Please note: Original questions may have been edited in order to preserve anonymity.
Question: How are your board and company governance moving along during the crisis? Is the CEO more in charge? Or is the Board more involved in the "short-term" strategy?
Answer: There is obviously no clear rule here. But my sense is that a good CEO is becoming more involved, i.e. showing leadership! The Board, and especially the Chairman, should back him/her and not cause confusions by contradicting the CEO. However, if the CEO does not live up to his/her task, then the Board may have to step in, but only for a relatively short time, until a new CEO can be found. This person might actually be the Chairman or one of the Board members.
Question: The European Central Bank charges negative interest rates to individuals and companies. How does Trimega manage to build up capital reserves without paying high negative interest rates? Do you believe that negative interest rates should be discontinued?
Answer: Trimega has physical capital assets on hand, especially gold. And my sense is that Central Bank interest rates less than zero are basically dysfunctional. For firms to accumulate liquid reserves ("for a rainy day') may be particularly hard, as you allude to!
Question: Do you see that in the current situation, listed companies have bigger problems that family businesses, because they constantly have to make themselves "slim" and "beautiful" for the analysts?
Answer: My sense is that bigger, listed companies typically do have larger problems than family businesses, in that they may have to make short-term decisions to boost their stock price. And dividends as well as stock buy-backs may be difficult to do now, hence, even more pressure on larger listed companies to divest assets.
Question: The long view for the family and owner managed business not accepting credit is creditable. A significant issue we face today is with family and owner managed companies who are highly leveraged now and will be under pressure sooner or later with their lenders. What is the panel’s proposal for the best way to support these owners through scenarios, options, and decisions that the owners may need to address (and quickly)?
Answer: My recommendation is for such over-leveraged family controlled firms to try to sell off pieces, and/or to invite outside investors into parts of the family firm. This can be done, but can be painful, however less so than being taken over by the banks.
Question: The discrepancy between maintaining liquidity and investing in the future is currently more difficult than ever before. On what basis/values does Trigema decide which investments to make into the company?
Answer: From discussing this issue with the Grupps, my sense is that they are focussing on the virtual business almost entirely, i.e. novel logistics.
Question: Nowadays there is more and more a shift towards sociocracy (e.g. holocracy) with the target to empower the whole company to bring up ideas and push changes forward. What is the perspective in regards to advantages / disadvantages in this situation?
Answer: I very much agree with this approach. In particular, I encourage my own organization members to stay in contact with experts from medical/med-tech as well as with resource persons who are experts on virtuality.
Question: I am working in a patent attorney office - we recommend our KMUs and family companies, which we represent, to focus on innovations in these difficult COVID19 time. New inventions will help to start quick and sustainable after the difficult days. One possibility is to shift the official deadlines, which is now possible, and to save costs now.
Answer: I agree with you. Innovations are key. If possible, try to focus on innovations that might not be too capital intensive, and/or on medical/med-tech, as well as on tech that supports our new virtual reality, and so on.
Question: Do you expect that your company can be managed by family members for many generations to come? If not, what is your plan?
Answer: As you know, I have restructured my company (S. Ugelstad Invest A/S, 100% owned by me) into what is essentially a portfolio of investments. Many of these can be managed independently from each other, and my children/grand-children should be able to manage such "pieces", if they so wish.
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