Author: Abbie-Louise

Business community must rediscover purpose in wake of CBI affair

Posted on by Abbie-Louise

Sir James Wates, Chair of Family Business UK

The events of the past few months have shown clearly that groups representing British industry cannot take their influence and status at the top table for granted. Although the narrative surrounding the CBI’s struggles has focused on safeguarding of staff, I would argue that the cautionary tale is more about failure to deliver on organisational purpose.

Of course, the CBI is right to be addressing the past cases of misconduct, and judging from the membership support for its new plan, there is sufficient confidence in its ability to fix its people culture issues. This is a good start in its road to recovery.

However, even more fundamentally, the CBI is in danger of failing to deliver on its purpose. If the organisation doesn’t carry out its reforms successfully to deliver on its core mandate, others such as the Business Council proposed by the British Chambers of Commerce will look to plug the gap as the representative voice of business.

“Purpose and Leadership” features as the first of six principles in the Wates Corporate Governance Principles for Large Private Businesses, developed in 2018 as a tool for companies to use in guiding and reporting on how they are governed. It’s absolutely vital that companies are clear about the purpose of their existence, how their strategy serves to accomplish it, and how organisational culture supports it all.

The principle applies to trade bodies, as well as to individual companies. In my mind, the CBI’s purpose is to be a conduit of information between government and business – effectively representing the interests of the broader business community to government at the most senior levels. This must guide its strategy, and be the ultimate criteria on which the CBI’s success is measured.

While other trade associations will continue to represent their specific interests, sectors and models, the CBI must again find a constructive way to represent the macro – bringing together this plurality of voices in a coherent and effective manner.

In a broader sense, the business community needs to do better at communicating the value that the private sector generates for society, and the CBI needs to be leading this call. Generating wealth is not just for shareholders; the private sector generates taxes (either directly or indirectly) that account for three-quarters of HM Treasury’s revenue.

The fundamental role of business in society is something we’ve been reflecting on deeply at the organisation I chair, the recently re-branded Family Business UK. As Family Business UK Chief Executive Neil Davy told the Times, business groups need to make themselves relevant to the needs of everyday people, and properly articulate and prove why it is they deserve to have their voice heard in the wider conversation about how society is governed and structured.

From my many years working in the family business sector, I’ve seen first-hand the exemplary ways in which family firms have built long-lasting ties between business and community. Creating jobs for the long term; supporting local people through difficult times; and taking the necessary steps to make their businesses more sustainable and play an active role in creating a Net Zero economy. These are the basics on which long term trust and purpose are built.

The ethics and values of each family are baked into their business – in how they govern themselves, how they communicate with staff and other stakeholders, and how they invest for the future to create wealth benefiting all of society.

Family businesses are the bedrock of the UK economy – representing five million businesses, supporting around 14 million jobs, generating more than a quarter of GDP, and contributing almost £200 billion in tax.

Recent polling commissioned by Family Business UK found that the British public find family-run businesses to be the most trustworthy companies (25.4%) when compared to PLCs (14.7%), venture capital firms (7.6%), and private equity backed-companies (9.8%).

In addition, the polling showed that the public believes family businesses look after their employees equally as well as employee-owned organisations.

Family businesses want to continue to thrive and deliver on what the public trusts them to do – to treat stakeholders fairly and to generate value for society. Our objective at Family Business UK is to lead a movement of family businesses working to create a more prosperous and sustainable future for generations to come, positioning family businesses in the UK as an economic force that demands the respect of government and policy makers. We invite all family businesses to join us.

 

Family businesses flock to Glasgow for landmark business event

Posted on by Abbie-Louise

Hundreds of family businesses will gather this week as the annual IFB National Family Business Conference, which kicks off on 14 June, comes to Glasgow for the first time

The three-day event will see family firms of all sizes and from every sector within the UK meet up to discuss the future of the family business model and how family businesses innovate and invest to support the next generation of businesses and their leaders.

In Scotland, there are more than 280,000 family businesses – around 84% of all businesses in Scotland.  Together they employ 874,000 people.

The conference will bring together family firms from across the country to share and learn together, while showcasing some of Glasgow and Scotland’s family business success stories.

Alongside the conference, the IFB is restating the case for why family business should not be overlooked, and the central role they have to play in creating prosperous communities.

