Family Voices

Seven days, five Italian cities, six company visits, and more than a dozen engaging sessions—the “CAFE in Italy” Global Immersion course took 16 graduate students on a deep dive into the heart of Italian family enterprises. Led by Professor Gaia Marchisio, participants met with owners, next‐generation leaders, and seasoned advisors.

On October 1st, the Global Family Enterprise Program held its inaugural Owners' Day, a milestone event that brought together family enterprise leaders, students, alumni, and experts to explore the evolving role of ownership in today’s world. The event showcased the potential for family enterprises to not only drive economic success but to lead with values and create sustainable, positive change across industries, communities, and generations.

Our spotlight is on the latest groundbreaking work by Sheena Iyengar, the esteemed inaugural S.T. Lee Professor of Business in the Management Division at Columbia Business School, and a renowned authority on choice and decision-making.

On this episode of the BRITE Ideas Podcast from the Center on Global Brand Leadership at Columbia Business School, Professor J.P. Kuehlwein and Director Matthew Quint speak with Dilhan Fernando (CEO, Dilmah Tea) and Malik Fernando (Managing Director, Resplendent Ceylon) about the creation and growth of the first owned and operated tea company in Sri Lanka, Dilmah Tea. 

Jon Sebastiani ’12 took the audience through his journey joining his family’s businesses and expounded on some of the successes and challenges he faced. He shared practical relational advice for those thinking of joining their family’s business and what to look out for, as well as some career advice from his experience launching his own private equity fund after his family sold their business and he graduated from CBS.

Panelists discussed new challenges, from “cancel culture” to personal privacy, which businesses, and their people, must navigate in an inescapably interconnected world.

The panelists on this session gave us an inside look at the missions and family dynamics in family offices. They spoke about some of the difficulties of keeping younger family members engaged as family businesses grow, and also highlighted some things to consider when deciding who should run a family’s office and how they should do it.

Husband and wife Bram Bluestein ’71 and Ilene Gordon joined the Global Family Enterprise Program in 2019 for “Making It Work: Two Careers, One Family, and a Lasting Legacy.” In this clip, they discuss setting up their family office and involving the next generation in the business.

Husband and wife Bram Bluestein ’71 and Ilene Gordon joined the Global Family Enterprise Program in 2019 for “Making It Work: Two Careers, One Family, and a Lasting Legacy.” Their candid insights on balancing their two high-powered careers while raising a family resonate today.

Leaders in retail, real estate, and spoke about how their businesses pivoted during the pandemic and what the “new normal” looks like.