Buckles has a long history of working with family businesses, supporting the significant contribution these firms make in terms of the UK economy, employment, income generation and wealth creation, which is why we are proud to sponsorthe Family Business United (FBU) annual conference.
This year’s much-anticipated Great British Family Conference is on Wednesday 20 March, at the Royal Geographical Society in Kensington. The day kicks off with Founder and CEO of Family Business United, Paul Andrews welcoming everyone before An Economic Update from investment management firm, Brooks Macdonald.
The day is packed, with a programme of speakers offering an insight into their family businesses, including Wiston Estate Winery, Cleenol, Wells Brewery and the John Good Group. Throughout the day there will be a series of panel discussions and workshops covering a range of valuable topics.
Showing our support for this important event, the team from Buckles will include Colleen Gostick, the Head of our Family Businesses team, Buckles’ CEO Duncan Jackson, Sara-Rose Welch, Senior Associate in our Estate Planning team and Nick Porter a Legal Director who specialises in commercial disputes.
In the afternoon there are a number of different workshops available to the attendees, including a presentation by a Senior Associate Nicola Cockerill on Avoiding Employment Conflicts in Family Businesses. During the session Nicola will be covering the importance of contracts within family businesses, dealing with perceived unfairness between family members and the wider workforce and managing conflicts, focusing on some real life cases.
Family businesses powering the UK economy
Oxford Economics estimates there were around 5 million family businesses in the UK in 2020, which is more than 85% of all private sector businesses. These businesses employed 13.9 million workers (51.5% of all private sector employment) and contributed £575 billion to the UK economy.
Whilst the majority of family businesses would be classed as small, with over 90% of the total number employing fewer than 9 people, their impact on the economy should receive greater recognition, which is where Family Business United (FBU) take up the challenge.
Founded in 2011, FBU has grown to become the pre-eminent voice for the global family business community, providing an invaluable source of insight into the sector and a range of support services for its members.
Amongst its assets are an award-winning magazine, a resource centre and a long list of events designed to champion the outstanding contribution family businesses make to the global economy, regardless of their size, heritage or sector.
A non-advisory organisation, the FBU works with professional advisory organisations and academic institutions to source content and develop events that add to the knowledge of those responsible for the growth and success of family businesses.
Importantly, FBU also seeks professional advisors such as Buckles to support these events, enabling us to share our knowledge and experience with its members, to add value to their increasingly important relationships with family businesses.
It works hard to share relevant material that will help family businesses learn from each other and whenever possible, avoid any mistakes that others have made. Whilst the events and resources are a key focus for its activities, FBU has become an invaluable source of insight into the sector. If you are attending we hope to see you there. In the meantime, if you would like some advice to help you address the challenges you face as a family business, please get in touch and a member of our Family Businesses team will be happy to listen you can email via enquiries@buckles-law.co.uk or call 01733 888888.
