From the boardroom: What ails independent directors?

Many directors believe that as families have skin in the game, they consequently have the most to lose, or win

Corporate India’s greatest strength is that most businesses are family owned. Make no mistake, family businesses are started by entrepreneurs with the vision to spot the opportunity, and the skills to execute. Family ownership means those running the business have skin in the game; it means taking a generational view of business, instead of focusing on the coming quarter. 

However, this generational shift can be tricky — enough families get it wrong for it to be seen as a business risk. Family ownership also often leads to entrenched shareholder-managers misusing their dominant shareholding to line their pockets. 

Family ownership also explains how