Family Matters: Governance Practices in GCC Family Firms

Research carried out between August and October 2012 with data analysis in November 2012, based on 106 face-to-face semi-structured interviews with leaders of GCC family firms averaging 45 minutes each; the report itself carries the year 2012 with no month. Boards averaged 4.3 family members against 1.9 non-family members, 56 per cent of directors served with no specified term at all, the mean number of board meetings was 4.4 a year, and in 49 per cent of cases the chair set the agenda. Only 40 per cent answered the board evaluation question and of those only 11 per cent had a system in place, which the report itself says means the real figure "may be as low as 4%"; exactly one firm in the sample had a dedicated board secretary.