Exclusive research commissioned by the IFB and produced by Censuswide*, of more than 2,000 respondents in late May, found that the British public find family-run businesses to be the most trustworthy companies (25.4%) when compared to PLCs (14.7%), venture capital firms (7.6%), private equity backed-companies (9.8%).

In addition, the polling found that the public thought family businesses looked after their employees the most compared to other business models apart from employee-owned organisations, which scored the same as family-run businesses (27.2%).

Family businesses also scored highly when it came to customer service, with over 21% of respondents associating the companies with the phrase ‘have great customer service’ and are seen as the most trustworthy businesses in Scotland (23.5%).

In 2020, family businesses across the whole of the UK generated £575 billion in gross value added (GVA) contribution to GDP (gross domestic product), and employed 13.9 million people.

This means that family firms comprised 85.9% of all UK firms, directly generated 44.4% of GDP, and were responsible for 51% of all private sector employment in the UK economy in 2020.

The conference attendees will hear how a thriving family business sector is essential to achieving a more prosperous society with long-term sustainable growth. Family businesses offer a model of sustainable and responsible business that others can learn from, be part of, work with, or even adopt.

 

Chief Executive, Neil Davy, said: “We are delighted to bring the UK’s biggest family business conference to Glasgow for the first time this week.  As well as celebrating some fantastic local firms, it’s an opportunity to come together to share their experiences and have their voice heard.

“For too long, political, industry and business decision-making has taken a restricted approach to investment decisions that responds to priorities of non-family business PLCs, whose priority is to meet shareholder demands for short-term returns on investments.

“The UK needs to formulate a growth strategy that encourages and incentivises businesses to focus on longer-term investment opportunities and returns for stakeholders, the environment, and the UK’s role and place in the wider world.

“That starts with listening to the thousands of family businesses in Scotland and across the UK and supporting them in making day-to-day decisions that encourage them – and gives them the confidence to invest – while also helping to tackle wider challenges like revitalising our high streets, creating job opportunities and improving everyone’s livelihoods.”

 

Spring Budget 2023: What Does It Mean For Family Firms?

Posted on by Abbie-Louise

Today the Chancellor delivered his Spring Budget, outlining the latest economic forecasts and the state of the public finances followed by a series of policy announcements.

Jeremy Hunt’s announcements focused on “the 4 Es – Enterprise, Employment, Education, Everywhere”.  This article includes a summary of the key announcements for family firms, including information on some upcoming reviews and future policies.

Headline Announcements

 – The Economy: The OBR predicts the UK will avoid recession in 2023, but the economy will shrink by 0.2%. The UK’s inflation rate is scheduled to fall to 2.9% by the end of the year.

 – Business: The rate of corporation tax, paid by businesses on taxable profits over £250,000, will increase from 19% to 25%.

 – Full Expensing: From April 2023 until March 2026, investments made by companies in plant and machinery will qualify for a 100% first-year allowance for main rate assets.

 – Taxation and Wages: The cap on the amount workers can accumulate in pensions savings over their lifetime before having to pay extra tax  is to be abolished.

 – Back to Work: A new ‘Returnerships’ apprenticeship targeted at the over 50s will refine existing skills programmes to make them more accessible to older workers.

The Economy

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) predicts the UK will avoid recession in 2023, but the economy will shrink by 0.2%. The OBS then predicts growth of 1.8% next year, with 2.5% in 2025 and 2.1% in 2026.

The UK’s inflation rate predicted to fall to 2.9% by the end of this year, down from 10.7% in the last three months of 2022.

Company Taxes and Investment

The Chancellor confirmed the previously announced Corporation Tax increase, and unveiled the replacement for the Super Deduction scheme.

This means the main rate of Corporation Tax, paid by businesses on taxable profits over £250,000, will increase from 19% to 25%. Companies with profits between £50,000 and £250,000 will be required to pay between 19% and 25%.

The Chancellor listened to the IFB’s call for Full Expensing when the Super Deduction ends, and announced that from April 2023 until 31 March 2026, investments made by companies in qualifying plant and machinery will qualify for a 100% first-year allowance for main rate assets.  Companies will be able to write off the full cost in the year of investment. 

Companies investing in special rate (including long life) assets will also benefit from a 50% first-year allowance in the year of investment.  

While this is initially announced for three years, the Government have stated that it intends “to make this measure permanent when fiscal conditions allow”.

