Family Business Audiocast

On Episode 50 of the Family Business Audiocast, R. Adam Smith welcomes Jennifer East, Founder of ONIDA Family Advisors and a globally recognized advisor to family enterprises and family offices. With two decades of experience guiding multigenerational families across Europe, the Middle East, and North America, Jennifer has built a reputation for helping families strengthen governance, align across generations, and prepare rising leaders to steward both assets and values. In this conversation, Jennifer draws on her unique perspective as a second‑generation leader in her own family’s Canadian hospitality business and as co‑steward of Class Afloat, a mission‑driven school at sea with a forty‑year legacy of experiential education. She shares powerful insights on defining shared purpose, designing governance frameworks that reflect family complexity, and equipping next‑gen members to balance individual aspirations with collective goals. A Fellow of the Family Firm Institute and Chair of Campden Wealth’s European Family Office Forum, Jennifer offers a rare blend of lived experience and professional expertise—illuminating how families can thrive together across generations.

On Episode 49 of the Family Business Audiocast, R. Adam Smith sits down with Dr. Kimberly Eddleston, Schulze Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship and Montoni Research Fellow at Northeastern University’s D’Amore‑McKim School of Business, as well as a Research Fellow with Cornell’s Smith Family Business Initiative. Named in Stanford University’s top 2% of scientists and one of Family Capital’s top 25 family enterprise academics, Kim has dedicated her career to understanding how family dynamics can spark—and sometimes stifle—innovation within family firms.In this episode, Professor Eddleston reveals her most compelling research on turning family ties into a strategic advantage: crafting governance frameworks that evolve with each generation, embedding creative problem‑solving into everyday culture, and leveraging human capital to drive long‑term value. Drawing on examples from her own family’s ventures in real estate, construction, business services, and hospitality, she offers practical insights for next‑gen leaders and seasoned executives alike—showing how to harness family relationships not just as a resource, but as the very engine of entrepreneurial renewal.

On Episode 48 of the Family Business Audiocast, R. Adam Smith welcomes Roger Vincent, founder and Chief Investment Officer of Summation Capital, a new investment firm delivering endowment-style access to private equity with alignment, efficiency, and purpose. With decades of experience in private markets, Roger previously led Cornell University’s $10 billion private equity portfolio, earning top-quartile performance through deep partnerships with leading GPs. In this episode, Roger unpacks the philosophy behind Summation — how he brings institutional discipline to family offices and mission-driven investors seeking long-term returns. He shares insights on alpha generation, strategic alignment, and why culture and human capital sit at the heart of private equity success.

On Episode 47 of the Family Business Audiocast, R. Adam Smith welcomes David W. Burleigh, esteemed family ownership expert, fiduciary, and author of Take Ownership of What You Own: Build Your Confidence to Navigate the World of Trusts and Family Enterprise. An attorney by training, David has spent his career helping families structure ownership—not just what they own, but how—through trusts, LLCs, corporations, and partnerships managing private businesses, real estate, investment portfolios, and legacy property. David brings a rare mix of technical acumen and deep understanding of family dynamics. David dives into the mechanics of ownership design—how legal structures influence control, succession, and unity within families. David’s insights illuminate how thoughtful ownership frameworks build confidence, clarity, and continuity across generations.

On Episode 46 of the Family Business Audiocast, R. Adam Smith welcomes Laura Nanette Gambineri-Giese, LL.M. TEP, founder of Trusted Governance and expert in cross-border estate planning, Private Placement Life Insurance (PPLI), and family governance. Drawing on her experience with internationally active families, Laura shares insights on combining technical wealth structuring with the interpersonal dynamics of decision-making, succession, and continuity. She covers values-based planning frameworks, key risks in cross-border planning, and the need to revisit governance as laws and family needs change. The episode also highlights how rising-generation leaders are reshaping legacy with a focus on meaning and sustainability. Whether you’re an advisor, family leader, next-gen stakeholder, or interested in family business, this episode offers a look at preserving both wealth and unity across generations.

On this episode of the Family Business Audiocast, R. Adam Smith welcomes two of the world’s foremost experts in family enterprise research: Luis Gomez-Mejia and Ignacio Requejo. Together, they explore the often-misunderstood dynamics of family firm ownership, from the foundational role of socioemotional wealth to the ways family control affects decision-making, governance, and long-term resilience. Drawing from decades of globally recognized research, including empirical studies on succession, legacy, and control trade-offs, Luis and Ignacio offer a deeply informed conversation on why family firms behave differently and how those differences can be a source of strength. From olive oil cooperatives in Spain to publicly listed multigenerational giants, this conversation redefines what makes family enterprise sustainable in an increasingly complex world.

R. Adam Smith hosts Shelley Forsythe, Director and Family Office Lead at BMO Private Wealth. With extensive experience in family governance, Shelley advises multi-generational families on building resilient structures that balance business priorities with family harmony. She discusses how BMO's platform integrates family office services with wealth management, serving over 700 families globally. Shelley shares insights on successful advisor collaboration, creating flexible roadmaps for legacy planning, and preparing families for business succession. She emphasizes that communication is the foundation of successful family wealth succession planning, requiring ongoing practice rather than one-time discussions.

This week on the The Family Business Audiocast, host R. Adam Smith welcomes back Richard Wolkowitz, founder of Xylogenesis and trusted family enterprise advisor. Wolkowitz breaks down nine critical differences between founder mentality and family mentality that impact family business succession. The conversation explores how governance structures can bridge these differences, the evolution of entrepreneurial thinking across generations, and strategies for empowering next-gen family members. Wolkowitz emphasizes that "healthy generational continuity" requires understanding each family member's unique strengths rather than expecting them to be carbon copies of the founder.

Adrienne Penta and Lane McDonald from SCS Financial Services join host R. Adam Smith to discuss the complex interplay between family wealth management, next-generation preparation, and legacy building. Adrienne shares insights on using philanthropy as a gateway for meaningful family conversations about wealth purpose, while Lane explores how emotional detachment in investing yields better outcomes. Both experts emphasize the critical importance of outsourcing alternative investments for family offices under $5 billion and building comprehensive values-based planning that connects wealth decisions to family purpose. The conversation highlights practical approaches to next-gen engagement and the essential balance between providing guidance and allowing independence.

R. Adam Smith welcomes Octavian Pilati, an investor, strategist, and founder of The Anti-Fragile Family consultancy. Born into an Austrian aristocratic family with a millennium of heritage, Octavian shares his unique journey into family enterprise leadership following a crisis. The conversation explores critical aspects of family financial planning in multigenerational contexts, including next-gen leadership preparation, the merit versus entitlement approach, and communication strategies that build trust. Octavian offers valuable insights on family wealth office dynamics, resilience building, and the importance of balancing internal family knowledge with external expertise when navigating transitions and succession planning.