Family Business Foundation

The Family Business Foundation is a not-for profit organisation founded by The Family Business Community to enable the UK family business sector to access educational and professional development support for both present and future generations.

The Family Business Foundation is the first foundation of its kind in the UK. Its purpose is to advance the education and professional development of current and future generations of family members in business, to enable and protect the growth and sustainability of family businesses.

Who?

is the Family Business Foundation accessible to?

The Foundation will offer match funded education and professional development to current and future generations working within small and medium sized family businesses from across all sectors across the UK.

What?

are the benefits it will help to deliver?

The work of the Foundation will help secure longer term employment, job creation, development and growth within the economy.

Board of Trustees

Maria Whitehead MBE

Read Bio

Allan Discua Cruz

Read Bio

Cal Bailey

Read Bio

Jane Montague

Read Bio

Nigel Howorth

Read Bio

Paul Andrews

Read Bio

Caroline Redhead

Read Bio

How to get involved

The Family Business Foundation relies on funding to offer education and professional development.

If you are a family business or work with the family business sector and are interested in giving back to support other families in business, you can do so below via the Foundation’s account on the charitable giving platform, Investors in Community.

If you would like to find out more about the Foundation or discuss other ways that you can get involved or offer support, please email [email protected]

I want to donate

Maria Whitehead MBE

Along with her husband Mark, Maria co-founded The Hawkshead Relish Company as a side-line to the café that her parents ran in 1999. Since then they have gained national recognition and won over 50 Great Taste awards.

In 2011, Maria received an MBE in recognition of her work to support the food industry in Cumbria. She also became one of the founder members of the Cumbria LEP, and sits on the Defra Food & Drink forum assisting in developing the Govt white paper on furthering growth in exports for the SME’s in the Food & Drink sector in the UK.

Link

Allan Discua Cruz

Allan Discua Cruz is a Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor at Lancaster University Management School (LUMS). Allan is also Director at the LUMS Centre for Family Business, a Director of the Entrepreneur in Residence Programme and a Director of the Masters Programme in International Business and Strategy.

Allan is a committed professional, researcher and business advisor with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. His professional skills cover the areas of entrepreneurship, management, engineering, family businesses and non-profit organisations.

Link

Cal Bailey

After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, Cal spent 30 years working in manufacturing and construction, principally with his family business NG Bailey but also as a Founder Director of “Buildoffsite” which brings together manufacturing and construction to raise quality standards and building energy performance.

His passion is sustainability and now he is retired, he’s involved in writing, community projects and supporting business start-ups and keeps somewhat fit by cycling.

Link

Jane Montague

Being part of a family business is something that Jane Montague grew up with, watching her parents and extended family run various ventures throughout the North West.

Jane is a Director of her family’s business, Majestic Publications and of her own eponymous Consultancy. Jane is a recognised authority on corporate partnerships, advising and training national and community-based charities on strategy and legislation. Jane holds strong the belief that family businesses have an important role to play within the economy, bringing their own special set of values that need to be nurtured and developed.

Link

Nigel Howorth

Nigel is a Partner at Clifford Chance and head of the London Environment and Planning Group. He also leads the firm’s Global Environment Group, Environment & Climatic Trading Group and Climate Change Group.

Nigel specialises in planning, environment, energy and public law. His expertise includes property development, energy and renewables projects including environmental and health & safety issues in respect of corporate mergers and acquisitions, as well as advising on environmental and climate change regulation, environmental disputes and litigation.

Link

Paul Andrews

Paul is an Ambassador for Family Businesses and is the Founder and CEO of Family Business United.

Brought up in a family business, Paul continued to work with family firms throughout his career, developing a family business consultancy service, being the non-family MD of a family business and then establishing a leading family business resource centre.

Paul is well respected in the global family business community and was recently named for the second time as a Top 100 Global Family Business Influencer.

Link

Caroline Redhead

Dr. Caroline Redhead is a post-doctoral research fellow in the Centre for Social Ethics and Policy at the University of Manchester. Her research interests lie broadly in the dynamic interplay between law, ethics (particularly bioethics) and social change. She is interested in decision-making processes and practices, and how people navigate legal and ethical frameworks in their everyday lives.

Previously, Caroline was a practising commercial lawyer in England and Hong Kong specialising in education, charity law, governance and data protection.

Link