Research, teaching, and advisory work for the families and owners behind complex businesses. The numbers matter; so do the people making the calls.
About
Fabian Bernhard is a Full Professor of Management and Psychology at EDHEC Business School in Paris, Lille, Nice, and London. He holds a PhD in business studies (Dr. rer. pol., summa cum laude) and a PhD in psychology (Dr. rer. nat., summa cum laude). He is a research fellow for family business at the University of Mannheim and for psychology at the University of Frankfurt in Germany.
He grew up in a multigenerational entrepreneurial family, so the field is as personal as it is academic. Before moving into research and teaching, he worked in mergers and acquisitions at a financial advisory firm in New York. His work focuses on the emotional dynamics inside businesses, the preparation of next-generation leaders, and the psychological attachment people feel to their family firms. His research is widely published in academic journals, practitioner outlets, and public media.
He has received several honors and awards for his work on family businesses, including the best dissertation honorable mention from the Family Firm Institute at Harvard University. Since 2014 he has served on the editorial boards of the Family Business Review (FBR) and the Journal of Family Business Strategy (JFBS), and since 2017 on the Board of Directors of the Family Firm Institute (FFI) in Boston.
Featured in
Consulting · Advising · Boards
Fabian Bernhard advises companies, owners, and boards on governance, succession, and leadership, with a particular focus on family and founder-led businesses. His background in both management and psychology means he can hold the strategic and the personal sides of a problem in the same conversation.
Most of the work happens at the ownership and board level: supporting hard decisions, aligning stakeholders, and preparing the next generation to take over. He sits on several advisory and supervisory boards in the international family business community, and is known for turning research into guidance that clients can actually use.
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Selected works
Research & Publications
Research on family business management and governance, the emotional dynamics inside organisations, and the preparation of next-generation leaders.
Harvard Business Review
How to Build Upon the Legacy of Your Family Business, and Make It Your Own
Read on HBR →
Forbes
Boosting Your Creativity with Negative Emotions: The Case of Self-Conscious Emotions
Read on Forbes →
Family Business
Justifiable Pride or Arrogance? It Matters for Family Businesses
Read article →
EDHEC Vox
Anger, Pride, Guilt, Regret: What Role Do Emotions Play in Family Firms?
Read article →
Workshops · Seminars · Courses
Practical, grounded sessions for both the strategic and the interpersonal side of running a business.
Contact
For speaking, advisory enquiries, or research questions, leave a note below. I read every message personally and reply within a few working days.
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