Study: These are the most successful Swiss family businesses worldwide

The world's top family businesses in terms of sales increased their sales by an average of 14 percent in the last financial year - the top family businesses in Switzerland grew at the same rate, increasing by an average of 15 percent. By comparison, the Asian companies in the ranking increased their sales by 21 percent, and the North American companies by 12 percent. The USA has the most companies in the top 500 with 118, just ahead of Germany with 78 family businesses. At the same time, seven of the ten largest family-owned companies in the world are based in the United States - including retailer Walmart in first place and holding company Berkshire Hathaway in second place.

These are the findings of the Global Family Business Index, which is being published this year for the fifth time jointly by the University of St. Gallen and EY in Switzerland. The index lists the 500 family businesses with the highest turnover worldwide that have been run by a family for at least two generations. Over the past two years, the number of Swiss representatives among the world's largest 500 family businesses has remained the same - 16 Swiss-based family businesses are among the top 500 worldwide.

The following three companies made it into the top 100:

• Roche is in 16th place (2021: 16)
• In 45th place Kuehne + Nagel (2021: 66)
• In 79th place is Richemont (2021: 101)

A further 13 companies based in Switzerland made it into the top 500 family businesses: Tetra Laval International (114th), Emil Frey Group (122nd), Liebherr-International (135th), Schindler (143rd), DKSH Holding (145th), Swatch Group (238th), Barry Callebaut (240th), Firmenich International (372nd), AMAG Automobil- und Motoren (384th), Omya (423rd), Stadler Rail (447th), Bucher Industries (485th) and Endress+Hauser (491st). Together, these 16 family-owned companies generate sales of around 235 billion US dollars and employ around 535,000 people.

Only six percent of leadership is female

Globally, there is a need to catch up when it comes to diversity: just six percent of company CEOs are women; in Europe and North America, the proportion of female CEOs is slightly higher at seven percent each, and in Asia it is even lower at four percent. Of the family businesses surveyed that are headquartered in Switzerland, none is headed by a female CEO.

Companies were defined as family businesses if the family or a foundation initiated by the family holds more than 50 percent of the shares and voting rights. Listed companies were considered family businesses if the family holds at least 32 percent of the shares and voting rights. Therefore, large corporations in which entrepreneurial families have a stake are also included in the index.