The Dubai Centre for Family Businesses, part of Dubai Chambers, has introduced three advisory services aimed at strengthening governance frameworks across family-owned enterprises in the emirate.
The move is intended to support succession planning, ensure alignment among stakeholders, and guide the creation of long-term governance structures, including family constitutions and wealth management platforms.
The first service, Current-State Assessment & Family Constitution Review, provides a detailed evaluation of a business’s existing governance processes. This includes a review of family constitutions using an automated governance assessment tool. The assessment measures maturity against local regulations and global benchmarks, identifies risks, and provides recommendations for improvement.
The second, Family Constitution Drafting, helps family-owned companies formalise governance and succession policies. Based on interviews and workshops, the service assists in drafting documents that set out governance structures, roles, and eligibility criteria, with a focus on aligning family members and preventing future disputes.
The third service, Family Office Blueprint, is designed for families managing wealth and private assets. Through workshops, the programme supports the creation of bespoke family offices by defining strategic goals, exploring service offerings such as investment and estate planning, and identifying staffing needs.
Family-owned businesses contribute significantly to Dubai’s private sector. Dubai Chambers President and CEO Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah said the initiative is intended to reinforce the role of these companies in the emirate’s economic plans and support their ability to adapt to changing conditions.
The launch follows broader efforts by Dubai authorities to professionalise family-run enterprises and prepare them for intergenerational transition. A 2022 PwC survey found that only 34% of family businesses in the Middle East have succession plans in place, with governance cited as a key challenge to sustainability.
The new services come as part of Dubai’s strategy to boost private sector resilience and align legacy businesses with international standards.
