In the Press

John A. Davis is a sought after expert by the media. His commentary and research regularly appear in the business press in print, on radio, and on television.

Below is a collection of the most recent interviews and press appearances by Professor John Davis. View an archive of John Davis' historical media interviews.

 

1 Feb 2019

Oregon State University

Port Blakely, Dean’s Award for Family Business Leadership

Since 2008 the Dean’s Award for Family Business Leadership has recognized significant family enterprises of the Pacific Northwest. The recipients represent successful businesses with deep family legacies and continuing commitment to their community.

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3 Jan 2019

Family Capital

The World’s Top 750 Family Business

Why family businesses matter so much to the world economy.   Ask anyone to identify a family business they might know, and most would probably name a small company in their neighbourhood or community.

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1 Dec 2018

Families & Business

CEO Succession in the Family Business: A Better Plan for Success

Selecting a company’s next CEO is one of the most significant decisions in an organization’s life. In every company, it is critical to find the right fit; in a family-owned business, the fit factor is even more consequential. The success and sustainability of the family’s main asset and source of income, and a significant piece […]

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6 Jun 2018

FFI Practitioner

Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Three-Circle Model: An interview with John Davis

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the legendary Three-Circle Model, FFI Practitioner is excited to share two editions about the model during the month of June. For the first edition, we’d like to thank Pramodita Sharma for her interview about the inception and impact of the model on the field with one of its two creators, John […]

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The New York Times
29 Dec 2017

The New York Times

Keeping the Family Tree Alive

What keeps venerable old families together? They are, after all, only as strong as the roots that bind them. Most of us know our relatives back to our grandparents. Counting our own children, we might have to contend with four generations.

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9 Nov 2017

Valor Economico

How to Speed Up Business in Family Companies

For a long time, Harvard Business School professor John Davis, one of the world’s top family business experts, has agreed to the claim that this type of business moves more slowly but eventually proves itself better than others. (full article in Portuguese)

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20 Oct 2017

Financial Times

Family Offices: A History of Stewardship

The term “family office” conjures up images of yachts, stately homes and imposing oak-panelled offices in places such as London’s Mayfair. But family offices’ roots date from the sixth century, according to the EY Family Office Guide, which explains that the role of managing royal wealth was first taken on by a king’s steward. The […]

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30 Aug 2017

Wealth managers focus on keeping it in the family

Are you heirs prepared for the responsibility of inheriting money?   Prompted by a growing demand for intergenerational planning among clients, wealth managers are moving away from offering purely financial advice to a more holistic and emotional approach to their work.  

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30 Aug 2017

The Impact of Adolescent Work in the Family Business on Child-Parent Relationships and Psychological Well-Being

Parents who are owners of family companies are generally intensely interested in their children’s development both as healthy, aspiring individuals and as future owners and maybe leaders of the family’s company.

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The Economic Times
22 Aug 2017

The Economic Times

How succession algorithm in India’s family-owned businesses are changing

Business successions can be come messy — both in family-controlled businesses such as Raymond, where there are multiple court battles being fought between generations of the Singhania family and in a more professional setup such as

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The New York Times
3 Mar 2017

The New York Times

The Three Different Flavors of Family Businesses

Each family that runs its own business also has its own culture, say two psychologists who work with wealthy families. And understanding those cultures — which these psychologists break down into three groups — can make it easier to resolve intergenerational or cross-cultural conflicts that arise as the business matures and expands.

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7 Mar 2017

Smart Company

Future trends in family business succession planning

Let’s open up a discussion about family businesses — and what the future holds for them — by digging into the fundamental marriage between our personal and professional worlds. This will create the framework through which succession planning can be viewed realistically.

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24 May 2017

Family Capital

Viewpoint: Millennials in business families…future leaders of family enterprises?

The millennial generation is, arguably, the most researched generation in history. Hundreds of survey-based studies on millennials from all around the world have inquired about their attitudes and behaviors regarding their lifestyles, relationships and careers.

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23 May 2017

The Telegraph

Please take note Mrs May: there is nothing wrong with inherited wealth

The key mistake Theresa May and her inner circle made in their bungled social care reform – now in ragged retreat – was nothing to do with the attempt to ensure that citizens who can afford it are obliged to pay; as others have pointed out, this is a perfectly reasonable principle, underpinned by the quintessentially “conservative” […]

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Financial Times
10 Nov 2016

Financial Times

Founders’ Vision Keeps Engine Running

Lasting companies preserve core values while stimulating innovation Marconi, Warner-Lambert, BellSouth, Lehman Brothers, Cadbury, Rowntree, Mannesmann, Aventis — the rate at which familiar corporate names are disappearing or losing their independence has speeded up, driven by deregulation, competition from emerging markets and technological change. Business historian Leslie Hannah, a visiting professor at London School of […]

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The Economic Times
4 Nov 2016

The Economic Times

Cyrus Mistry’s ouster: One more mess for Ratan Tata to sort out before his second exit

It was early May 2016, and David Cameron was still the prime minister of the UK. The Brexit vote was a month away and Cexit (former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry’s exit from the top job at Tatas) wasn’t even dreamt of. A six-member team, set up by the government, was paying a visit to […]

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Citi Private Bank
22 Sep 2016

Citi Private Bank

Business Families Learning Together

John Maynard Keynes – the great British economist – believed that family companies followed a three-generational cycle. “A man of energy and imagination creates the business,” he wrote, “the son coasts along and grandson goes bankrupt.” Modern studies suggest Keynes may have had a point. According to one study, just 10% of family-owned businesses are […]

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Bloomberg Businessweek
1 Sep 2016

Bloomberg Businessweek

Explosives Saved an American Company From Chinese Competition

Bill Kirby wasn’t sure what to think at first. He’d been brought to the fourth floor of the New England Paper Tube plant in Pawtucket, R.I. It was a cold day in November 2014, and the only activity inside the block-size red-brick building was two men taking machines apart for scrap. “I knew that there […]

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Family Capital
24 Aug 2016

Family Capital

Viewpoint: Succession with Chinese Characteristics

Perhaps the most challenging issue for China’s private businesses in the years ahead is how they deal with succession. Given the country’s brief 30 year experience with a market economy, China’s family businesses have yet to fully embrace succession. That, of course, is changing – as the founder generation begins to transition to the second […]

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NPR
29 Jul 2016

NPR

South Koreans Bristle At Growing Dominance Of Family-Run Conglomerates

A small number of family-run conglomerates dominate South Korea’s economy. The biggest started as a village store in 1938. It’s controlled by the same family, and is now a household name: Samsung. STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Now let’s talk about the family business. Family-run businesses are responsible for well over half the economic activity in the […]

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Full historical list of articles

Media Inquiries

Professor John Davis is available for media interviews for a variety of family enterprise, family wealth, and leadership topics and stories. He is interviewed in print, radio, and television media. Reporters and producers are invited to contact [email protected] with requests for interviews.


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For an archive of John Davis' historical media coverage, please visit:

Cambridge Family Enterprise Group