Round Peg Podcast

Water, water everywhere. There is so much freshwater in Canada that we take it for granted. True, Canada has some 20% of the world’s total freshwater resources. But supply is finite. Less than half – about 7% of the global supply – is renewable. Most of it is fossil water retained in lakes, underground aquifers and glaciers. “We’re complacent about the state of our fresh water in this country,” says Désirée McGraw, stressing that leaders of all stripes need to step up for the environment, business and humanity. As president of Aqua Forum, a charitable organization that addresses water issues through tech solutions, McGraw is on the hunt for results. She has her work cut out. No fewer than 21 Canadian cities dump more than one trillion litres of untreated sewage into Canadian waters every year, according to AquaHacking, a freshwater solutions organization set up through the De Gaspé Beaubien Foundation and linked to Aqua Forum. “Canada is a water superpower. If we can’t solve our fresh water problems in terms of accessibility, sanitation and cleanliness, that doesn’t bode well for the rest of the planet.” Which is why AquaHacking is working with next-gens, not to point out problems, but to deliver results. “Neuroscience tells us that young people are hardwired for innovation and we’re tapping in that.” The clean water champion is also working hard to get Canadians to realize how fragile the country’s freshwater ecosystem is. McGraw fears that, unless the public is engaged, governments won’t prioritize freshwater projects. “We need smart tech solutions and entrepreneurial approaches to solving these problems, but without strong public policy and regulations, we’re not going to solve the problem, so we need to do both.” Première en affaires magazine called McGraw one of eight top women executives in Quebec in 2015. In 2010, she was chosen by the World Economic Forum as a “Young Global Leader” and in 2014 the Financial Post called McGraw a “trailblazer” among Canada’s 100 most influential women.

When Liz McBeth left San Francisco after the dot-com boom, it became increasingly clear to her that she was destined for a role in the family business. McBeth, who grew up in a household of entrepreneurs, is president of Armour Valve Ltd., a Toronto-based distributor of high-performance specialty valves used in heavy industries. She recalls how her father, a former investment banker, was troubled by market volatility in certain industries and decided to diversify by “being involved in many of them.” That began in 1971, when Armour Valve was founded. From 1998 to 2007, McBeth ran her own business, McBeth Media, where she consulted small businesses and non-profits in the field of marketing and communications strategy. Now at the helm of second-generation Armour Valve, McBeth earned her stripes in her former role as the company’s marketing and business systems manager. Integrity is a value she holds dear. “Reputation has to be formed on the service and the product that we deliver,” she says. “We have earned our reputation as a problem solver.” Meanwhile, as a woman in a male-centric industry, she takes her role in stride. “It has been an adjustment,” says McBeth, who has found strength in her mentors whom she identifies as her colleagues, past employers, academics and, of course, her family. Part of her success is her open-minded approach to tapping resources: “I guess when you have a learning culture, you have access to advice, and a culture of mentorship all around you.” McBeth recalls how, when it became clear her “career was going remain at Armour Valve,” she would form a leadership team to widen decision-making. “The first transition along that path was to make decisions as a group rather than as a founder,” she says. “That was a seismic shift in how we approached planning, strategy and decision-making.” As for family enterprises, McBeth believes they matter because they often have values that align with her own family enterprise. “We can make choices for different reasons than satisfying the requirements of a quarterly report. Over the years we found the companies that we work best with are also family-owned . . . because there is a certain understanding – not to say that we don’t work with other forms of businesses – but there is a really snug fit when it comes to two family businesses working together.”

