The Evolving Role of Transparency in Privately Owned Family Firms: Sustainability Indicators for Family Business

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The Evolving Role of Transparency in Privately Owned Family Firms: Sustainability Indicators for Family Business

October 21, 2021 – October 21, 2021

Meeting
Online
UNCTAD & FBN
Event Link

Launch of the Family Business for Sustainable Development Sustainability Indicators Platform

While family businesses account for two thirds of all enterprises worldwide, the full scope of their impacts is largely unknown since the majority of them are privately owned and, in turn, are often not subject to the same level of scrutiny demanded of publicly traded firms. This has recently begun to change as more business families expand the concept of responsible ownership to include a deeper understanding of their impacts and an increased commitment to transparency.

To encourage sustainability reporting and higher levels of transparency, FBSD is launching its online platform to benchmark and track progress against the Sustainability Indicators for Family Business (SIFB). The SIFB build upon UNCTAD’s guidance on core indicators (see Guidance on Core Indicators for Entity Reporting on the Contribution towards the Attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals), as well as custom family business indicators, recognizing the distinctive attributes of family business models and considering metrics that guide and help advance sustainability practices and facilitate contributions to the SDGs.

The Sustainability Indicators for Family Business platform provides an online template to guide and assess the implementation and reporting of actions by individual companies, to help spur sustainability considerations among business owning families, and to help family businesses to champion a transparent sustainability path that they can measure and report.

Issues addressed:

  • Learn from families that have taken the lead on thinking on the business imperative of transparency and reporting.
  • Discover how the SIFB can help a family business to track, measure and report on key sustainability metrics.
  • Explore the SIFB in detail through illustrative cases.
  • Understand how to get started on your sustainability journey and measure your progress.

Opening:

  • Mr. James Zhan, Director, UNCTAD

Presentation of the SIFB platform:

  • Ms. Christiane Stepanek-Allen, Chief, Responsible Investment and Partnerships, DIAE, UNCTAD

Panellists:

  • Mr. Farhad Forbes, Co-Chairman Forbes Marshall, Chairman FBN
  • Mr. James Zhan, Director, Investment and Enterprise Division, UNCTAD and Co-chair FBSD Executive Board
  • Mr. Alfonso Libano Daurella, Vice President, Cobega, Co-chair FBSD Executive Board
  • Ms. Marlies Van Wijhe, CEO, Koninklijke Van Wijhe Verf B.V.
  • Ms. Günseli Ünlütürk, Co-Founder, Sun Tekstil, Board Member, FBN
  • Mr. Carles Garriga, Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Corporate Affairs Director

Moderator:

  • Mr. Andrew Bryson, Head of Business Transformation (Digitalisation & Sustainability), FBN

Event Manager: Ms. Christiane Stepanek
Contact email: Christiane.stepanek@unctad.org