Transmission of French Family Businesses: A Lombard Odier Survey Conducted with HEC Paris Students
As part of a collaboration with students from the HEC Paris Junior Conseil, Lombard Odier has published a survey dedicated to French family businesses and their succession challenges. This initiative echoes the bank’s hosting of participants from the HEC Paris Family Business Academy in January 2026.
Lombard Odier, a family-owned private bank founded in Geneva in 1796, conducted in 2025 a survey on French family businesses in collaboration with students from the HEC Paris Junior Conseil. The results, published in February 2026, give voice to 85 members of family businesses across a wide range of regions and sectors. The survey explores key themes such as governance, succession, and the role of next generations. This initiative is part of an ongoing relationship between Lombard Odier and HEC Paris: the bank also welcomed participants from the HEC Family Business Academy in January 2026, reflecting a shared commitment to advancing understanding of family business challenges.
A Highly Topical Issue
Family businesses represent 65% of France’s GDP and nearly 70% of employment. Yet, succession within the family remains a major — and often underestimated — challenge. The study highlights a striking paradox: families that are highly structured operationally, yet insufficiently prepared for succession. Between the desire to pass the business on and the hesitations of the next generation, between implicit governance and the need for formalization, the findings are compelling. A few figures illustrate the scale of the challenge: one in four leaders of family-owned SMEs and mid-sized companies is already over 60 years old, and more than one in two businesses will face a succession process within the next decade.
Three Families Share Their Experience
Beyond the data, the study draws on testimonials from emblematic entrepreneurial families — the Ducottet family (Thuasne), the Courtin family (Clarins), and the Esnée family (Groupe YOU, Famille Hôtelière). They share their concrete experiences of succession, including both successes and key lessons learned. The full study is available for download on the Lombard Odier website.
Learn more about the HEC Paris – Dieter Schwarz Center for Family Business