Our advisory work helps families and the enterprises they control to achieve three concurrent goals: continued corporate growth, strengthening of family relationships, and continuity of family control. Our multidisciplinary teams approach each engagement in individually tailored, developmental phases.
We assist family control groups to resolve business problems that growth and change can generate, while we attend at the same time to the particular needs and dynamics of the families who own or control these enterprises. We generally approach an engagement in the following phases:
Phase I- We conduct a comprehensive assessment of both the business and the family through individual interviews of all family members in the business (including spouses) and key non-family executives, as well as other due diligence.
- We create a written report of our findings and recommendations.
- At a report meeting that occurs approximately two months after the start of the engagement, we meet with the family to deliver our recommendations.
Once the critical issues have emerged through the assessment process and we have issued our recommendations, we begin the implementation phase, which includes custom designed strategies for the business along with forums for the family to address its communication needs.
In this phase, we also begin the complex process of continuity planning, an holistic planning and implementation process encompassing at least five independent, concurrent planning activities led by several different primary professional advisors. Continuity planning includes:
- Facilitation to resolve existing and foreseeable family relationship issues
- Personal financial, tax and estate planning
- Corporate strategic planning
- Development of corporate and family governance
- Design of financial architecture appropriate and capable of funding both corporate strategic plans and controlling family/shareholder needs
There are some families for whom additional phases of work evolve as a natural consequence of previous or ongoing collaboration or as a result of new opportunities or challenges that the families or the businesses encounter.
“ My father, Raymond Ackerman, founded Pick ‘n Pay 43 years ago and it has enjoyed sustained growth and success ever since based on core values he brought to the business and his leadership, which has always included a commitment to listening to the best advice available.
As the newly elected Chairman of Pick n Pay, I share that commitment. My father and mother, my sisters and brother and I and our CEO have worked with Richard Narva for more than a dozen years. I have worked closely with him and his team to develop our family governance, professionalize our family philanthropy, strengthen Pick ‘n Pay’s corporate governance and create a world class family office.
Throughout these numerous endeavors they have demonstrated a deep understanding of both our industry and our extended family. And we were introduced to many additional resources, which we have utilized to grow our company and maintain our family’s cohesiveness.”
Chairman, Pick n Pay Stores Ltd.