Marta Widz
Professor of Practice
Biography
Marta Widz is Professor of Practice in Family Business and an internationally recognized scholar and advisor in the field of family enterprises and family offices. Combining academic rigor with hands-on experience, she has supported entrepreneurial families across Europe, the Americas, and Asia in governance, sustainability, and succession planning.
She is the founder of the Family Silver Institute, a boutique advisory dedicated to family business governance and purposeful wealth management, and collaborates with leading academic institutions such as the University of Vermont and INSEAD. Previously, she contributed to major international initiatives, including the IMD-Pictet Sustainability in Family Business Award, assessing the sustainability strategies of global groups such as Decathlon, Velux, and Sodexo.
Acknowledged by Family Capital among the Top 100 Family Influencers and Top 20 Family Business Advisors, she has also been inducted into the Family Business Hall of Fame by Family Business United. Author of articles, cases, and book chapters, she is a respected voice within the world’s foremost family business research and advisory networks.
With dual Swiss and Polish citizenship, she earned her Ph.D. at the University of St. Gallen and conducted research at IMD Business School, working closely with some of the world’s most prominent family enterprises. Her mission remains to guide next generations in viewing family business as a platform for responsible, sustainable, and future-oriented growth
Recent Publications
- 2023
Entrepreneurial exit intentions in emerging economies: a neoinstitutional perspective
WIDZ, M., N. KAMMERLANDER, "Entrepreneurial exit intentions in emerging economies: a neoinstitutional perspective", Small Business Economics, 2023, vol. 60, no. 2, pp. 615-638 - 2023
From Founder Identity to Family Business Group (FBG) Meta-Identity: Identity Development in the Journey from a Founder’s Firm to an Entrepreneurial Family with a Portfolio of Businesses
WIDZ, M., M. J. PARADA, "From Founder Identity to Family Business Group (FBG) Meta-Identity: Identity Development in the Journey from a Founder’s Firm to an Entrepreneurial Family with a Portfolio of Businesses" in The Palgrave Handbook of Managing Family Business Groups., Marita Rautiainen, Maria José Parada, Timo Pihkala, Naveed Akhter, Allan Discua Cruz, Kajari Mukherjee (Eds.), Springer International Publishing, pp. 587-615, 2023 - 2022
Which networks are there to exchange with and learn from other business families?
WIDZ, M., "Which networks are there to exchange with and learn from other business families?" in Enabling Next Generation Legacies. 35 Questions that Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask., Peter Jaskiewicz, Sabine B. Rau (Eds.), Family Enterprise Knowledge Hub Publishing, chap. 2.9, 2022 - 2021
Fostering Entrepreneurialism and Intrapreneurialism Within the Family Enterprise System
VOGEL, P., M. WIDZ, "Fostering Entrepreneurialism and Intrapreneurialism Within the Family Enterprise System" in Family Entrepreneurship., Matt R. Allen, William B. Gartner (Eds.), Springer International Publishing, pp. 281-298, 2021 - 2021
GMA Garnet’s circular economy: Jebsen & Jessen’s leadership in environmental sustainability
WIDZ, M., V. FARBER, "GMA Garnet’s circular economy: Jebsen & Jessen’s leadership in environmental sustainability" in Pioneering Family Firms’ Sustainable Development Strategies., Pramodita Sharma, Sanjay Sharma (Eds.), Edward Elgar Publishing, chap. 10, pp. 252-276, 2021 - 2020
The sustainability initiative at IMD Business School
ABADIR, S., N. OLYNEC, M. WIDZ, "The sustainability initiative at IMD Business School" in The Innovative Business School. Mentoring Today’s Leaders for Tomorrow’s Global Challenges., Daphne Halkias, Michael Neubert, Paul W. Thurman, Chris Adendorff, Sameh Abadir (Eds.), Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, chap. 8, 2020
