Dubai’s Family Business Leaders Share Wisdom with Hong Kong Counterparts
A delegation of fifteen prominent entrepreneurs from Dubai has concluded a knowledge exchange programme in Hong Kong, exploring the complexities of succession planning, legacy preservation and intergenerational wealth transfer with some of Asia's most established family enterprises.
The mechanics of stewardship across generations preoccupy those who have built something enduring. When a family business prospers over decades, the question of how to pass it forward without diminishing it becomes both an intellectual and emotional challenge. This is precisely what drew a cohort of Dubai’s most respected family business leaders to Hong Kong recently, where they engaged with counterparts navigating similar terrain.
The Dubai Centre for Family Businesses, operating within Dubai Chambers, organised the visit to foster dialogue around the governance frameworks, sustainability measures and succession strategies that allow enterprises to flourish across generations while maintaining their essential character. The delegation, representing family businesses across retail, real estate, investment, logistics, hospitality and manufacturing, sought to understand how their Hong Kong peers have balanced innovation with heritage, expansion with identity.
The programme encompassed three significant engagements. At the Hong Kong Academy for Wealth Legacy, a subsidiary of Hong Kong’s Financial Services Development Council, conversations centred on the structures and philosophies that preserve family legacies while ensuring their continuity. The visit to Kee Wah Group, established in Hong Kong in 1938 and now an international enterprise, offered a living testament to the possibility of maintaining family values whilst evolving operations to meet contemporary demands. At Luen Thai, a Hong Kong-listed group specialising in apparel manufacturing and trading, the delegation examined how innovation and international expansion strengthen business resilience.
Khalid AlJarwan, Executive Vice President of Commercial and Corporate Services at Dubai Chambers, articulated the significance of such exchanges. “Family businesses are a cornerstone of Dubai’s business ecosystem,” he observed, “and strengthening their sustainability and competitiveness is a priority in supporting their contribution to the emirate’s economic development.” He emphasised that direct engagement with international business leaders provides practical understanding of managing transformation whilst preserving institutional identity, knowledge that proves invaluable as the next generation prepares to assume leadership.
The visit forms part of a broader strategic commitment to enable Dubai’s family businesses to draw upon international expertise. By facilitating such exchanges, the Dubai Centre for Family Businesses supports the development of governance frameworks and succession planning that ensure these enterprises remain vital contributors to Dubai’s economy. The delegation also participated in the Dubai Business Forum in Shenzhen, where businesswomen from Dubai and China engaged in a roundtable organised by the Dubai Business Women Council, further extending the networks of collaboration that underpin regional economic development.
What it means for Abu Dhabi
Though based in Dubai, the health of the UAE’s family business ecosystem extends to Abu Dhabi, where family enterprises similarly constitute a vital economic engine. The knowledge frameworks and governance practices being shared across the region strengthen the entire federation’s capacity to nurture enterprises through succession, ensuring that the next generation of leaders possesses both the technical competence and the wisdom to steward their inheritances wisely.
These exchanges also reinforce the UAE’s position as a hub for international business learning and collaboration. By facilitating dialogue between entrepreneurial leaders across Asia and the Emirates, the nation demonstrates its commitment to fostering a culture of continuous development and cross-border partnership that elevates the entire region’s business maturity and competitiveness.
Source: WAM