From 1 April 2023, a higher rate of relief for loss-making R&D intensive SMEs will be introduced. SMEs for which qualifying R&D expenditure constitutes at least 40% of total expenditure will be able to claim a higher payable credit rate of 14.5% for qualifying R&D expenditure.

On tax administration and businesses, the Government also announced a review of tax guidance and forms for small businesses over the next 24 months to make it easier for small businesses to interact with the tax system.

While there was an extension of the Energy Price Guarantee for households, there were no changes or updates to the support available to businesses on energy costs.

You can read the Treasury’s factsheet on company taxes and investment announcements here.

Inheritance Tax and Trusts

For family firms there were a few announcements to note on Inheritance Tax, Agricultural Property Relief and Trusts

On Agricultural Property Relief (APR) the Government is publishing a call for evidence and consultation to explore both the taxation of ecosystem service markets and the potential expansion of agricultural property relief from inheritance tax to cover certain types of environmental land management.  The CLA say changing the tax system to include ecosystem would “give farmers and landowners the confidence they need to engage with environmental delivery, improving biodiversity and carbon sequestration.”

There was an additional announcement on APR and Woodlands Relief the scope of which will be restricted to property in the UK from 6 April 2024.

On Trusts and Estates, the Government will extend an existing income tax concession for low-income trusts and estates and provide further changes to make calculations and reporting more straightforward.  HMRC also intend to make changes to inheritance tax regulations to remove non-taxpaying trusts from reporting requirements.

Work and Skills

With acute labour and skills shortages, this Budget included measures designed to support more people back into work.

This included announcements on extensions to free childcare provision to one and two-year-olds, and a range of measures to break down barriers to work, including greater access to employment advisers, expanding the number of community hubs that offer health support and additional mental and physical health resources.

A new ‘Returnerships’ apprenticeship targeted at the over 50s will refine existing skills programmes to make them more accessible to older workers, giving them the skills and support they need to find a recognisable path back into work.

There were also announcements on pensions allowances, with an increase to the Annual Allowance from £40,000 to £60,000 from 6 April 2023, and the abolition of the Lifetime Allowance.

Employment

There were two announcements on potential future changes around employment rights and flexible working.

The Government confirmed it is supporting Private Members Bills that provide the right to request flexible working and grant specific groups protections or leave entitlements, including enhanced redundancy protection for pregnancy, family leave, carer’s leave, and neonatal care leave. 

And the Government will bring forward a call for evidence to launch in Summer 2023 on informal and ad hoc flexible working to better understand informal agreements on flexible working between employees and employers.

IFB Reaction

Fiona Graham, Director of Policy and External Affairs for the IFB, said: “After months of instability, today’s announcement was a significant step in the right direction. The measures announced by the Chancellor will finally start to tackle some of the long-standing issues and help put Britain back on a clear path to achieving growth targets.

“We are extremely pleased the Chancellor listened to our calls over the past year to introduce a Full Expensing programme. This will provide our members with more confidence to make those long-term investment decisions that are needed as we look to improve productivity and move towards Net Zero.  We welcome the Chancellor’s intention to make that regime permanent.  With so much change over recent years, we need confirmation of this intention as soon as possible to give businesses certainty on the long-term tax landscape.

“The Back to Work Budget also addressed long-standing reform changes that can help support people to re-enter the workforce and reduce the labour gap that many of our members are struggling with. Whilst noting the announcements on skills and ‘Returnerships’ there is more to do in this important area.  We will be asking the Chancellor to build on today’s announcements with a plan in the Autumn to overhaul the Apprenticeship Levy.”

What’s Next?

Included in the Red Book was the confirmation that the Treasury will hold a Tax Administration and Maintenance Day again this year.  This will see the Government will bring forward a further set of tax administration and maintenance announcements later in the spring, and has previously included the announcement and publication of consultations on tax policy.

We are awaiting confirmation of the date for that, and will monitor those developments closely.

Family Business Debated in Parliament

Posted on by Abbie-Louise

To celebrate a second successful Family Business Week, on 20th December MPs from across the House debated the contribution of family businesses to the UK economy and to communities throughout the UK in Westminster Hall.

The debate, which was secured by APPG for Family Business Chair John Stevenson MP, saw MPs highlight businesses from their local communities, as well as talking about the important contribution firms make, and highlighting challenges facing businesses at the moment.

