Family Enterprise Peer Learning
Confidential Peer Groups for CEOs, Presidents, and Business Owners of Family-Owned Businesses
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Built for the Complex Realities of Family Enterprise Leadership
Family businesses account for approximately 50% of Canada’s private sector GDP and support millions of jobs across the country. Yet many of the challenges they face cannot be solved through traditional business education alone. MacKay CEO Forums and Family Enterprise Canada bring together heads of family-owned businesses in confidential peer groups where these conversations can happen openly, honestly, and with people who understand firsthand what is at stake
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Proven at Scale
A trusted peer learning experience designed specifically for Canada’s largest and most complex organizations.
100
Forum Groups Across Canada
1,300
CEO and Executive members
708
Return on Membership Investment
5000
Members served over 20 years
A Forum for Family Enterprise Business Leaders
The strongest family businesses surround themselves with trusted peers who understand the realities of family ownership, leadership transition, governance, and legacy.
Family Enterprise Forums bring together accomplished CEOs, Presidents, and Owners from non-competing family businesses to share experiences, challenge assumptions, and help each other make better decisions.
Rather than theory or consulting advice, the conversations are grounded in lived experience and facilitated by an experienced Forum Chair who ensures disciplined dialogue, accountability, and meaningful outcomes.
Family Enterprise Forum Membership includes
- Up to 14 carefully matched CEOs, Presidents, and Business Owners of family-owned and multi-generational businesses per group.
- Membership in both MacKay CEO Forums and Family Enterprise Canada (FEC), including an FEC membership valued at $2,000 annually.
- Six professionally facilitated Forum meetings annually, plus an annual retreat, designed for deeper strategic dialogue and peer accountability.
- Annual dinner with spouses or significant others.
- Dedicated peer input on your most pressing strategic, governance, and organizational issues, with leaders operating at similar scale and complexity.
- Each group is led by a professional Forum Chair who holds the Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA) designation.
- Invitations to MacKay leadership events and national summits, connecting you with a broader community of senior leaders.
- Connection to a trusted national network of CEOs, Advisors, and Partners, providing access to vetted expertise, strategic introductions, and high-value conversations.
Why This Forum Group May Be Right for You
Family Enterprise Forums bring together accomplished CEOs, Presidents, and Business Owners from non-competing family businesses to share experiences, challenge assumptions, and help each other make better decisions.
join if this applies to you:
You Are Leading a Family-Owned Business
You Are Preparing for a Leadership or Ownership Transition
Multiple Generations Are Involved in the Business
You Value Honest Feedback, Accountability, and Continuous Growth
What Our Members Are Saying
“I can honestly say that I would not be where I am today without my MacKay peer group.”
Dave ancrum, President
Pricing & Eligibility
Family Enterprise Membership is designed for CEOs and Presidents in complex organizations who value confidential peer support and are ready to fully engage.
Apply NowPricing
Annual FE Group Fees
$14,000 (full year)
Eligibility
Member Profile
CEO/President/Business Owner
Annual Company Revenue
$5MM – $5B+
Details
Meeting Frequency
Six full-day sessions and an annual retreat. Members must commit to attend 4 out of the 7 peer group meetings/retreat.
Group Size
14
Meeting Location
Rotating member host
Retreat
Annual retreat with wow speaker
Led by Forum Chairs who understand Family Enterprises
Every Family Enterprise Forum is led by a certified Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA) and experienced MacKay Forum Chair. Family Enterprise Advisors are professionals specifically trained in the complexities of family-owned businesses, including succession, governance, communication, ownership transition, and generational leadership. Members benefit from facilitation that is uniquely informed by both family enterprise expertise and MacKay’s proven peer-learning model.
Members are expected to show up prepared, contribute generously, and engage honestly. This is not networking or advisory consulting—it’s a high-trust, high-accountability peer experience for CEOs, Presidents, and Business Owners ready to learn from their peers.
Explore Other Memberships
MacKay offers peer learning memberships designed for different leadership roles and stages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Large Enterprise Membership, confidentiality, eligibility, and what to expect from the peer learning experience.
Every Family Enterprise Forum is led by a certified Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA) and experienced MacKay Forum Chair. Family Enterprise Advisors are professionals specifically trained in the complexities of family-owned businesses, including succession, governance, communication, ownership transition, and generational leadership.
Groups are intentionally cross-industry and non-competitive to maximize perspective and shared learning. This diversity allows leaders to learn from peers facing comparable complexity without overlapping competitive interests.
No. This is peer learning rooted in shared experience, facilitated dialogue, and accountability. Members learn from one another rather than being advised or coached by a single expert.
Confidentiality is foundational to MacKay CEO Forums. Members sign a confidentiality agreement, and trust is actively reinforced by the Forum Chair. This creates a secure environment for candid discussion of sensitive enterprise, governance, and leadership issues.
No. Groups are carefully curated to ensure members are non-competitive, allowing for open, honest dialogue without conflict of interest.
At every meeting, members have dedicated time to bring real, current challenges to the group. Peers share relevant experience, ask clarifying questions, and help test thinking so members leave with clearer decisions and next steps.
CEO Forum Groups meet seven times per year, including six full-day meetings and a two-day retreat. Members must commit to attending 4 out of the 7 meetings/retreat to get full value. Beyond the structure, members develop Time Mastery by learning from peers who have already solved similar challenges, connecting with game changers, and making better decisions faster. Most CEOs, Presidents, and Business Owners experience this as a return on time, not a time commitment. Members can attend meetings virtually if unable to attend in person.
Membership is selective. Each application is reviewed to ensure alignment in role, experience, values, and readiness to contribute meaningfully to the peer group.
Yes. As your role, organization, or leadership context evolves, we work with you to ensure continued best-fit alignment within the MacKay community.
CEOs, Presidents, and Business Owners who carry significant enterprise responsibility and value confidential peer dialogue gain the most. Members who show up prepared, engage honestly, and learn from peers navigating comparable complexity tend to experience the greatest impact over time.
Apply for Membership
Apply to join a confidential peer group designed specifically for CEOs, Presidents, and Owners of Family-Owned Businesses.
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If you have questions before applying, our team is happy to connect.
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