Working Outside the Family Business

Adele Levigne describes her family’s decision to require next generation members to work outside the family business, and why this is beneficial.

The expectation of our children or any of the descendants working in the business came about through family discussion, we have a family council, we also have a business board and a shareholder’s board which is the family council. And really it was developing a policy around employing family members and this came about through, just we all had a discussion among the family but also with our, we have external board members sitting on our board, and really, it’s, it was a very strong feeling from the external directors particularly that the next generation should be working somewhere else first. They need to know they can succeed in the wide world before they come and work for us. The other thing is too, they also need to know that they really want to come and work for the family business because I think once you start working in a family business as a family member it can be quite difficult to leave a family business, so you need to be really sure of your decision in the first place. So by gaining experience elsewhere, often that can be the decider, that can decide yes, I really want to go and work in the family business, or no, actually I don’t after all, I’d much rather stay working externally.