 

Importance of the family businesses sector:

  • Dr Lisa Cameron MP said family businesses are the bedrock of our local economies and asked ‘Does the Minister “agree that, with the correct package of support, financial innovation, contribution and development from the Government, family businesses can become iconic and international successes?”
  • John Stevenson MP echoed this, adding that “Family businesses are clearly the backbone of local economies up and down the country as well as nationally’. He later suggested in the debate, ‘family businesses provide an extra layer of benefit in terms not of the economy but of the community. Family businesses are often embedded in their community.”
  • Jamie Stone MP reiterated this sentiment, saying: “The local contribution of family businesses is crucial. They tend to use the local bank. They mostly use a local solicitor, [and] a local estate agent.”
  • Kevin Foster MP warned that “without family businesses, we would all be poorer, not only in the sense of the jobs and economic activity they create, but in the sense of the social responsibility that many show simply by wanting their businesses to be positive parts of the communities they are proud to call home.”

 

Celebrating family businesses:

  • Jim Shannon MP shared that “when an enterprise is built on familial lines, people are more likely to put in extra hours and go the extra mile to ensure success, and the stability of the family structure has been pivotal for long-term family professions.”

 

Investing In Family Businesses

  • Jim Shannon MP proclaimed that ‘”the support provided by the public to keep these enterprises open is incredibly important, and we do our best to help and support all the businesses that make our economy what it is today.”
  • Wendy Morton MP called for government to ‘invest more in [family businesses]… adding that: “not everybody will be a scientist or a researcher. We need manufacturers and family businesses… if we grow our family businesses, they can invest in their business and their skills base, and that is what creates the jobs of the future.”
  • Seema Malhotra’s recommendations for government support of family businesses were as follows: “we need to deliver macroeconomic stability, and respect our institutions, such as the Office for Budget Responsibility. We need to make importing and exporting easier. We should also have a proper industrial strategy, backed by ambitious investment, that makes decisions for the long term. We also need a plan for reform of business rates, because so many businesses are concerned about the unfairness of business rates.”

 

You can watch the debate here or read the Hansard transcript here.

Family businesses remain committed to growth despite challenging operational environment

Posted on by Abbie-Louise

The new IFB Research Foundation ‘The State of the Nation: The UK Family Business Sector’ report, published today (Thursday 1st December), showcases that family businesses are the bedrock of the UK economy but face barriers to growth.

The contribution these businesses make to the towns and cities they operate in across the UK should not be underestimated. The new State of the Nation report shows that family businesses across the UK want to grow, but are still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic and now face additional economic challenges.

The report highlights the important role that family businesses play in the economy and looks at the impact of the pandemic on those businesses, and their plans for the future.

Carried out by Oxford Economics, the analysis of the UK’s family business sector in 2020-21 found that three quarters of family firms said they intended to grow their sales over the next three years.

In the UK, there were 4.8 million family businesses, who employed 13.9 million people and contributed £575 billion to UK GDP in 2020-21. This means that family firms comprised 85.9% of all UK firms, directly generated 44.4% of GDP, and were responsible for 51% of all private sector employment in the UK economy in 2020-21.

Family firms’ performance in the face of the hard times of the pandemic showed resilience. People who own and run family SMEs were optimistic coming out of the pandemic, with plans to grow their turnover, many by increasing the skills of their workforce or recruiting new staff.

The report shows that Brexit is likely to contribute to the rising cost of imported products. Alongside rising energy costs, which have become particularly important in the second half of 2022, these new obstacles added to the competitive landscape for family businesses.

Supporting the professional development of the workforce and retention in family firms remained a priority for family firms. Like their non-family counterparts, they had to take difficult measures in response to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, staff retention was better than for the rest of the private sector – just 32% of family SMEs with employees reduced their paid staff headcounts in 2020-21, compared with the higher figure of 38.8% of non-family firms.

Additionally, these businesses typically have a higher proportion of women leading them than non-family SMEs – 17.7% of family SMEs were women-led in 2020-21, compared with 13% for non-family SMEs, while 6.5% of family SMEs were minority-ethnic led, compared with 5.3% of non-family SMEs.

 

Sir Michael Bibby, Chair of the IFB Research Foundation said:

“As the UK is buffeted by fresh economic headwinds, family businesses remain the bedrock of the UK economy. This latest report from Oxford Economics and the IFB Research Foundation sheds further light on the economic impact of the UK’s family business sector and how family firms fared during the COVID 19 pandemic.

