The transformation of a large family business occurs significantly when the company reaches a new stage of development and growth, with the next generation gradually taking on management roles. In these moments, many questions arise:
 

- How to change the company without losing its foundational principles?
- How to reconcile the entrepreneurial vision of the founder with the approach of the next generation?
- How to preserve the identity of the company that has been built, while simultaneously reimagining it in a way that resonates with a new audience, new market, new realities, and different understandings of the world and the future?
- How are internal transformations within the company linked to changes in the market and new value for clients?
 

At the event “Transformation of a Large Family Business,” we will discuss the experience of developing the company “MOLKIA” through a dialogue between two generations of managers. The discussion will feature Oksana Shchehelska, a lecturer at kmbs and managing partner at Strategic; Yuliia Kovalchuk-Pankiv, co-owner from the second generation and Chair of the Supervisory Board; and Vitalii Kovalchuk, co-founder of the business “MOLKIA.”
 

"MOLKIA" is one of the few large Ukrainian multi-family businesses that has chosen to speak openly about this topic in a dialogue format involving both generations.
 

According to the Family Business Network, over 70% of family businesses do not survive the transition to the second generation—not due to poor management, but because they are unable to reassess who they are for the market, the industry, their customers, and society, and then come to an agreement. This is where true transformation begins—not merely in the organizational structure but within strategic ideas, value propositions, leadership styles, and management models.
 

Together, we will examine the company's transformation from the perspectives of both the founder and the next generation of managers. We will discuss how internal changes within the company are related to strategy, the market, and consumer value, as well as the managerial decisions that help a business navigate new stages of development. This will be a conversation about transformation with the aim of understanding how to build a business capable of evolving across generations.
 

During the meeting, we will discuss:

- What is family business really about, and how does MOLKIA differ from others? How has the idea of a multi-family company transformed over the last 3–5 years, and is "familiness" an advantage or, conversely, a source of limitations?
 
- How is the company's value proposition changing?
 
- What role does the founder currently play in the company’s development, and where does the next generation fit in?
 
- Which management models work in family businesses, and which create invisible ceilings for growth?
 
- How do the roles of the founder, successors, and the team intersect, and which principles remain unchanged amidst transformation?
 
- How does the Ukrainian family business differ from corporate management models?

 
This event will be of interest to business founders who have already handed over or are preparing to pass on management and are seeking to understand how not to destroy what they have built, as well as to company leaders and managers considering scale, company identity, and its place in the market. It is also relevant for the next generation of managers who are carrying the legacy while simultaneously seeking to renew the company from within. This will be a conversation about transformation with the goal of understanding how to build a business that can thrive across generations.