Julie Book
Burges Salmon, Bristol
Julie.Book@burges-salmon.com

In celebration of ten years of global entrepreneurship, over 200 delegates gathered in Milan for the 9th IBA Global Entrepreneurship Conference, from 18–20 May 2025, to reflect on what we can learn from the past ten years and how we can use these lessons to prepare for the challenges of the next decade.

Kicking off on Sunday with a rooftop walk along Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, we were treated to a bird’s-eye view of Milan and its combination of traditional and modern architecture, before a drinks reception at the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana.        

The first session on Monday 19 May started with Alessandro Garrone, from ERG SpA, explaining how ERG’s business portfolio has undergone a significant transformation in the last decade. While ERG has faced challenges, he explained how its success has been driven by the vision and foresight of its managers and founding family, as well as its sustainability, financial solidity, adaptability and the dedication of its employees.

The rest of the morning continued on this theme, with panels covering topics including:

• the perspectives of an entrepreneur, CEO and private equity leader on how businesses can adapt, innovate and prepare for the future;
• why family-owned businesses often outperform other businesses; and
• how closely held companies are managing risk and uncertainty in a constantly evolving environment.

The afternoon brought a change in pace, with an interactive workshop focused on key merger and acquisition (M&A) topics on negotiating a deal. After the teams had discussed these topics from either a buyer’s or seller/founder’s perspective, which provided delegates with useful insight into market norms in different jurisdictions, a member of each team then took to the stage to present their points, with a good-humoured ‘judge’ presiding over these negotiations.

After an interesting breakfast session on Tuesday 20 May focused on carrying out a leadership MOT and future proofing a company’s leadership, the morning continued on to an interactive session on key topics that affect family businesses, including artificial intelligence (AI) and technology; environmental, social and governance (ESG); diversity on corporate boards; and governance challenges. This led nicely on to the two final panel sessions, which explored whether ESG has become an imperative or not and how AI and emerging technologies are revolutionising the legal profession.

Over two days, the conference brought together a wealth of speakers from a broad mix of companies including Ferrari, Accenture, Hitachi Rail STS, Irritech, Nauta Capital and Illva Saronno, with common themes including:

• the growing role and impact of AI;
• the importance of governance in family-owned businesses; and
• the need to remain adaptable and innovative during uncertain times.