The sixth episode of the second season of Family Business Talks, an initiative integrated into the Mastering Family Businesses course at CATÓLICA-LISBON, features João Rodrigues Pena, founder and managing partner of Arboris, a leading Portuguese consultancy firm specializing in strategic advisory services for family businesses.
Throughout the conversation, key themes related to the longevity and sustainability of family businesses are explored, including their main strengths and vulnerabilities, generational succession challenges, the importance of governance mechanisms, the role of the family council, and the impact of emotions on decision-making processes.
João Rodrigues Pena holds a degree in Civil Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico, an MBA from Nova School of Business and Economics (in partnership with the Wharton Business School), and a postgraduate diploma from Harvard Business School. With nearly three decades of experience in strategic consulting, including leadership roles as Senior Partner at Roland Berger and President of Itcarni in Portugal and Spain, he has worked closely with some of the most prominent business groups in the Iberian Peninsula.
His passion for the unique dynamics of family businesses led him to establish Arboris in 2020, with the mission of providing highly customized and specialized advisory services to the chairperson and shareholder base of leading family-owned groups. The consultancy focuses on four complementary areas: Strategy, Organization, Governance, and People.
“A well-managed family business, in my opinion, has more strengths than challenges and often possesses attributes that are superior to those of non-family businesses,” he states.
Among the advantages, João highlights the shareholders’ strong commitment to the business, a clear long-term vision, close ties with employees, and a reputation built on continuity and integrity. However, he warns of the primary risk these businesses face from the third generation onward: a lack of shareholder unity, often resulting from the expansion of family branches and diverging views on strategic and succession-related decisions.
The sixth episode of Family Business Talks is now available on CATÓLICA-LISBON's YouTube channel.