Not all next-gens are alike: The future of family firms - 12 Sep 2025
Entrepreneurship and business leadership often run within families, highlighting the critical role of next-gens – i.e., the offspring of current family firm owners – in shaping the future of the family business. Yet, not all next-gens are equally positioned or encouraged to lead, as their career trajectories and opportunities in the family business vary significantly due to factors such as birth order, upbringing environment and gender. In fact, the heterogeneity among these next-gens remains underemphasized in both practice and the extant research. Thus, we know little about next-gens’ differences in behavior, preferences, and characteristics.
In exploring this heterogeneity, we first focus on the career choices made by these next-gens at different life stages, as such decisions not only shape their own professional life and career trajectories but also influence the future of the family business in terms of long-term performance and survivability. Second, we discuss differences in the propensity of daughters versus sons to take over the family business and show how these gender-based differences influence the future of the family firm’s performance.
This breakfast seminar will provide insights from research and practice on understanding differences among siblings in family businesses, particularly how these differences shape their career trajectories, opportunities, and roles both within and outside the family firm. In the format of a panel discussion, next generation members of successful Swedish business families will share how their distinct characteristics and choices, compared to those of their siblings, influence their paths and opportunities related to the family business.
PANELISTS
Corina Papadopoulou is the owner and marketing manager of the Swedish family company Fontana Food AB. Today, the company is run by the second generation, with her brother and the companies CEO Loizos Papadopoulos. In 2015, the Fontana Frixos Foundation was started to support entrepreneurship that promotes social, ecological and economic sustainability and counteracts exclusion.
Loizos Papadopoulos is the owner and CEO of the Swedish family company Fontana Food AB. Today, he runs the company together with his sister, Corina Papadopoulou. His career at Fontana spans back to when he was in his early teens, but he joined the company officially in 1996, after his studies in London. Loizos has worked his way through every department at the company, from warehouse to purchasing, and has an extensive knowledge of the retail and food service industry.
Jonas Tayli serves as CEO of Matvärlden a Swedish family-owned grocery retail group founded by the Tayli family. Active in the Stockholm region, the company combines a wide assortment of culturally diverse foods with the scale and structure of the Swedish supermarket model. Jonas Tayli has full operational responsibility for leading the group and his focus is on driving long-term value through leadership development, cultural stewardship, and strategic execution.
Denise Tayli is CFO of Matvärlden a Swedish family-owned grocery retail group founded by the Tayli family. Active in the Stockholm region, the company combines a wide assortment of culturally diverse foods with the scale and structure of the Swedish supermarket model. Denise is responsible for ensuring the group’s financial health. She leads financial governance including reporting, budgeting, forecasting, liquidity management, and investment planning
Mohamed Genedy is a Post Doctoral Researcher at the House of Innovation, Stockholm School of Economics. He received his Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship from Jönköping International Business School in Sweden. His research focuses on firm scaling and growth, well-being and health impairment, family entrepreneurship and dynamics, and ownership. In his Ph.D. dissertation, Mohamed challenged the conventional positive view of entrepreneurship and emphasized the necessity of exploring the negative (dark) aspects pertaining to entrepreneurship.
MODERATOR
Jennie Lorisson, PhD candidate, Center for Family Enterprise (House of Innovation, SSE). Her research focus lies at the intersection of art/artists, business families and organizing.
PROGRAM
08:30-09:00 | Pre-seminar mingle and breakfast
09:00-10:00 | Breakfast seminar
- Welcome and introduction by Jennie Lorisson, PhD candidate, Center for Family Enterprise (House of Innovation, SSE)
- Research insights by Mohamed Genedy, Postdoctoral Researcher (House of Innovation, SSE)
- Panel discussion with Corina Papadopoulou & Loizos Papadopoulos (Fontana Food AB), Denise Tayli & Jonas Tayli (Matvärlden) and Mohamed Genedy, moderated by Jennie Lorisson
- Audience Q&A