The International Institute for Family Enterprises (IIFE) was founded in 2008 at Witten/Herdecke University, one of Germany´s leading universities with permanent offices in Cairo (Egypt) and Dubai (UAE). The institute’s principal endeavor is to develop an international network of family businesses from German-speaking Europe and the Arab world. In October 2008, the IIFE was hosting the first Arab-German Family Business Summit in Cairo which marks the starting point of the institute´s numerous activities in the region.
The founders of the IIFE are motivated by their strong conviction that the sharing and exchange of knowledge between Germany and the Arab world is of immense value on many levels, both in theory and in practice. The IIFE is the first academic institute dealing with Arab family businesses to directly address the global challenges in promoting understanding and cooperation between people of the world. We believe that advancing a bilateral exchange of ideas and experiences between Germany and the Arab world in such a forum is both unique and valuable.
The IIFE’s objective is to bring together the owners of family businesses who originate from culturally diverse countries, but who face similar issues and share challenges and opportunities which affect the management of their companies. The purpose of this convergence is to facilitate and cultivate the joint development of new solutions to these problems. On the basis of this approach, the IIFE aims to permanently establish itself as the leading institute for the dialogue between family businesses from Germany and the Arab world, as well as for research and professional corporate development in the region.
