business families foundation activity report 2014

8/18/2019 Business Families Foundation Activity Report 2014

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction........................................................................................ A Message from our President......................................................... Measurable Achievements from 2014............................................

Timeline at a Glance for 2014.......................................................... 2014 Activities.....................................................................................

Business Development & Relationships.....................................

Content Production........................................................................

Marketing, Communications & Events........................................

Technology......................................................................................

Operations.......................................................................................

Board of Directors and Advisors .....................................................

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In 2014 our Foundation has made signicant strides. It refocused its energy and activitiesin order to better serve its core constituents: Entrepreneurial Families. For them wehave produced relevant, thought-provoking online material that is interactive, enjoyableand acts as a guide in overcoming the unique and particular challenges faced byentrepreneurial families.

This year, we have engaged the rising generation throughambitious social media activity and through the rst of manyregroupings of 20 and 30 something’s that continue to inspireour work. In light of our more “inclusive” strategy, we haveincreased partnerships with like-minded organizations, allowing

us to better spread our quality material in blended learningand classroom formats. We have built a professional team andcontinue to work with a network of experts to develop practicaland relevant content.

Looking ahead to 2015, the Foundation will concentrate onits outreach. We will be developing new innovative contentin English, Spanish and French and engaging in strategicpartnerships with key global organizations that carry a similarvision and values.

The foundation will also focus on unveiling the key roles the women and the risinggeneration play in the sustainability of Entrepreneurial families and build the foundationfor long lasting initiatives that highlight and support these sub-markets.

Above and beyond all these activities and projects, we will also be celebrating thefoundation’s 25th anniversary and will bring together leading families and industrythought leaders to reect upon the role our cherished Entrepreneurial family businessmodel will play in the year 2040.

These are some exiting times ahead…

Olivier de Richoutz

A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT

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MEASURABLE ACHIEVEMENTS FROM 2014

2014 was indeed an exciting and eventful year, below are some of our measurable andquantitative achievements.

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Business Development

Sponsors RBC

CAF New Distributors

New Educational Licenses

Content Production

Interviews

Videos Interv

Online Educational Modules

Short video clips in English

Short video clips in French

W

Marketing, Communications & Events

Social Media ReachNew SubscribersNewsletter ReadersAcademyWomen’s Think Tank

Next Generation Gatherings

RBC

CAFE, CanadaFBCE, AustraliaParampara, IndiaTharawat, Middle EastTrusted Family, Global

Alberta Business Family Institute

HEC MontrealBusiness Families Centre of the Sauder School of BusinessGoering CenterTechnológico de Monterrey

Families & Experts

Interview based thought provoking videos

Communication module

Compass for Entrepreneurial Families

Are you on a path your parents chose?When no one else understands what you are going throughA Balancing ActThe weight of ResponsibilityPresenting Ownership MechanismsWomen’s Leaders in the shadowsWhen the line between business and person isn’t so clear

Le cœur balanceL’éternel incomprisPas de pression

Une géante invisible

80,000 SharesFreemium & Premium SubscriptionsEnglish, French and Spanish readershipParticipants regrouped over 3 daysWomen gathered over a 2 day periodNetworking / workshop events

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90+

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10,000 700

8,0006015

2 X 40

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TIMELINE AT A GLANCE FOR 2014

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC

BFF Moves to

999 Boul. de

Maisonneuve. O

Filming & Editing

of Promotional

Videos

New License

Agreements

Social Media

Activation

Completion of

Compass for

Entrepreneurial

Families

BFF Ad

Digital A

to the T

Competition of

Communication

& ConictManagement

Training Resources

for Academy

Developed

First Next

Generation

Event

Digital Team

Launches New

eLearning Platform

FF Welcomes a

New President New Website

Launch

BFF Adds

an Executive

Assistant to the Team

as well as a

Web Developer

Change of

Accounting &Finance Service

Providers

Second Next

Generation

Event

Montreal

Academy

Women’s Think Tank

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2014 ACTIVITIES

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Our Partners Central to developing qualied tracto the BFF website and helping reachour target market, our partners playa crucial role for the foundation bothnow and moving forward.

Our partners get involved with the

foundation in one or many ways

including; content commissioning,

licensing agreements or through

obtaining wide-spread access for

members of their organizations to

BFF education.

Following the FBN Asia Academy2013 in Singapore, our Asian Partnerhas developed activities with thefollowing Centres providing themwith our educational material:Universitas Kristen Petra fromIndonesia, Taylors Education Group

from Malaysia, National Universityof Singapore (NUS Business School)from Singapore, The ChineseUniversity of Hong Kong (CUHK).

New License Conditions

In June 2014, current partners weremade aware of the new licenseconditions. These conditionsbundled an annual fee with theparticipation in a compulsorytraining, introducing new materialand facilitation skills to participants.

