ReportSuccession Planning
Succession in first-generation businesses: a practical framework
A staged framework for founders preparing a transition that has to work commercially, financially and personally.
9 min read
Family-owned and first-generation businesses
Owners preparing a succession that has to work commercially and hold the family together.
Context
In a first-generation business the founder is usually the strategy, the client relationship and the culture at once. Succession is therefore not an HR exercise: it is a redesign of how the company works, alongside decisions about ownership, income and retirement.
How we support this group
We build the succession programme in stages, with the retirement projections and remuneration structure worked out in parallel, so the founder can see the financial consequence of each option before committing.
Typical challenges
- No agreed timetable or criteria for the founder's transition
- Family and non-family managers paid on different, informal logic
- Uncertainty over the income the founder will have after stepping back
- Next-generation leaders who are not yet prepared for the role
Relevant services
Consulting for Executives
Succession programmes, specialist remuneration studies and qualitative and quantitative retirement planning for owners, executives and leadership teams.
Remuneration and Benefits
Technical and actuarial consulting for pension-fund members and participants, private retirement planning, pension projections and the design of fixed, variable and flexible remuneration programmes.
Strategic and Business Advisory
Non-executive director support including remuneration committees, mergers and acquisitions, interim management, and support for startups and businesses in recovery or restructuring.
Resources
Related insights
All client groups
Law firms and professional services
Partnership structures where remuneration, succession and long-term pension commitments are decided collectively.
Startups and growing businesses
Young organisations that need professional people structures before scale makes improvisation expensive.
Organisations undergoing transactions
Buyers, sellers and merging firms where people and pension liabilities affect the value of the deal.
Contact
Let's discuss what your organisation needs next.
Every conversation is confidential and without obligation.