Family businesses: building bridges between the past and the future

Franck Houdebert joined Hager Group in 2001. As Chief Group Human Resources Officer, he is responsible for talent development, leadership approach roll-out and support for employees in the context of the group’s transformation.

The notion of time is fundamental for a family business like Hager Group. We have a mind-set and well-established ways of doing things that come from our roots and a long-term vision for our future. Together, we are continually building bridges between the past and the future. And most importantly, this future is built with our employees, these very important individuals who all have their own particular talents.

What struck me right from the start of my career at Hager Group was the mind-set of the people I met. Even during my job interview I met future colleagues who spoke of Hager Group as their company. They explained to me how I could contribute and develop professionally; they gave themselves enough time to get to know me to see if I would fit in.

This is fairly typical of family-run companies and goes a long way towards explaining why and how these types of businesses with strong roots like Hager Group are more attractive to talents. Our company is run by Daniel Hager, a family member; he is not some kind of abstract owner who may randomly change our strategy and focus. We really want to invest in our people, our teams and try to understand that this is what will make us successful not only tomorrow, but in five or ten years’ time too. And this is an excellent advantage when hiring talents who share an ambition to build our future together.