Members of the Henokiens association met in Sorrento from 17th to 20th June for their Annual General Meeting. This year, the AGM was organised by Augustea, a member company from Italy.
The Annual General Meeting included a presentation by Henokiens Chairman Christophe Viellard of what he describes as the "essence of the Henokiens": the relationship with time that drives Henokiens companies and sets them apart from other family-run companies. He also outlined three areas in which the association must further its efforts:
Thought and research into understanding the mysteries behind the essence of Henokiens companies: work in this area is of particular interest to universities and young people whose role it will be to invent and create the future,
Politics: Henokiens companies are standard-bearers for many other dynamic family-run companies. In this respect, Christophe Viellard expressed the association's pleasure in welcoming Philip Aminoff, Chairman of European Family Businesses-GEFF, a Henokiens partner organisation, to Sorrento. Over recent years, this organisation has made a valuable contribution to promoting the interests and image of family-run companies among European Union institutions,
Cultural expression, an area that still requires some thought. For Christophe Viellard, the Henokiens are part of a living heritage that, for millennia, has been transformed and enhanced in value by the professional skills, techniques and know-how of mankind. For this reason, in 2010, the Henokiens concluded a strategic partnership with Europa Nostra, the voice of cultural heritage in Europe, partnering the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards and attending the awards ceremony held on June 11th 2010 in Istanbul.
The Meeting also included the following key events:
Tribute to Gérard Durand Texte, the former Henokiens Chairman who passed away in May 2010,
Presentation of Augustea by Chairman Lucio Zagari; the company was founded in 1629 and grew alongside the Neapolitan shipping industry,
Feedback on the Henokiens/Insead seminar held on June 12th 2010, where three Henokiens companies (De Kuyper, Monzino and Thiercelin) exchanged experiences with Insead MBA students and managers of young family-run companies,
Decision to hold the 2011 Annual General Meeting in France, to commemorate the creation of the Henokiens association in France 30 years previously. The Annual General Meeting will be organised by the bank and member company Jean-Philippe Hottinguer & Cie.
A New Partnership for The Henokiens
On 24 March 2010, the Board of Les Hénokiens, the International Association of Family and Bicentenary Companies, decided to become a new corporate partner of Europa Nostra by supporting this year’s edition of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards.
“After centuries of existence, the companies who are members of our Hénokiens association are a living proof that family is the best possible way to pass down culture, knowledge, great ambition and loyal attachment to one’s ancestors' native soil and its inhabitants. Our members have become a living memory of trades dating back thousands of years and of a rich industrial heritage, that they will now more effectively be able to defend and promote together with Europa Nostra, for the general as well as the interest of family firms from the entire world”, said Christopher Viellard, Chairman of Les Hénokiens while announcing the decision taken by his Board.
“Europa Nostra is looking forward to developing a mutually beneficial partnership with Les Hénokiens. The link between the mission of our non-profit making organisation defending Europe’s cultural heritage and that of the association Les Hénokiens, the embodiment of cultural heritage in the business world, is a very natural one: we both believe that preserving the inheritance of the previous generations is a way to assert our identity today and to build a prosperous future”, stressed Denis de Kergorlay, Executive President of Europa Nostra.
Les Hénokiens will be represented at the forthcoming European Heritage Awards Ceremony to be held on 10 June 2010 in Istanbul by Pina Amarelli, Vice-President from Italy of Les Hénokiens.
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