SPGC–FERC Global Family Business Summit 2026 | Nice, France | May 26–29

The track-chairs Angelo P. Bisignano, Maria Giuseppina Bruna, Chris Graves, Marcela Ramírez Pasillas, Fernando Muñoz Bullón & Jan-Philipp Ahrens invite you to join Track 7: Sustainability, Purpose & Social Transformation at the 2026 SPGC–FERC Global Family Business Summit, hosted at IPAG Business School in Nice, France. This track explores how family businesses can become beacons of empathy, responsibility, and renewal. 

Full track details here.

Submit your paper & join us in Nice here.

On October 30th, Mannheim hosted a female entrepreneurship event, bringing together outstanding voices in female leadership, innovation, and next-generation entrepreneurship for an inspiring fireside panel discussion. The event emphasized the importance of mutual support, visible role models, and collaboration in fostering an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The panel featured women who shared their personal journeys, entrepreneurial experiences, and perspectives on growth and impact across different sectors:

Christine Steger – CEO and next-generation leader of the MANN & SCHRÖDER COSMETICS GROUP
Carolin Radtke – Successful founder with an exit and  and fellow Mannheim KuWi powerhouse
Sophie von Eichstedt – Founder of oh moon and alumna of the University of Mannheim’s entrepreneurship program
Melis Sekmen – Advocate for female entrepreneurship as Member of the German Bundestag (a.D.), former co-worker at Mannheim University

The discussion was moderated by Lena Rübelmann (GIG7 Kompetenzzentrum FeMale Business) and Valeria Bernhardt (thinc!), who guided the conversation in an engaging and thoughtful manner.

Female Entrepreneurship Roundtable

The fireside panel was part of the Female Entrepreneurship Roundtable initiative by NEXT MANNHEIM, ENGAGE.EU, and the University of Mannheim. The event was organized by Giuliana F. Manganaro, Frauke Bothe-Anstädt, Kateryna Butyrina, Eva Göde, Lena Rübelmann, Annika Spranz, and Jan-Philipp Ahrens.

At the EURAM 2025 in Florence, members of the research group were awarded the Best Paper Award of the EURAM Special Interest Group Family Business.

Congratulations to Elisa Conz, Franciele Beck, Daniel Magalhães Mucci, and Tatiane Meurer on receiving the award for their paper: “Meaning and Practice of Tradition within Family Businesses: A Prenomenographic Enquiry”

About the paper:

The study investigates how tradition is understood and practiced in family businesses. Using a qualitative approach, phenomenography, it was identified that tradition is perceived in a heterogeneous way, through four distinct understandings: tradition as a company feature; as a family feature; as a brand feature and as a relational feature. These different understandings influence its practical application, offering insights for the management of family businesses, especially regarding the exploration of the benefits of tradition as it is experienced.