“During 2020-21, family businesses continued to be prominent in all sectors and all regions of the UK economy. While most family firms were optimistic about future growth coming out of the pandemic, there are new challenges facing them since this research was carried out, including high inflation and soaring energy costs. What this report shows us though is how many family businesses remained resilient during the COVID-19 crisis and how they were preparing for future challenges.”

 

Neil Davy, Chief Executive of the IFB said:

“Family businesses have, for successive generations, offered a model of how leading responsible businesses operate. They put people at the heart of their business, training their workforces, supporting local supply chains and suppliers, using their land and natural resources sustainably, investing in and supporting the communities in which they operate and on whom they rely.

“This new State of the Nation report shows that family businesses remain committed to growth following the Covid-19 pandemic, despite ongoing challenging business environment. Family run businesses provide regional growth potential and have the ambition and inclination to succeed.

“The IFB recently celebrated the second annual Family Business Week where MPs and businesses came together to take stock of the contribution of these businesses to the economy. Despite this moment of celebration, there are significant obstacles to family firms achieving future success. A fair tax system and business friendly policies will enable the family business sector to realise their growth potential. Family businesses are looking to the Government to provide stability for business investment. This is vitally important as another difficult winter for businesses starts to take its toll.“

 

About the IFB Research Foundation

The IFB Research Foundation is a charity (no. 1134085) established to foster greater knowledge and understanding of family firms and their contribution to the economy and society, as well as the key challenges and opportunities that they face. The Foundation’s vision is to be the UK’s centre of excellence for family business research.

Family Business Week 2022

Posted on by Abbie-Louise

Celebrating and supporting family firms during the cost-of-living crisis

A week-long campaign aimed at highlighting the UK Family Business sector during the height of the cost-of-living crisis will take place this week.

The Institute for Family Business (IFB) will host its annual Family Business Week (FBW 2022), in partnership with NatWest. As businesses across the UK face a difficult winter caused by rising energy prices, the IFB is championing the amazing work family businesses do to foster economic growth and the role they play in shaping the fabric of their local communities and regions.

As part of Family Business Week, which will run from Monday 21 – Friday 25 November, the IFB will work with the Government to ensure that business support is directed towards those organisations at risk from closing as a direct result of the cost-of-living crisis.

The week-long celebration will also include several business events hosted by the IFB, as well as MP visits to family firms and panel discussions around the theme for this year’s FBW. Now more than ever it is important to celebrate family businesses’ place in the world and highlight the vital role that they have played in helping communities rebuild following the pandemic and how they are supporting their local areas during the cost-of-living crisis.

This year’s campaign follows on from the success of Family Business Week 2021, which highlighted the role of family businesses in supporting local communities during the pandemic. Around five million UK family businesses, providing jobs for 14 million people, were the backbone of the economy and the bedrock of as the country went through numerous lockdowns.

Ahead of FBW22, family businesses from across the country will be sharing their stories of how they are supporting their employees and local communities during the cost-of-living crisis. They will showcase the valuable role that family firms are playing to tackle the climate crisis/creating a more energy efficient economy by making their businesses more sustainable and growing the UK economy.

Neil Davy, Chief Executive of the Institute for Family Businesses (IFB) said:

“We are very proud to celebrate family business’s place in the world and illustrate how they are the backbone of local communities and integral to the growth of the economy. We started Family Business Week to highlight the immense role that family businesses played supporting people and communities during the pandemic. However, this year’s campaign is perhaps even more urgent as thousands of family businesses face skyrocketing energy bills and are worried about how they will survive. Family Business Week 2022 is about ensuring the Government realise business support is needed in order for firms to survive the winter months.”

Fiona Graham, Director of External Affairs and Policy, said:

“This winter, family businesses will be doing everything they can to survive, support their staff and help the local community. It is now more important than ever that we celebrate the vital contributions of the family business sector. We also need to make sure they have the necessary help to continue to prosper. Throughout the week, we’ll be showcasing how the sector is supporting the country over the difficult months ahead. The IFB will be providing opportunities for businesses to talk about these issues with political stakeholders at both a local and national level”.

Wates Corporate Governance Principles: First Year Reporting

Posted on by Abbie-Louise

BY FIONA GRAHAM, IFB EXTERNAL AFFAIRS AND POLICY DIRECTOR

In 2017, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy launched a Green Paper, exploring options to expand the corporate governance requirements for larger private companies. The Companies (Miscellaneous Reporting) Regulations 2018 that followed requires large private companies to publish a statement on their corporate governance arrangements, for example if they follow a specific code.

