Leyster appoints Ruud van Dusschoten as Senior Advisor 21 January 2025 - Zeist, January 21st 2025 – Leyster B.V. (Leyster), an ambitious provider of significant minority equity financing for large family and founder owned businesses, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ruud van Dusschoten as Senior Advisor. In this strategic role, Mr. van Dusschoten will bring his extensive experience and leadership to further drive Leyster's growth and innovation. Continue reading
Succession and Competitive edge: Two Challenges Keeping Family Business Leaders Awake 4 July 2024 - Succession and Competitive edge: Two Challenges Keeping Family Business Leaders Awake Among the many challenges you as leaders of Family and Founder Controlled Businesses (FFCB’s) face, succession and gaining or maintaining a competitive edge might be the ones keeping you awake. They may seriously impact the future of your business as well as the level of future involvement of the family and founders. Two issues that might keep family business leaders awake at night 1. Succession: transferring control of the company to the next generation The first item that will creep up higher on the agenda over time is how the family wants to transfer the business to the next generation. This step is something that is never taken lightly as it has an impact on the future of the company but also on the family dynamics. As families attempt to preserve their entrepreneurial legacy, they often encounter a myriad of issues that can jeopardize the continuity and success of the business. These challenges are multifaceted, encompassing emotional, financial, managerial, and legal dimensions. It leaves the family with both a significant opportunity and a daunting challenge. How to structure a transfer is now even more topical due to the popular HBO series Succession but also due to less entertaining articles in mainstream media about the ageing of family leaders in a C-suite position. According to research from EY and University of Sankt Gallen the average age of family board members (either non-executive or executive) is 62 years and continues to rise 1. The concern is not that this average is currently at 62 years but that it continues to go up. Two years ago, it was 60 according to the same research institution implying that transfer to the next generation is only happening at a very slow pace. The urgency for transfer to… Continue reading
