Family business mgmt chair set up at ISB

A research chair titled the "Thomas Schmidheiny Chair of Family Business and Wealth Management" has been set up at the Indian School of Business (ISB). Thomas Schmidheiny, on behalf of 'Spectrum Value management' based in Switzerland, has committed to fund the chair. The funding will support research, education, publications and conferences conducted by the Chair for an initial period of five years.

"The ISB's Centre for Entrepreneurship Development has been conducting several courses on family business as this is a key area of study for India as well as other emerging markets. With the research chair being established, we will be able to conduct in-depth research as well," ISB dean Rammohan Rao, said in a press release.

Talking about his decision to support the Chair, Schmidheiny said that he was hopeful that the chair would enable Indian families to learn about the subject, exchange best practices and profit from cutting-edge research.

"I see a huge demand for knowledge in this field, especially in the Indian context," he stated. A leading figure in entrepreneurial circles both in Switzerland and abroad, Schmidheiny had been the chief executive officer and chairman of Holcim, the world's leading cement, concrete and aggregates enterprise, for over 25 years.

He has built up the company internationally and is currently the company's largest stakeholder.