Alongside this, the Government asked Sir James Wates CBE to head up a coalition which would develop a new set of corporate governance principles for private companies, to support them in reporting in line with the new requirement. The IFB was part of this coalition, alongside the CBI, Institute for Business Ethics, TUC and others. In December 2018, the Wates Corporate Governance Principles were published, and companies began reporting from their 2019 financial year.

While the pandemic delayed the first year of reporting, the Financial Reporting Council has now published an in-depth assessment, conducted with the University of Essex, of uptake and quality of reporting on the Wates Principles. 

On the research, Sir James Wates said:

“This research gives us a valuable insight into how the Wates Principles are being applied, in particular providing the timely and rigorous analysis we need to inform public policy decisions about corporate governance. The research shows companies are grasping the spirit of the Wates Principles, and I would expect them to use this report to guide continual improvements in their reporting.”

 

The Wates Principles

The six principles are:

  • Principle One – Purpose and Leadership – An effective board develops and promotes the purpose of a company and ensures that its values, strategy and culture align with that purpose.
  • Principle Two – Board Composition – Effective board composition requires an effective chair and a balance of skills, backgrounds, experience and knowledge, with individual directors having sufficient capacity to make a valuable contribution. The size of a board should be guided by the scale and complexity of the company.
  • Principle Three – Director Responsibilities – The board and individual directors should have a clear understanding of their accountability and responsibilities. The board’s policies and procedures should support effective decision-making and independent challenge.
  • Principle Four – Opportunity and Risk – A board should promote the long-term sustainable success of the company by identifying opportunities to create and preserve value and establishing oversight for the identification and mitigation of risks.
  • Principle Five – Remuneration – A board should promote executive remuneration structures aligned to the long-term sustainable success of a company, taking into account pay and conditions elsewhere in the company.
  • Principle Six – Stakeholder Relationships and Engagement – Directors should foster effective stakeholder relationships aligned to the company’s purpose. The board is responsible for overseeing meaningful engagement with stakeholders, including the workforce, and having regard to their views when making decisions.

Companies that adopt the Wates Principles should follow them using the ‘apply and explain’ approach ‘in a way that is most appropriate for their particular organisation’. This means not only should businesses apply the Principle in practice, but in their reporting, they should provide a statement that explains how their corporate governance policies and processes operate and how this supports each Principle. This approach was taken to avoid tick box reporting, and rather encourage discussion and improvement by companies adopting the Principles.

 

Research Findings

The research found that:

  • The Wates Principles were the most widely adopted corporate governance code, with 348 companies adopting them – meaning 77% of companies that adopted a code chose the Wates Principles.
  • Companies were most likely to explain how Principles Three and Six were applied, and least likely to explain how Principle One (Purpose and Leadership) was applied.
  • The highest average level of disclosure was on Principle Four (Opportunity and Risk).
  • More than half of companies (51%) explained their culture.
  • 75% of companies disclosed general information about their board’s balance and diversity, and most disclosed information about the board size and structure.
  • Around 80% of companies disclosed information related to the accountability of directors.
  • A ‘significant number of companies provided information about the channels used to communicate information on principle risks and risk appetite.
  • 91% of companies provided information on who their key stakeholders were. Only 20% of companies discussed the dialogue the board had with these stakeholders.
  • On average, reports were less than 2,000 words.

 

Reflections

This first piece of research on the Wates Principles reflects what we have heard in many of our discussions with family firms – that the Principles have supported them in reflecting on, and improving, the governance arrangements in their firms. The response to the Principles in this first year has been very positive and provides a good grounding to continue an iterative process of reflection and improvement.

In his foreword to the Principles Sir James said “My hope is that a wide range of companies – and not just those included in the new legislative requirement to report on their corporate governance arrangements – will use the Wates Principles.”  The Principles were designed to support businesses to improve their corporate governance, providing a clear framework and guidance that would be helpful to private firms of all sizes and complexities. I hope that this research is helpful to those firms which aren’t legally required to report, to understand better how larger firms are applying the Principles in practice and to learn from the examples of best practice given.  

