Keynote: All in the Family

Event Overview

Did you know that Walmart, Illy Coffee, and Estée Lauder are all family businesses?

In the United States, “family owned” is spoken with pride and considered a cornerstone of the economy. In other parts of the world, the words “family” and “business” are synonymous. If a mother and father run a corner store, you can bet their children will be working as cashiers or stocking shelves at some point in their lives. Yet as those children’s stakes in the business increase, they may want to expand the business or explore entirely different ventures to invest in.

Cornell lecturers and researchers Daniel Van Der Vliet and Wesley Sine advise successful entrepreneurs and family businesses the world over. In this fast-paced discussion, we’ll look at everything from starting a family business to how the next generations might think about utilizing profits to invest in different ventures.

RESOURCES / NEXT STEPS

Emerging Markets certificate

Change Management certificate

Sales Growth certificate

What You'll Learn

The diversity and commonalities among family businesses around the world
What founders should consider when handing over the business to their children
How family businesses have successfully expanded into different ventures
How interfamily communication can influence business outcomes

Speakers

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Daniel Van Der Vliet

John and Dyan Smith Executive Director of Family Business

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

As the founding director of the Smith Family Business Initiative at Cornell University, Dann Van Der Vleit built one of the world’s leading academic platforms for family enterprise education.

During his tenure, Cornell launched the Family Office Institute – an executive development program for family office professionals – and introduced cornerstone offerings such as the Cornell Case Competition for Family Ownership, the Leaders in Family Enterprise course, and the Sam Seltzer Mentors Forum.

Before joining Cornell, Dann served for 12 years as Director of the Family Business Initiative at the University of Vermont, where he expanded a highly regarded program featuring multiple peer groups and owner forums, and he co-founded the Family Enterprise Case Competition, the first global case competition dedicated exclusively to family business.

Dann holds both a B.S. in Natural Resources and an M.Ed. from the University of Vermont.

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Wesley Sine

John and Dyan Smith Professor of Management and Family Business

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

John and Dyan Smith Professor of Management and Family Business and Faculty Director of Entrepreneurship Innovation and Technology Theme, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

Wesley Sine is the John and Dyan Smith Professor of Management and Family Business at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University. His research focuses on the emergence of new economic sectors and entrepreneurship in the United States, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia.

Professor Sine explores issues related to institutional change, industry and technology evolution, technology entrepreneurship, and new venture structure and strategy. He has examined a diverse set of economic sectors, including the electric power industry and the emergence of the internet. Professor Sine’s teaching interests include entrepreneurship, commercializing university technology, new venture growth, the management of technology and innovation, and organizational change. He has consulted and taught executives in Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East.

Professor Sine has published papers in Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Management Science, Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal, and Research Policy. He is currently a senior associate editor at Organization Science and is the book review editor at Administrative Science Quarterly.

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