Center for Family Enterprise

It has been estimated that up to 90% of all businesses globally are operated or owned by families, and additionally family offices are having major impact as investors in established and startup businesses. Taken together, family offices and family enterprises contribute greatly to economic and societal development in most countries in the world. They are engines of innovation and entrepreneurship and often stand out with their long-term orientation and commitment to sustainability and an active and responsible ownership. Representing the major contributors to GDP and employment, as well as many of the most famous brands throughout the world, scholarship and academic work into the challenges and opportunities facing family offices and family enterprises is an important priority. The Center for Family Enterprise (CFE) at SSE House of Innovation focuses on research, education and outreach activities within the area of family office and family enterprise.

Vision

A Nordic center of excellence for family office and family enterprise with global impact.

Purpose

Offer a leading academic platform for research, education, and collaborations with a focus on family office and family enterprises.

The center’s guiding principles are captured through our LENS: Long-term thinking with an Entrepreneurial mindset, a Nordic focus and with Sustainability at its heart.

The Center was launched in 2022 and it was made possible thanks to a donation from SEB to install the SEB Chair in Entrepreneurship and Family Business. In addition to SEB, the Center for Family Enterprise is supported by five Nordic family offices, family enterprises and foundations: Salenia (Salén, Sweden), Ferd (Andresen, Norway), Virala (Ehrnrooth, Finland), Topsoe (Topsøe, Denmark) and HMP Foundation (Söderström, Sweden)

TEAM

Professor Mattias Nordqvist is the inaugural holder of the SEB Chair in Entrepreneurship and Family Business and founding Director of Center for Family Enterprise.

Dr Erik Wetter, Assistant Professor and Docent

Affiliated Professor: Sarah Jack is the Jacob and Marcus Wallenberg Professor of Innovative and Sustainable Business Development at the Department of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology

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Mateja Andric, Affiliated Research Fellow

Camille Korschun, PhD Candidate

Jennie Fahlström, PhD Candidate

Advisory Board

The center is supported by an Advisory Board that meets once a year. The Advisory Board consists of:

William Paus, Deputy CEO and Head of PWM&FO, SEB

Johan H Andresen, Ferd

Alexander Ehrnrooth, Virala

Jakob Topsøe, Topsoe

Staffan Salén, Salenia

Martin HP Söderström, HMP Foundation

Magnus Mähring, House of Innovation, Stockholm School of Economics

Affiliated researchers

In addition to the founding team, the Center for Family Enterprise engages scholars, industry experts. Our affiliates include researchers from the House of Innovation, SSE and other universities and organizations.