New Partnerships 2014 was an exciting year as new

relationships were developed andvisibility of the BFF brand wasincreased. Partnerships developedwere based on mass opening ofdashboard access to members ofthe partnering organization, contentcommissioning and development, oropportunities for network synergiesand visibility.

Ongoing Partnerships

A wide range of partners continueto collaborate with BFF in thedistribution and use of onlineeducation in their own events,through blended learning and bygiving their members access to ourcontent through the general portalor a custom dashboard.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & RELATIONSHIPS

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Courses

Continuing to populate the BFFlearning portal, brand new courseswere developed over the course of 2014.

Communication and Confict

Management for BusinessFamilies

This course, comprised of threedistinct modules, addresses

the issues of how to clearlycommunicate a message, improveinterpersonal communication skillsand manage conict when it occurs.Featuring original case stories andcommentary from experts on thematter, this course totals one hourof powerful, relatable and easy todigest material on a vital topic.

Compass for EntrepreneurialFamilies

Providing a better understandingof fundamental and contemporaryfamily business concepts, this coursewas developed for all membersof the entrepreneurial familyirrespective of their generation,ownership or governance in place.The 5 units are; Balancing Family andBusiness, Understanding Life Cycles,Navigating Ownership, Decision-Making Processes and Planning

Ahead. With its own video andanimated case stories, interactiveactivities, expert commentary andpeer perspectives, this course laysthe foundation for a new era oflearning online.

Navigating Ownership for RBCProfessionals

In light of BFF’s recent partnershipwith RBC, not only was the thirdunit of Compass for EntrepreneurialFamilies commissioned by thenancial institution, but there wasalso an exclusive version developedspecically for the use of RBCprofessionals. This unit featuredspecial commentary from the

institutions management teams,peers and experts working withextensive experience working withenterprising families.

Video Tutorials

Innovating the standard use ofBFF videos, eight tutorials havebeen developed. These are one-hour activities that guide the user’sreection and explain how to use

the video to engage in conversationwith a business family memberbased on several key topics.

CONTENT PRODUCTION

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CONTENT PRODUCTION

Training Resources In order to support partners in theunderstanding and facilitation of BFFmaterial, certain training resourceswere developed and distributed atour Montreal Academy.

Compass Guide Following the course progression,this training resource providesleading questions for facilitatorsand links other pertinent BFFcontent, which may enrich thelearning experience provided by anyfacilitator. The guide is a staple thatcan be used at any training event forthe compass course or as a supporttool for partners.

Facilitation at a Glance

To support the development ofgeneral facilitation skills, an existing

guide was personalized with theBFF brand and distributed to ourpartners as an additional tool tosupport their blended learningprograms.

Video Production In support of dierent contentdeveloped over the course of theyear as well as several promotionalinitiatives, a large variety of video

editing took place throughout thecalendar year. The recording andpaced release of over 90 videoswas achieved with the support ofparticipants from around the world;Australia, Canada, India, Mexico,Colombia, Italy, Finland, Malaysia,France and Asia.

Interviews

Additional interviews wereconducted with family businessmembers and experts alike to fuelcontent and generate new releasesfor the user dashboard, movingforward.

Compilation Videos

To better speak to each unique visitorthat comes to our website, dozensof themed compilation videos werecreated to provide a sneak peak intowhat the foundation’s material hasto oer.

Promotional Content Short, relevant and attentiongrabbing clips were scripted andlmed to highlight 6 dierentcommonly seen challenges amongentrepreneurial families. These

videos were used to fuel newsreleases, home page engagementand instigate conversation among

our market.

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New Website

In June of 2014, Business FamiliesFoundation launched a reorganizedand redesigned website. The newuser experience was designed witha more family focused target inmind. The concept is clean, morespacious and customizable in a waymeant to tailor the experience foreach unique user.

Social Media Activation

Once the new website waslaunched, the foundation beganactivating its social media platformsincluding; Facebook, Twitter andLinkedin. A variety of dierentcontent is shared on a daily basisincluding infographics, articles andrelevant news about families andbusiness. Posts will either lead tocomplimentary external resources

in the eld of family business, oronto the BFF website through itsblog or direct links.

Newsletter Applying best practices andsimplifying the look and feel, ourmonthly newsletter continues toreach over 8,000 readers with newcontent and release informationin the rst week of every month.

Content has shifted to ensureoptimal open rates, click throughrates and lasting engagement.

Advertising With a refocused position and newproducts to oer, BFF has started todevelop advertising images that canbe placed when met with impromptuadvertising opportunities. Examplesinclude recent placement in FamilyBusiness Magazine and preparationfor future remarketing campaigns.

Communication Collateral

Key messages and information fromthe new website and positioning wastransferred into marketing collateralfor relationship developmentpurposes. Material such as sales kits,brochures and personal narrativesare now readily available for theteam to leverage.

MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS & EVENTS

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EventsIn the fall of 2014, a series of eventsbrought together much of the hardwork, new content and strongercommunication developed by thefoundation throughout the courseof the year. These all providedmoments to solidify our credibilityas the most relevant online resourcefor entrepreneurial families andsupport our partners and users in

their learning journey.

Academy From October 22-24, 2014, BFFwelcomed 45 participants fromaround the world to the W Hotelin Montreal for another BFFAcademy. Two dierent programsran in parallel and welcomedinternationally renown speakersto address topics such as TheEvolution of Women’s Roles inFamily Business, Ownership, TheNext Generation, Facilitation inFamily Business and more.

Women’s Think Tank Following the Montreal Academy, 15women from across the globe withvaried roles in their entrepreneurialfamilies gathered together for atwo-day Think Tank to voice some ofthe most prevalent issues they andother women they know face in thebusiness and family environments.This event behaved as the rststepping-stone in developing a

framework for the Women inEntreprising Families Initiative whichis planned to launch formally in2015.

Next Generation Events In 2014, the rst two Next Generationevents were held with a group of 40Next Generation Family membersin their early to late 20’s. This groupwas brought together by two Next

Gen Ambassadors to connect witheach other, speak openly about thedilemmas they face and experiencea hands-on, interactive exercise onownership vs. management. As thisgroup continues to grow, BFF willsupport the organization of othersessions of interest to gain moreinsight on this important target offuture leaders.

MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS & EVENTS

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eLearning Platform

For over a year, the IT team workedon developing an eLearningframework that would allow BFF todevelop educational content usingvirtually any technology availableand successfully track the progressof users. This platform alsoallows partners to obtain criticalinformation about their member’sinteraction with BFF content,

strengthening our relationships andhelp our team learn from currentusers.

Administrative Tools Several tools have been generatedin order to make the internalworkings of the foundation moreecient and productive. Examplesinclude tools that can auto-

generate required certicated forcompleted courses, the ability toprovide and revoke specic accessfrom individual users and the abilityto publish new videos and adjustcertain content on the web withoutsupport from the tech team.

New Dashboard In order to improve the userlearning experience once they havegained access to all of BFF’s content,a new learning dashboard has beendeveloped in a model inspired bythe popular Netix layout. Thisallows users to browse by categoryor theme of interest and keep trackof what they have already viewed orshared.

Course Technology

Applications have been developedin order to allow BFF to extractspecic models or activities from afull-length course in order to let auser have stand-alone experiences.This increases the exibility of usingmaterial in events, presentationsand sharing online.

Software & Programs

Additional tools used tooptimize workow and providemore accurate and analyticalinformation for improvementpurposes are now being leveraged.Tools include; Trello for projectmanagement, Hootsuite for socialmedia, Mailchimp for databasemanagement, Google Analytics and

Dash-this for statistics and more.

TECHNOLOGY

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New Staf

We have identied where additionalskilled resources were necessaryand where we could outsource toexternal providers who are experts intheir eld. As a result we have addeda position in business development,an executive assistant, a researchassistant, a marketing coordinatorand a designer/animator to theteam. The result of many of these

additions will result in signicantlyless investment made on externalsuppliers unless engaged for aspecic, short-term project.

Accounting & FinanceAt the end of the calendar year,Business Families Foundationswitched over to a new third-partyprovider who was responsible forshift the accounting towards anactivity based costing model andsimplifying the revenue streammodel.

Administration

In January of 2014, BFF moved itsoce to a larger and more versatilespace. This layout not only has costbenets to the organization, butalso allows for a more dynamicwork environment. In Decemberof 2014 certain renovations wereput in place to adapt to a smallermove in the same location and theaccomodation of new tenants onthe oor.

OPERATIONS

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Olivier de RichoutzPresident

Francois ViensTechnology

Renée PellissierContent Development

Joelle GourdjiMarketing & Communications

Carmen de la TorreExecutive Assistant

Mark FenwickPartnerships & Strategic

Development

Lyne FontaineAdmin & Finance

Franck MethisTechnology

Thomas ClarkContent Development

James BarrettDigital Artist

Stephanie LaurinMarketing & Communications

Edouard DuplessisTechnology


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BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND ADVISORS

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Meet the board of directors

Philippe de GaspéBeaubien

Co-Founder, Business

Families Foundation

ArturoTorres

Nan-b de GaspéBeaubien

Co-Founder, Business

Families Foundation

SajenAswani

RonaldMannix

John A.Davis

Philippe de GaspéBeaubien III

MitchGarber

Paulina Garza

Patricio Lopezdel Puerto

TinahTanoto

PatriciaAnnino

Margaret- Jean Mannix

NadirMohamed

Meet the advisors to the board


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Business Families Foundation is graciously supported by the

Fondation

de Gaspé BeaubienFoundation

and by the consistent and passionate commitment of the manyexperts,families and faculty in the eld of family business

business families foundation activity report 2014

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