SMU’s Business Families Institute (BFI) was established in response to the growing needs of business families in Asia. This column profiles business families and how they approach issues of governance and stewardship. Rebekah Lin, Director of Jia Foundation shares the organisation’s approach in seeking to serve as a catalyst to mobilise support for issues and causes for which funding may be a challenge. SMU Assistant Professor of Strategic Management (Education) and Academic Director of BFI Kenneth Goh said, “Many of the most pressing societal issues are hard to define, involve multiple stakeholders, and have no clear answer. Business families play a crucial role as mobilisers to solve society’s problems – they are ‘glocalised’, guided by legacy, and share a strong obligation to be stewards for future generations. While financial and technical resources are necessary to create impact, trusted communities and networks are also required to collaborate, coordinate, and co-create impactful solutions.”
26 Jan 2021