Gina Parvaneh Cody takes more than a keen interest in lofty concepts of gender diversity, social inclusion, philanthropy and affordable education. As Concordia University’s first woman to earn a Ph.D. in building engineering, her story is a remarkable tale of generosity and influence. When Cody is not espousing the benefits of “smart cities” or actively encouraging young women to pursue the “wonderful” world of engineering, she reminds Canadians not to be complacent about their enviable status on the global stage. As for family enterprises, Cody believes they have a twin role to play as economic engines and caretakers of our communities. It’s a recipe for opportunity, which includes a key ingredient: giving back. In 2018, Dr. Cody made a historic $15 million gift to her alma mater’s Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science. In honour of her generosity, the faculty was renamed the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science. It is the first engineering faculty in Canada named after a woman. Cody, who immigrated to Canada from Iran in 1979, holds a master’s degree and a doctorate in building engineering from Concordia. She has more than 30 years of professional practice in the private sector as an engineer, corporate executive and principal shareholder of an engineering firm. She has provided engineering services to some of Canada’s largest Real Estate Investment Trusts, financial institutions, builders and developers.

When she was a teen growing up in the UK, she considered training to be a nurse. Instead, she became a lawyer and activist who now specializes in humanitarian assistance, global health, governance, and bioethics. As for the role of family enterprises in such matters, Rachel believes the depth of values and principles within family firms can have a meaningful and practical impact on marginalized members of our communities, cities, and the wider world – especially now in our post-pandemic economy. This year could be a “turning point in the world” for us all, she asserts, in which capitalism will be “turned on its head” for the better. Family enterprises are well-positioned to start rethinking and reviewing how they do business and find more purpose. “It’s no longer about just making money, it’s about contributions.” As for Canada, there is an enormous role for family enterprises to bridge the gap that divides the haves and the have-nots. A professor of practice at the Institute for the Study of International Development at McGill University, Rachel Kiddell-Monroe is also executive director of SeeChange Initiative, which helps marginalized communities find empowering solutions to their healthcare needs. She is a member of Médecins Sans Frontières’ (MSF) international board of directors. Formerly president of the board of directors of Universities Allied for Essential Medicines from 2007 to 2013, Rachel now serves as a senior policy advisor. She was recently appointed to the McGill University Health Centres Clinical Ethics Committee. During her time with MSF, she led humanitarian missions in Djibouti, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda. After becoming the program director of MSF Canada, she was appointed regional humanitarian affairs advisor for Latin America based in Costa Rica.  

Dennis Jaffe is an emeritus professor of Organizational Systems and Psychology at Saybrook University in San Francisco. Over his 40-year career, he has helped families overcome personal, organizational, and governance challenges that hinder the smooth generational transfer of their businesses, wealth, values, and legacies. A faculty advisor to the Cornell Johnson College of Business, Jaffe is one of the original architects of the emerging field of family enterprise consulting. As a founding member of the Family Firm Institute, he has served on their board, written frequently for Family Business Review, and was awarded the Richard Beckhard and International Awards for his contributions. Jaffe is author Borrowed from Your Grandchildren: The Evolution of 100-Year Family Enterprises, Cross-Cultures: How Global Families Negotiate Change Across Generations, and Stewardship of Your Family Enterprise: Developing Responsible Leadership Across Generations. In 1984, he founded Changeworks Global, a consulting firm in San Francisco, which works with organizations for long-term change to build competitive advantage by unleashing the power of employees.

Craig Kielburger is a Canadian human rights activist, entrepreneur, and co-founder of WE, an international network of social impact charities. He is a syndicated columnist and author of more than ten books, including the international bestseller WEconomy and the New York Times bestseller Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World. A Member of the Order of Canada, Craig holds 16 honorary doctorates. His work has been featured on 60 Minutes, the Oprah Winfrey Show, as well as in Time Magazine, National Geographic, and The Economist. He currently serves on the advisory board of Canada’s Leaders’ Debates Commission, an independent government agency charged with organizing debates between leaders of political parties during federal elections.

Senior Advisor at Bank of America, Air Products, and DLA Piper, Sir Graham Boyce is a consultant to businesses with operations in the Middle East and North Africa. A retired British diplomat, Sir Graham served in the Diplomatic Service between 1968 and 2003 as Consul-General to Sweden, Ambassador, and Consul-General to Qatar, Ambassador to Kuwait, and Ambassador to Egypt. He is a member of the International Advisory Council, Kuwait Investment Office, a Global Ambassador for SOAS, a member of the Court of Patrons Thrombosis Research Institute, and a Trustee of the Dakhleh Oasis Trust (Egypt).

