AUB OBSERVATORY 2015 @ MILAN STOCK EXCHANGE

AIdAF and family businesses

AIdAF (“Associazione Italiana delle Aziende Familiari”) is an Italian association of family businesses founded in 1997 by Alberto Falck that brings together more than 150 companies which, overall, make up about 13% of the GDP. The association mainly deals with training and empowerment, institutional projects and exchanges of experience. In particular, the link with Bocconi University is relevant and constantly evolving thanks to the chair of Family Business Strategy in memory of Alberto Falck and a joint project with Unicredit Group and the Chamber of Commerce, called AUB Observatory, which aims to analyze the family business sector.

AUB Observatory 2015 at Palazzo Mezzanotte (Italian Stock Exchange)

The AUB Observatory 2015, promoted by AIdAF (Italian Association of Family Businesses), by UniCredit Group, AIdAF-EY, Bocconi University and the Chamber of Commerce of Milan, in collaboration with the Italian Stock Exchange and Allianz – is the only systematic survey about the family business sector in Italy. The seventh edition of the AUB Observatory presented for the first time the evolution of models of leadership and governance, performance and degree of internationalization of all Italian family businesses with a turnover exceeding 20 million Euros. In particular, from 7,069 companies with a turnover above 50 million tested in the previous edition (of which 58% family-controlled), monitoring was extended to 15,722 businesses, of which more than 10,000 are family-controlled.

The meeting was attended in a round table of entrepreneurs and experts of the caliber of Alberto Balocco (Balocco), James Campora (Allianz), Alessandro Cataldo (UniCredit), Edoardo Garrone (ERG Group), Alberto Meomartini (Milan Chamber of Commerce) and Alessandra Ruby (Kimbo). To frame the round table, there was a brilliant introduction by Bruno Pavesi and Guido Corbetta (Bocconi) and an outstanding conclusion by Elena Zambon (AIDAF).

The meeting provided an opportunity to understand how family-related businesses, despite the economic and financial crisis, have been able to react to the competitive and industry dynamics, continuing to work for their own strengthening not only in income-monetary terms but also with a strong emphasis on the possibility of renewal thanks to the development of young talent within the organizational structures.

The dynamism in the family business markets has enabled a general consolidation of the best companies, that have been able to leverage their competitive position for new acquisitions, adopting new models of leadership and developing a general ability to be situational (react in advance the pressures of an evolving demand that does not preserve rigid and inflexible models of governance to the continuous changes).

The meeting was a great opportunity for us to meet entrepreneurs and experts about family business, in order to partner with other associations (e.g. AIdAF) and organize future events.