Family Businesses in the GCC States

Family businesses in the Gulf Cooperation Council (“GCC”) region are profoundly aware of the dangers they face.  Most do not make it beyond the second generation.  Power battles between successors and the distribution of wealth and control commonly can lead to the fall of a dynasty.

As a family’s third generation of leaders come of age, many want to put in place rules for its interaction with business.  Many of the family businesses within the GCC are discussing options to modernise themselves by partly separating management from ownership.  A common solution is to develop a family constitution outlining the values, principles and procedures that the family agrees to follow.  Family businesses that generally thrive one generation to the next do so because they have in place a sound governance structure in the form of a family constitution or charter which provides a road map for managing wealth, business and legacy transitions over time.

Generally family constitutions are not meant to be legally binding.  Typically, a constitution will set out the family’s values and vision, criteria for selecting leaders and the rights and responsibilities for family members.  They differ in detail but are designed to ensure that the wealth and the portfolio stay together.  Families that do not have a clear mission or set of values to follow face real risks of internal conflicts and potentially damaging private and public disputes over the governance of the family wealth.  At its centre will be the mission statement for the family and a clear statement of its hopes and aspirations for future generations.  It is important, however, that families choose the forum of dispute resolution they want to use in cases of dispute and that such dispute resolution mechanism is respected and implemented in any disputes across the family’s businesses.

A business must be able to deal with sudden and unexpected events which can do damage to it, challenge management and cause uncertainty among family members who are owners of the business.  For example, a key family member may die or become incapacitated.  Similarly, a divorce or a serious dispute between family members may arise or a third party may seek to bring a substantial claim against one or more of the family-owned entities.  In such situations, it is useful to have protocols or a process in place to deal with such events such as the formation of a family committee to deal with such matters or putting restrictions on incurring any further liabilities until the issue is resolved.  Provisions along these lines can be included in the family constitution.  The constitution should govern the inevitable generational change and provide a vision to manage that change.  A provision establishing criteria for the recruitment and remuneration of family members employed in the business should be included.  Rules for the disclosure and exchange of information between family members and the confidentiality of that information are vital.  Confidentiality promotes trust and it is a key element of any family protocol.  Mention should also be made of a periodic summary of the division of assets between family members and how those assets should be shared.

It will be helpful to have provisions within the constitution which deal with issues such as dividends, the role of new generations, remuneration, ownership, succession, conflicts of interest and exit.  Other issues to address include how the owners are to be represented on the board of directors and how they will set objectives and challenge management.  Likewise, the constitution should identify the key issues on which management should consult the business’s board of directors.  Consideration should also be given to the process for share valuation and payout for all family members on exits.  Other important points to cover are the allocation and conditions for ownership and voting rights which allow the family constitution to be implemented.

Overall, a family’s philosophy and core values should be the cornerstone of the constitution.  A family must take the time to articulate its values.  The constitution is not meant to create binding rules, but rather set out a framework and guiding principles for making future decisions.  The constitution usually deals with many areas of the management structure such as an advisory board, management succession, profit distribution and the process of selling shares.  Naturally, a family constitution should be reviewed and adjusted regularly to be fit for purpose.  If it is done right, the constitution should embody the wishes of the founder of the business, the current generations of the family, the family office and the trustees.  It should then become a guide for the parties and, if required, the courts to interpret the conduct of the parties and the decisions that have been taken.