Women in Family Business

Women in Family Business

WIFB is a global initiative that offers an opportunity to women from all over the world to share their insights and experiences with the family enterprise, connect with their peers, and contribute to the creation of a strong community.

  1. May 22

    Kim Samuel: Leading with Belonging

    What if the most powerful tool for leadership isn’t found in spreadsheets or boardrooms, but in the way we build trust, foster inclusion, and create spaces where everyone can thrive? For Kim Samuel, entrepreneur and Founder and Chief Architect of the Belonging Forum, this question isn’t theoretical; it’s personal. As a fifth-generation member of a historic family enterprise, Kim has spent decades exploring how belonging transforms families, businesses, and communities. Through her groundbreaking work, she’s redefining what it means to truly connect – in boardrooms, in families, and in society. In this episode, we dive into the heart of belonging: Why does a family business, with its shared name and history, still struggle with isolation? How can leaders cultivate belonging not as a ‘soft skill,’ but as a strategic imperative? And what happens when we treat it as a birthright – one that shapes everything from mental health to economic opportunity? Enjoy this episode with Kim Samuel.

    Kim Samuel: Leading with Belonging

  2. Mar 27

    Riham Fathy Ellaw: Leading Modernisation in a Traditional Business

    For Riham Fathy Ellaw, Executive Board Member and Business Development Director at Egypt’s Nassar Group, the path to modernising a traditional family business was never going to be easy. As the first woman in her family to step into the male-dominated steel industry, she faced scepticism from founders who believed transparency threatened their control, employees who feared change, and even family members reluctant to embrace new ways of working. Yet her determination to blend respect for tradition with the urgency of innovation has become the driving force behind the business’s evolution. In this episode, Riham shares her journey of navigating digital transformation and governance reform. From implementing ERP systems to restructuring authority and redefining leadership, she reveals the emotional battles, strategic compromises, and bold vision that are guiding Nassar Group into a new era. Her story is a testament to the power of persistence, the importance of clarity, and the necessity of preparing a family business for the future – even when the road is anything but smooth.

    Riham Fathy Ellaw: Leading Modernisation in a Traditional Business

  3. Mar 8

    Women in Power: Lived Realities of Leadership in Family Enterprises

    This is a special episode in which we launch our Women in Power report. It is based on a groundbreaking survey of 106 women from family enterprises around the world who shared their lived experiences. Our host, Ramia, is joined in this discussion by her report co-author, Marina Vaughan Spitzy from Tecolote Advisory, to discuss what we've learned about leadership, authority, and the unspoken challenges women face in family enterprises. The numbers tell a compelling story. Only 70% of the respondents in this survey knew in advance that they would inherit ownership, while nearly half entered leadership roles unexpectedly, often to support their families. What does this mean for how family enterprises prepare the next generation? From informal entries to hard-won authority, we’ll explore the patterns, the surprises, and the lessons that emerged from this global survey.

    Women in Power: Lived Realities of Leadership in Family Enterprises

  4. 05/09/2025

    Laura Meyer Ahlström: Sustaining a 170-year Legacy Through Storytelling

    Maintaining cohesion and connection in a vast, globally distributed family business while honouring its 170-year-old history is no small feat. Yet for Laura Meyer Ahlström, Family Functions Manager of Finland’s Ahlström Corporation, a multi-generational enterprise with over 420 family members, fostering unity and connection through the art of storytelling is a gratifying challenge. Laura’s connection to her family’s past deepened during childhood visits to their ancestral home in Norrmark, Finland, where she uncovered historical letters and photographs. These discoveries revealed the powerful resource the family archive represented and how it could inspire and excite both current and future generations. Today, Laura harnesses this rich legacy — blending tradition with innovation — to unify the family’s voice and articulate its values across generations. In this episode, Laura Meyer Ahlström reflects on her role as Family Functions Manager for Ahlström Corporation, a global leader in fibre-based specialty materials. She shares her experience using the family’s films and biographies to create multilingual narratives that resonate with and unite family members at home and abroad. Laura also discusses her family’s belief in entrepreneurialism and individuality, and how passion is always prioritised over obligation.

