Forum for keeping family focus

Two family-owned businesses will share more than 200 years of experience at a family business forum at the University of Auckland.

David Babich of Babich Wines and the father/daughter team of Euan and Gabrielle Sparrow, who run an Ashburton sock manufacturing businesses, will reveal the secrets of their success and what their plans are for maintaining growth.

The forum is focused on family-owned businesses turning over $2 million to $100 million, and its organiser, co-founder of the University of Auckland's family business research group Chris Woods, said it was neither a seminar nor a conference.

"We've deliberately used [the word] forum because this is about conversations and discussions around the issues and challenges, and celebrating family businesses in New Zealand."

Family businesses account for around 60 per cent of small to medium-sized companies in New Zealand.

Woods said the issues faced by family-owned businesses were also relevant to all businesses, but succession, keeping entrepreneurial momentum and maintaining business success became unique challenges for a company run by one or more generations of a family.

Appearing alongside the Babich and Sparrow families is American academic Gaia Marchisio of the Cox Family Enterprise Centre in Atlanta and Grant Walsh, co-founder of the KPMG Centre for Family Enterprise in Canada.