michel-bundock-premier-vice-president“If the president announces that he will leave in two years and he is still there five years later, the next generation may have already left …” This is how Michael Bundock, a current EMBA McGill -HEC Montreal participant, and General Manager of the Groupement des chefs d’entreprise du Québec, addresses the issue of succession planning in an article published in a special issue of Les Affaires.

 

According to Michel Bundock, although CEO-entrepreneurs now tend to identify their successors earlier than they used to, they often do not have a specific transition plan and have difficulty clearly identifying everyone’s role in the transition. He explains that it is especially important, during the succession and transfer period, for entrepreneurs to connect with those in similar situations to exchange ideas and learn from each other’s experiences.  The Groupement des chefs d’entreprise encourages business owners contemplating a business transfer, together with their successors, to take part in small-group discussion clubs, where they can address the challenges they face. This is an approach that has proven its utility over the last 40 years.