    Laura Meyer Ahlström: Sustaining a 170-year Legacy Through Storytelling

  5. 07/19/2024

    Nadine Karadag: Climbing the Corporate Ladder, Honoring Family Legacy, and Building Startups

    What do a corporate career, working in a family business, and founding a startup have in common? Surprisingly, more than you might think! Nadine Karadag’s journey is a fascinating blend of these diverse environments, and in this episode she reflects on how her approach to leadership and innovation has varied in each setting. Nadine began her career in finance, excelling at Dubai’s NASDAQ and quickly climbing the corporate ladder. However, she soon pivoted to join her family’s engineering business, eager to apply her corporate knowledge in a new setting. After completing her MBA, she returned to the financial sector, fulfilling a dream by working at a private equity investment firm. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted significant health accessibility challenges, sparking Nadine's entrepreneurial spirit. In 2021, she co-founded Valeo Wellbeing with her venture partner, Sundeep Sahni. Valeo Wellbeing offers holistic healthcare solutions, diagnostics, medication, supplements, consultations, and medical history all through a user-friendly app. In this episode, Nadine Karadag, COO and co-founder of Valeo Wellbeing and board member of the INCO Group, shares her remarkable journey from corporate success to family business and, finally, to launching a tech startup. She discusses how the lessons from each phase of her career shaped her trajectory, the challenges and rewards of founding a tech firm today, and the importance of fostering a culture of innovation for business survival.

    Nadine Karadag: Climbing the Corporate Ladder, Honoring Family Legacy, and Building Startups

  6. 04/23/2024

    Christina Wing: The Art of Having Difficult Conversations in the Family Business

    The art of communication is the glue that holds family businesses together, yet it's often the toughest nut to crack. Why do families in business dance around the conversations that matter most? Conflict, relationships, illness - these topics are the bedrock of our family dynamics but are often shrouded in silence. This silence can ripple through generations, affecting everything from who holds the reins to how decisions are made. Enter the world of open dialogue, where honesty and a united front can transform uncomfortable chats into pivotal moments of growth. But how do we get there? The path might be smoother than we think, built on the straightforward principles of honesty and the collective pursuit of a brighter future. On this episode we are joined by Christina Wing, the founder of Wingspan Legacy Partners, a seasoned faculty member at Harvard Business School, and a business owner herself. Christina unlocks the transformative power of tackling tough conversations head-on in family businesses. From the nuanced role of timing in broaching sensitive issues to the enlightening impact of the COVID lockdowns on our understanding of mental health and the need to set personal boundaries, Christina sheds light on the conversations that can redefine the future of family enterprises.

    Christina Wing: The Art of Having Difficult Conversations in the Family Business

  7. 02/23/2024

    Samira Zakour: Flexible Mindsets and the Development of Leadership in a New Era

    Passion, vision, and leadership play critical roles in determining the success or failure of every family business. However, while passion and vision remain constant sources of inspiration across generations, leadership styles vary and yield diverse results. Often a product of their era, culture, and economic environment, successful business leaders also possess strong strategic compasses that enable them to balance current priorities with long-term objectives. In today’s business landscape, that means maintaining a global perspective while adapting to local contexts – and successful leaders must find the courage to navigate and take decisive action in both environments. Constant shifts, geopolitical instability, technological disruptions, and economic uncertainty will shape leadership in the 21st century. The next generation of leaders will be defined by their ability to chart a course through turbulent periods and their readiness to adapt to the growing drivers of significant global change.

    Samira Zakour: Flexible Mindsets and the Development of Leadership in a New Era

  8. 02/16/2024

    Meghan Juday and Marina Vaughan Spitzy: How Women in Power Balance Bias with Opportunity

    Interview with Meghan Juday, Chair of Ideal Industries Inc., governance advisor, and founder of The Lodis Forum, and Marina Vaughan Spitzy, founder of legacy planning firm, Tecolote Advisory, and fifth-generation family business stakeholder Whether gender bias exists within the world’s family enterprises has been unequivocally answered.  Yet, despite the gender barriers they face – or possibly because of them – women are amplifying their voices and advocating for themselves within their family enterprises and the male-dominated boardrooms of businesses globally. Many women are actively demanding the change they want to see, and the resources they need to excel, as they increasingly recognise and understand the value they bring to every organisation and, maybe most especially, the family business. In this episode, Meghan Juday, Chair of Ideal Industries Inc., governance advisor, and founder of The Lodis Forum, and Marina Vaughan Spitzy, founder of legacy planning firm, Tecolote Advisory, and fifth-generation family business stakeholder, and Ramia El Agamy, Co-Founder of WiFB, discuss the results of their recent study entitled ‘Women in Power’ for which they interviewed near a dozen women who told their stories of bias and success in the family enterprise. In this episode, we discuss the emotional and professional challenges women confront when first taking on a leadership role in their family firms, as well as the strategies that can help empower them. We also talk about how the boardroom has become the final frontier of diversity in many organisations and emphasise the importance of continuing the conversation surrounding workplace bias for everyone in a family business, regardless of gender.

    Meghan Juday and Marina Vaughan Spitzy: How Women in Power Balance Bias with Opportunity
See All (77)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

WIFB is a global initiative that offers an opportunity to women from all over the world to share their insights and experiences with the family enterprise, connect with their peers, and contribute to the creation of a strong community.

Information

  • Creator
    Women in Family Business
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    77
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Women in Family Business