Graduate testimonies for The Engagement Toolkit Certification
ELIZABETH ZABLUDOFF | FOUNDER of ZABLUDOFF AND CO.; HIGH NET WORTH and FAMLY OFFICE CONSULTANT AND STRATEGIST
“Amy, I thought this was a truly informative and insightful class. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has a family business or office, plans to create a family office, is thinking about succession issues within his or her family and/or advising families.
So many advisors who work with families try to use a “one size fits all” approach to governance. Your legal background plus experience running your family’s multi-generational business has allowed you to approach governance from many difference angles. The insight and examples you gave during class were invaluable.”
Kind Words for Engaged Ownership: A Guide for Owners of Family Businesses
"Ownership is strategy. The controlling shareholders of Google, Facebook and LinkedIn, along with Patek Philippe, Hermès and Ford know this. But you never hear that from business academics and management consultants. Engaged Ownership responds to the need to get the record straight. Worldwide, family businesses are more successful than management controlled companies in the same industry because of their committed ownership and their recognition of the unique capabilities that spring from this business model. Engaging owners and creating the governance system that mediates their relationship with their wealth and enterprises is the fundamental challenge of family enterprises. Amelia Renkert-Thomas nails it in this book. Engaged Ownership is a timely book; read it and practice it!"
ERNESTO J. POZA | FOUNDER
AND OWNER OF E.J. POZA
ASSOCIATES, INC. and
FAMILYBUSINESS.COM, PROFESSOR
EMERITUS, THUNDERBIRD SCHOOL
OF GLOBAL MANAGEMENT
"The story of the Owen family over several generations vividly illustrates how engaged owners can make not just a great difference in the success of a company, but add a form of value that cannot be duplicated with good management alone. I will share this book with my clients who are looking ahead to how they will organize their ownership structure to cross generations."
DENNIS T. JAFFE, PH.D.
WISE COUNSEL ASSOCIATES
"Amelia captivates the reader with a family business case study that illustrates key steps and best practices to building engaged ownership in a family. A must-read for founders and those looking to pass on the family enterprise to future generations."
KIRBY ROSPLOCK, PH.D.
AUTHOR OF THE COMPLETE
FAMILY OFFICE HANDBOOK
LORRAINE F. GEORGE-HARIK, PARTNER, HPM PARTNERS LLC
"Amelia’s work offers empathy and experience dedicated to creating a roadmap for 'engaged ownership' and meeting the challenges of 'shared purpose' in family businesses. Her book is a living tutorial which offers readers 'ah – ha' moments of awareness and motivates them to take the well-articulated steps to achieve truly engaged ownership. I highly recommend it to family business owners and their 'constellation' of advisors who seek to preserve and perpetuate the family legacy and its core capital. It is insightful and instructive."
JONATHAN H.F. CRYSTAL | EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CRYSTAL & COMPANY
"Amelia draws upon her personal and professional experiences to demystify the complicated and oft-misunderstood realm of family business. Engaged Ownership is a must-read for family business owners and financial professionals who work with these families."
"Engaged Ownership is a succinct, fascinating and well-written treatment of a complex subject. Amelia brings a unique vision to the work; she comes from a fifth-generation family business and was a trust lawyer and family advisor before running her own family's business for over a dozen years. She now works with families on governance issues and is very much engaged in the process which is the subject of the book."
JOSEPH A. FIELD | OF COUNSEL,
WITHERS BERGMAN LLP