For those companies reporting against the Wates Principles this research will help them identify areas for improvement.  For those larger companies who have not yet adopted the Wates Principles, this research should also demonstrate that this reporting is an opportunity for reflection and improvement, not a burden.

The Wates Coalition will continue to review the application of the Principles, and the quality of reporting. In 2022 the group will consider whether further work is needed on the Principles.

Inspirational female leaders

Posted on by Abbie-Louise

​We talk to some of our members about the amazing women who have inspired them in business.

Today on International Women’s Day, we celebrate these powerful women and recognise the importance of their influence in our lives and in the success of family businesses

Chloe Benest, Bettys & Taylors Group Ltd

“Our family business story began in 1919, when Frederick Belmont opened his first Bettys tearooms in Harrogate.  Post-war, mid-pandemic and as the suffragette movement gathered momentum, it was a time of massive social change, particularly in terms of gender roles and equality.  Frederick’s vision for Bettys was as a place for women to socialise respectably – something very lacking at the time. 

“Women have continued make their mark on the business for over 100 years: from financial backers to leaders, from waitresses to chairs, from forklift operators to chocolatiers, across Yorkshire and across continents in our supply chain.  Supporting and enabling the career paths of women have been consistent themes, and have had a big impact on me personally. 

“Having grown up in this culture, starting and developing my own career came with quite a few surprises – not every business was the same.  I came back to our business in 2018 to chair our family council, and I have no shortage of strong women role models.  However, my biggest inspiration has always been my mum, Lesley: an artist, a solicitor, a ballet dancer, a cook, a business leader, a parent, a partner, a daughter to name but a few – there’s no shortage of roles or challenges, but she juggles and balances the things she cares about with thought, passion and conviction.

Charley Martin, Marketing Planner, Arco., 5th Generation

“I can’t phrase Arco’s ‘what’ and ‘why’ better than to borrow a colleague’s narrative: we save lives. Arco is an expert in safety, offering products, services and training. I was delighted to be offered a role in the Marketing Department in 2020 by our Head of Communications, Gillian White, building on agency experience in the South. I work within her talented team on our marketing strategy and campaign optimisation.

“It’s empowering to be led by such credible women who represent 45% of the Arco workforce, and 35% of our management roles. I recognise the responsibility to learn from them, and in turn be a steward for future generations. I’m fortunate to have worked with many women who have had a significant impact on me and have helped me define my ambitions. International Women’s Day reminds us of our opportunity to leave a positive legacy.

“It would be remiss not to acknowledge my mum, Louise as a role model. One of life’s true grafters who’s graciously supported the family and Arco, whilst running her own successful hospitality businesses and volunteering projects. She taught my sister Holly and I the power of kindness, that you get out what you put in, and crucially, how to pick yourself up if plans go Pete Tong.”

Amy Rodwell, C. Hoare & Co., 12th Generation

“In November of last year, I became the first of the 12th generation of my family to become a partner of C. Hoare & Co. At the same time, I became the third female partner in the bank’s history. Along with my six fellow partners, I spend most of my working day meeting potential and existing customers of the bank. Another important role is working to support the bank’s ongoing commitment to embed our purpose of being ‘good bankers and good citizens’. Other areas I am particularly interested in include the bank’s carbon footprint and staff wellbeing.

“I have been inspired by many women, but two stand out. The first is the eighteenth-century writer, Mary Wollstonecraft who championed human rights for all. She was gritty, not perfect, and ahead of her time. The other was my History GCSE teacher who, despite going through the death of a close family member, with elegance, grace and resilience continued to tutor us right up until our exams. We were all indebted to her.”

Neil Russell, Chairman, PJ Care

“My mum founded PJ Care in 2000, and I joined shortly before we opened our first home in 2001. We provide specialist neurological care to people that cannot be cared for elsewhere. Since joining, I have carried out almost every role in the business, from chef and handyman to carer, and became Chair in 2017. I was Press Officer for the British Embassy in Poland when my mum asked me to join her and was promised I would be based in the office and wouldn’t be working with the residents. Within 3 days of opening, I was providing personal care and loving the massive change of direction my life had taken.

“My mum is undoubtedly the biggest female inspiration on me, she is a force of nature, and the work she had to put in to overcome the misogyny and bigotry she came across was incredible, nothing was going to stop her, and I am delighted to be able to follow in her footsteps and continue her vision of providing a good quality of life to people. Her ethos of “be the best you can be” continues to drive me and the business forwards to great things.”

