,
who are interested in developing and supporting our family business
initiatives."
For further details on the conference please contact Judith Muir at (021) 4902940 or familybusiness@ucc.ie
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