Second-Generation Trading Group, Sharjah
A 32-year-old trading and distribution business preparing to onboard the third generation while exploring a minority private-equity stake.
The decision the client could not afford to get wrong.
All commercial relationships sat with the founder, financials were prepared for tax not management, and the next generation had no defined operating mandate. Two PE conversations had stalled at diligence.
The structural problems this engagement resolved.
Founder dependency
Operations, decisions, and relationships sit with one or two people, blocking scale and succession.
Informal processes
Critical workflows live in heads and inboxes rather than documented systems.
Succession ambiguity
Next-generation roles, ownership, and governance are unspoken or contested.
Banking and investor readiness
Financials, governance, and reporting fall short of what banks and investors require for the next stage.
How the work was sequenced.
Each step is structured to build evidence before recommendation, and recommendation before commitment.
- 01Designed a family council and shareholder agreement with external chair
- 02Built a 12-month operating model rollout including SOPs, delegation, and management cadence
- 03Restructured management accounts to monthly board-grade reporting
- 04Coached the next generation into defined functional mandates with KPIs
What changed, and what it produced.
"For the first time, the business runs on systems instead of relationships. That changed every conversation we had with investors."
Founder & Chair
The disciplines this engagement leaned on.
- Family governance, councils, and constitutions
- Operating model and SOP institutionalisation
- Succession and next-generation readiness
- Bank, investor, and partnership readiness
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