Oxford Programme on Responsible Ownership

About the programme

Building on research with the world’s leading business families, this programme is tailored for current and future owners of large family businesses.

A unique programme to hone the strengths of family businesses as innovators and change agents in the global economy.

To achieve and sustain long-term, meaningful tenure, families must be equipped to lead across five levels of influence. Via a powerful mix of research-based teaching and live case studies from leading business families, the programme takes current and future business owners on a journey towards impact that outlasts any one organisation.

We leverage three unique perspectives:

The historical view from some of England’s longest standing business families
The intellectual and cultural tradition of Oxford
The rapidly evolving dynamics of family offices in London

Through a considered mix of experiential and course-based learning, you'll be encouraged to understand the ‘why’ behind family ownership, and identify higher-impact means of ‘how’ to own, now and in future.

Family business owners value the experiences of their peers. We pair world-class academic content with guest speakers from some of the world’s largest family businesses. Contributors to the programme may vary with each cohort as we tailor speakers to learning objectives. We lean into, rather than avoid, controversies in responsible ownership topics. Through this, we equip participants with the analytic abilities necessary for their futures as owners.

Video introduction to the programme

Venues

Programme locations across the UK; encompassing the Oxford experience, dynamism of London, and unparalleled historicity of heritage British businesses.

Oxford

London

British heritage

Faculty

An interdisciplinary mix of research expertise drawn from the worlds of finance, economics, anthropology and social impact.

Peter Tufano

Peter Moores Dean and Professor of Finance

Colin Mayer

Peter Moores Professor of Management Studies

Mary Johnstone-Louis

Senior Research Fellow

Bridget Kustin

Research Fellow

Pegram Harrison

Senior Fellow in Entrepreneurship

Peter Drobac

Research Fellow - Director, Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship

Belén Villalonga

Researcher on the Oxford Ownership Project

Anette Mikes

Associate Professor of Accounting

Experts and contributors

Our team is supported by professionals with relevant knowledge and expertise.

Andrienne d’Arenberg

Head, Family Business Community, World Economic Forum (2016-2019)

Camilla Hagen Sørli

Owner, Canica Group (Orkla), Oslo, Norway

Luca Garavoglia

Family Advisory Council member

Andy Rubin

Chairman, Pentland Brands, London, United Kingdom

André Hoffmann

Vice Chairman, F Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland

Brice de la Morandière

Associé-Gérant Domaine Leflaive

Helena McDonnell

Advisory Council member

Patrick Harrison

Director, Weber Shandwick, Press Sec. to The Prince of Wales (2000-15)

The programme allows participants a rare opportunity to reflect on why they’re running their businesses, and map that to action.

Colin Mayer CBE

Principal Investigator, The Ownership Project at Oxford Saïd

Benefits

To you

Build a Personal Action Plan with achievable short, medium and long-term objectives
Become a better informed, higher impact business owner – present or future
Develop an influence map of your ownership objectives
Establish a powerful network of family business owner peers

To your business

Equip yourself for the good of your family enterprise and of society
Build a family that leads, across generations
Engage your family and your business at a higher level of influence
Develop long-term, purposeful ownership

Our research

Learn more

The Ownership Project at Oxford Saïd

Our teaching is based on research from The Ownership Project, led by Professor Peter Tufano, current Dean of Oxford Saïd, and our former Dean, Professor Colin Mayer CBE FBA.

Starting with family firms, we investigate how ownership influences the endurance, value, conduct and stakeholder relationships in corporations.

Professor Mayer's book, 'Prosperity,' was voted one of the best business books of 2018 by the Financial Times. Our research builds on its central theme of 'profitable solutions to problems of people and planet,' equipping families to be effective and responsible business owners, now and in the future.