Sonya Eastaugh, William Jackson Food Group

“William Jackson Food Group was founded in 1851 and is a 6th generation-led business. It started as a corner shop and although is now a portfolio of different businesses it has still kept to its roots in food. It even still uses its original bread factory in Hull since 1907 for Jackson’s bread.

“I have been fortunate enough to have been on the board as a family NED since 2016 and am looking forward to taking over as chair later this year as the first of my generation and first female family senior leader in 170 years.

“My mum was my first link to the family business when I was growing up and inspired in me a strong work ethic. As a single mum, she taught word processing part-time, whilst juggling her business degree and looking after my brother and I, and also took a job in the marketing department of Aunt Bessies.

“When I look out to other female leaders that inspire me, Jacinda Ardern has been a great role model in how to lead with empathy in difficult times and has normalised starting the conversation around integrating being a mum and work. It is important to see such examples as I believe empowered women empower women.”

Stuart Paver, Pavers shoes

“Our family business, Pavers, was founded by my mother Catherine Paver in 1971 because she couldn’t find comfortable, stylish shoes for a sensible price. We now sell comfortable, stylish shoes, at a sensible price, from our 180+ shops in the UK and EIRE and have a large online business.

“For those lucky enough to know her, Cathy’s tenacity & work ethic were an inspiration. She worked full time into her 80’s building an incredibly successful business and achievinga place in the Drapers Hall of Fame for Lifetime Achievement.

“Still family owned-and-run, the business remains true to Cathy’s legacy, and we continue to rely on strong female role models with over 70% of our colleagues being female. Our Foundation also has a strong commitment to female equality, evidenced through grants such as our relationship with The Fawcett Society, a charity working hard to secure gender equality in the UK for the past 150 years. We have given away over £1m to charitable causes since 2018.

“Pavers will be celebrating International Women’s Day at their annual conference taking place on the 8th March, which coincidentally falls on the same day.”

Emily Hendin, Director, CPJ Field

Founded in 1690,  C.P.J. Field is the UK’s oldest funeral directors. Our 10th generation family business is led by myself and my two siblings Jeremy and Charlie. The business employs over 190 colleagues across 37 funeral homes in the South of England.

“I am a Director at C.P.J. Field. I head up both the Marketing team; that delivers strategic direction to both internal and external communications across the business, and the People Team; that ensures the business is connected to itself from the bottom up. As part of the latter, I oversee the Training Academy for career progression and the Company Selfie (appraisal) process. I’m also responsible for C.P.J. Field’s “caring for those that care” programme, a bespoke and sector-leading wellbeing support programme for all colleagues.

“New Zealand prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, is a woman in a position of power that I have long since admired. Jacinda was the second world leader to give birth whilst in office and demonstrates quite clearly that it is possible to juggle a career and a family, without compromise. She has a very human approach to her leadership, a quality I admire and look to emulate in my own style.”

Rosie Kenner, Director, The Hoburne Group

“The foundations for the Hoburne Group were formed in 1912 when my great-grandfather, John Burry, bought a piece of land, a farm lot, at auction in Dorset. In the early 1920’s he went on to purchase another significant farm – this one positioned on the clifftops in Hampshire. It was here that farmworkers’ cottages began to be used as holiday homes, and by the 1930’s it was becoming a popular destination for touring caravanners.

“My father, another John Burry, grew the business during the 1970’s through to the 1990’s, and today this highly successful and much respected family business comprises eight holiday parks, three golf clubs, and a portfolio of properties.

“I became involved in the business in 1986 as a Marketing Assistant. In 2002, as my father reached the milestone of 70 years, he passed the role of Chairman of the Hoburne Holiday Park company to me. I am delighted that, in 2020, I passed on this role to my son, John Butters, who is taking the Hoburne Group into its next chapter. I am so proud of him and he is doing a wonderful job as our fifth-generation Chair.

“The most inspirational woman for me is Her Majesty the Queen – and she has been so for all of my life. In this especially significant year for her, despite the challenges that she faces, as head of the most famous family business in the world, as well as her constitutional duties, she has never shied away from her responsibilities and has carried them out with grace and dignity while displaying warmth, humour and common sense. She repeatedly demonstrates that she can be strong to a steely degree when required, while still being every inch a woman. For all of these reasons, Her Majesty has been an inspiration to me throughout my life, and like so many people, my admiration for her is total.”