Devin DeCiantis is a Managing Partner at Lansberg ▪ Gersick & Associates, advisers to some of the world’s largest family-owned businesses. Devin’s expertise in Family Enterprise Risk Management (FERM) programs is particularly relevant to the COVID-19 crisis currently unfolding. His work is focused on the financial, operational, and strategic aspects of family firms. An Adjunct Lecturer of Family Enterprise, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at Kellogg School of Management, Devin has worked with private and public sector leaders throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. He holds an MPP from Harvard University and a BBA from York University.

Some family enterprises are older than nations. Very few people have studied them as closely as Cornell University’s Joseph Astrachan, who has examined their successes, successions, and failures for more than 30 years. Dr. Astrachan believes there are fundamental elements common to many a family enterprise: strong balance sheets; willingness to help one another, and the capability to look past individual interests for the collective good. It is why family enterprises are capable of facing the kind of disruption the world is facing today. Dr. Astrachan is Professor Emeritus, and past executive director of the Cox Family Enterprise Center at the Coles College of Business, Kennesaw State University. While there, he held the Wells Fargo Eminent Scholar Chair of Family Business. He has received several awards for research and service from the family business, entrepreneurship, management, and research-oriented associations including awards form the Family Firm Institute and FBN International. Dr. Astrachan He has written extensively on family enterprise dynamics, including the acclaimed Communication and Conflict in Family Business, and Mechanisms to Assure Family Business Cohesion: Guidelines for Family Business Leaders and Their Families. He is a frequent speaker on the topic has given more than 300 speeches worldwide. He has served on 16 boards of privately-held family enterprises operating in numerous sectors. Dr. Astrachan comes from a family business background (container and tanker shipping, coal mining, and pharmaceuticals). He earned his BA, MA, M. Phil., and Ph.D. degrees at Yale University. 

From the life and times of ale icons to tales of mentoring with serial entrepreneurs, our 2019 Round Peg roundup zeros in on the quandaries of eastern families doing business in the west, western mavericks finding their fortune in the Middle East, and more. We’ve selected the cream of the crop in a compelling 44-minute package.

As deputy group managing director of IMC Industrial – a conglomerate that began as a transportation business along the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai in 1904 – Yuelin Yang offers his views on world trade and the contrasting characteristics of western and eastern family enterprises. IMC Industrial is an integrated maritime and industrial solutions provider in bulk shipping, industrial logistics, chemical transportation, marine engineering, and palm oil plantations. In his role as deputy group managing director, Mr. Yang is also responsible for multi-family office affairs, the Family Business Network program committee, and IMC Group’s investments. He has been with IMC since 1995 in various senior roles. Prior to joining IMC, Mr. Yang was a member of Office of the Chairman Stan Shih and associate general counsel at Acer Computers in California and Taiwan. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and a JD from Stanford Law School. 

Ali Borhani is managing director of 3Sixty Strategic Advisors Ltd., a UK-based consulting and investment firm that focuses on emerging markets in the Middle East, Africa, and Eurasia. With expertise in geo-economics, Mr. Borhani has a formidable track record assisting multinationals and family enterprises to develop and execute strategies that drive growth in the world’s most challenging markets. His strategic foresight has led to successful partnerships and strategic alliances in numerous enterprises. As host of Business Families Foundation’s Round Peg podcasts, he is a natural storyteller with a gift for transforming complex issues into meaningful scenarios.

Over a span of four decades, Bob McBean has discovered that mentoring and a can-do, entrepreneurial drive to succeed can move mountains in the oil and gas sector. Mr. McBean is a non-executive chairman of Wentworth Resources Plc., a natural gas exploration and production company with interests in east Africa. A mechanical engineer and accomplished energy project developer, he has more than 40 years of experience in the upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas sector. He has served as managing director of Qatar Fuel Additives Company Ltd., as managing director of Dubai Natural Gas Company, and he is co-founder of Scarboro Resources, which has operations in Italy, Libya, Abu Dhabi, Indonesia, France, Pakistan, and Canada.