Family Businesses and Sovereignty: the Center Contributes to the Debate
The Family Business Center contributed to the dinner-debate “Family Businesses and Sovereignty,” organized on June 3 by Deloitte Private and ROCH Conseil, through an intervention prepared by Cécile de Lisle, Executive Director of the Center, and Philippe Pelé-Clamour, Adjunct Professor.
Organized by Deloitte Private and ROCH CONSEIL, the dinner-debate brought together business leaders, experts and public-sector representatives to discuss a central question: how can family businesses contribute to economic security, competitiveness and territorial anchoring?
The discussion notably featured Thomas Courbe, Director General for Enterprise (DGE), and Vincent Bogard, Deputy CEO of Groupe Delabie, with a contribution from Roland Lescure, Minister of the Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty.
The Family Business Center contributed to the discussion through an intervention prepared by Cécile de Lisle, Executive Director of the Center, and Philippe Pelé-Clamour, Adjunct Professor. The exchanges highlighted several characteristics of family businesses that can contribute to economic sovereignty: their strong territorial roots, their ability to take a long-term perspective in decision-making, the preservation and transmission of industrial know-how, and their greater resilience to changes in ownership. Philippe Pelé-Clamour also highlighted a paradox: while France has strengthened its economic security policy and the protection of strategic assets in recent years, family governance remains largely absent from this debate, despite the role it can play in preserving companies’ independence and territorial anchoring. The discussion also addressed the trade-offs faced by family businesses: preserving independence while financing growth, maintaining strong local roots while strengthening international competitiveness, and successfully managing generational transitions without losing their entrepreneurial drive.
These discussions directly echo the work of the Family Business Center on governance, succession and the contribution of family businesses to the economy and local communities.