New York City – Family enterprises are a pivotal driver of economic growth, employment, innovation, and long-term wealth creation. As they grow across generations, markets, assets, and ownership groups, leaders must navigate an increasingly complex agenda of strategy, governance, succession, talent, technology, and legacy.
Columbia Business School’s Global Family Enterprise Program recognizes the critical role of family enterprises, and the importance of training the future generation of leaders. As the program marks 10 years, Columbia Business School is announcing two new philanthropic investments that will expand the Global Family Enterprise Program’s teaching, research and impact for years to come. These investments come amid a significant transfer of wealth: Cerulli Associates projects that $124 trillion in U.S. wealth will be transferred through 2048, including about $18 trillion to charity.
The first is a gift from Amanda Hawkins ’11 to establish the Hawkins Family Fund for Global Family Enterprise, supporting programming, curriculum development and research. A second gift is from Walter and Shirley Wang ’93, which will name the Walter and Shirley Wang Family Directorship for Global Family Enterprise, supporting the teaching and research of the Program’s faculty director. Dr. Gaia Marchisio currently holds the position.
“I am humbled by Amanda, Shirley, and Walter’s generosity and deeply grateful for their belief in our program,” said Gaia Marchisio, Faculty Director of the Global Family Enterprise Program. “Family enterprises can create enduring value across generations, and doing so requires leaders who are intentional about the impact they have on their families, their organizations and the world at large. Through education, research and meaningful relationships, we are building a global community of leaders equipped to strengthen their enterprises and contribute to positive change for generations to come. I am excited to continue building something meaningful, ambitious, and enduring for families, students, and the field of family enterprise. These investments will enable us to broaden our reach.”
The Program’s 10-year milestone builds on a longer history of family enterprise education at Columbia Business School. The School introduced its Family Business Management course in 2007, followed by new coursework focused on family enterprise and wealth, a student-led Family Business Club and an annual flagship conference that convenes family enterprise leaders and students to challenge conventional thinking about the field’s defining ideas: from merit and nepotism to ownership, stewardship, and legacy as something actively co-created across generations.
Over time, those individual offerings grew into a more connected academic and professional community, and in 2020, the Program adopted the Global Family Enterprise name to reflect the expanding scope of its work. Since then, the School has launched an online Executive Education program, Family Enterprises and Wealth, that extends that work to leaders and professionals around the world. For alumni, the program is the next chapter in the same journey: graduates who own, manage, or invest with their families stay connected through events, research, and ongoing learning, and many give back as speakers, mentors, and hosts for current students.
Today, the Global Family Enterprise Program prepares current and future family enterprise leaders through 10 electives, mentoring and coaching programs, an executive education program, global immersion programs, research, and convenings. It reaches approximately 400 people each year.
For Amanda Hawkins ’11, the Program’s mission is personal. She is the third-generation CEO of Canerector Inc., a Canadian industrial manufacturing company co-founded by her grandfather, Stan Hawkins, in 1947, and later led by her father, Cecil Hawkins. Since becoming CEO in 2015, Amanda Hawkins has overseen a group of more than 50 autonomous companies spanning industrial manufacturing and metal fabrication.
“I am a big believer in this program,” said Hawkins. “As a third-generation CEO, I understand that running a family enterprise carries responsibilities that span generations, not just quarters. Family businesses have a huge impact on our economy and communities. I am proud to back work that focuses on helping them thrive.”
The Wang family’s connection to both Columbia and family enterprise also spans generations. Shirley Wang ’93, a Columbia University Trustee, is the founder and CEO of Plastpro, Inc., one of the largest manufacturers of fiberglass entry doors in the United States. Walter Wang is the Chairman and CEO of JM Eagle, a leading global manufacturer of plastic pipe, and began his career at Formosa Plastics Group, founded by his father, Yung-Ching Wang. Two of the Wang’s children are graduates of Columbia.
“Two thirds of all companies worldwide are family owned and run. Family businesses are the backbone of the world’s economy. With Columbia’s research programs and stellar faculty, we are well positioned to be the pinnacle of innovative leadership and help businesses thrive into the future. This program will be an engine of growth for the world and future generations of Columbia graduates. We have seen firsthand that sustaining a family enterprise requires not only strong business leadership, but also a shared sense of purpose and responsibility across generations,” said Shirley and Walter Wang.
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About Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School is a leading Ivy League business school that delivers a learning experience where academic excellence meets with real-time exposure to the pulse of global business. The thought leadership of the School’s faculty and staff members, combined with the accomplishments of its distinguished alumni and position in the center of global business, means that the School’s efforts have an immediate, measurable impact on the forces shaping business every day. To learn more about Columbia Business School, please visit business.columbia.edu.