Family Business Research Conference 2026 - Family Business & Place: Evidence, Policy and Practice
Conference Date: 15 September 2026
Location: Guildhall, York
We’re pleased to announce that the Family Business Research Foundation and the University of York are working in partnership for our next conference on 15 September at The Guildhall, York.
Family firms employ millions, anchor local economies and outlast the political cycles built to support them, yet they remain an afterthought in growth strategy. This national, research-led conference will bring together family business and next-generation leaders, policymakers, researchers and regional economic partners to examine the evidence, challenge current practice and explore what family firms need to invest, grow and pass on their businesses across generations.
The conference will address the realities of leading across generations: governance, technology adoption, succession, risk and the structures needed for the next generation to lead.
Confirmed keynote speaker: James Reed, Chairman and CEO of the Reed family of companies.
Conference themes
The missing piece in growth policy
Why family firms remain marginal to regional growth despite their role in exports, productivity and place-based investment.
Tax, ownership & continuity
How changes to inheritance tax reshape succession, investment and the transfer of viable businesses across generations.
Social value & local impact
Employment, skills, community cohesion and philanthropy and how family firms’ contribution can be better evidenced. Led by:
Professor Kiran Trehan - University of York
Sir Michael Bibby - Chairman of Bibby Line Group, Family Business Research Foundation
“What would change if family businesses were treated not as a legacy sector, but as a central part of the UK’s growth strategy?”