Andrew Keyt

Andrew Keyt is widely recognized as a thought leader on issues unique to family owned businesses.  Speaking from his own professional experiences and research, he inspires family business owners to connect with their passions and follow their true purpose in work and life. He advises them on strategic ideas and helps family business leaders navigate through the difficulties of succession planning.

Andrew is a contributing writer to several industry and national publications, and he is currently working on his book, Myths & Mortals - How the Children of Legends Succeed in Family and Business, to be published in 2010.  He is often quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Fortune Magazine, Smart Money, The Economist, Families in Business, Family Business and Family Business Review

Keyt is an executive director of the Loyola University Chicago Family Business Center dedicated to helping multigenerational family-owned businesses grow, transition and learn. The center serves some of the largest family firms in the United States and Canada, with the typical member posting $250 million in annual sales.

During Keyt's tenure, the center has increased its membership by more than 45 percent and has secured more than $1 million in pledges to fund future operations. As executive director, Keyt advances the center's research efforts, developing initiatives such as the Loyola Guidelines for Family Business Boards, Emergency Management Transition, Family Influences on Strategic Planning, Non-Family CEOs and the Family Business, Family Shareholder Buyouts, and the American Family Business Survey. 

Keyt is the president of the United States Chapter of the Family Business Network, the leading network for business-owning families worldwide.

In addition, Keyt is president and founder of Keyt Consulting, a private firm that assists family enterprises with succession planning and strategic planning, dealing with family conflict and communication, working with adult sibling / cousin teams, and executing emergency management transitions. Having been a member of his own family partnership and having served as manager in two family-owned firms, Keyt has firsthand experience with family business challenges.

Andrew's has spoken to large and small family businesses, academic conferences and international events including Campden Publishing - Families in Business Conferences, Family Business Network in Lasaunne, Switzerland, United States Association of Small Business & Entrepreneurship FBE Conference, University of Jyvaskyla - Finland, Association of Mergers & Acquisitions Advisors Conference., Association of Fundraising Professionals, Independent Grocers Association, University of Alberta-Canada, Crain's Chicago Small Business Forum, Presidents Forum Retreat, The Northern Trust Corporation, World President's Organization, Harris Bank, and Capital Bank & Trust.

Keyt holds a master's degree in family systems theory from Northwestern University with a concentration in family business. He is a cum laude graduate of Kenyon College. 

He has served on the Alumni Council of Kenyon College. An active volunteer with the Leukemia Society of America, Keyt has completed six marathons to raise money for leukemia research. An avid singer, Keyt currently performs with the Chicago Choral Ensemble and the Clubhouse Quartet.
 
Most Popular Keynote Topic:

Myths & Mortals - How the Children of Legends Succeed in Family and Business
By nature, humans seek to mythologize the leaders who have gone before us. Perhaps it comforts us to believe that times were better back then, and that our leaders had a great plan in place that shaped our lives, provided security and gave us hope.  For all the short-term motivational benefits this tendency may provide, however, mythologizing leaders burdens the leadership succession process with intrigue, heroism and betrayal.

This dynamic is especially powerful in family businesses, where familial conflict mixes with business politics. Successors in family businesses must follow parents, grandparents or other relatives who have been lauded and mythologized for years. Successors bear responsibility not only for their own personal and professional growth, but also are expected to represent and maintain the values and culture of their family and the business.

Grounded in research as well as Keyt's own experiences in preparing next-generation leaders in family-owned companies, Myths & Mortals helps family business owners and their organizations smoothly navigate the challenges of succession.

Creating a Constitution for your Family and Your Life
 
"If you don't know where you're going - any path will get you there" - Family Businesses are entrepreneurial ventures that often grow organically.  With a little bit of luck and a lot of hard work they blossom into flourishing enterprises but too often, this process puts stress and strain on families and pulls them apart.  Andrew Keyt will explore concrete ways in which you and your family can articulate your common values and vision and translate them into the way you do business.
 
How Family Businesses Last for Generations
 
Despite common belief, family businesses are the backbone of the US economy.  In addition to creating 70% of all new jobs and contributing 60% of our GDP, they play a vital role in the life and development of their communities.  This presentation will explore how family businesses can outlast governments, how they contribute to their communities and societies, and how they beat the competition again and again.

Andrew's Additional Keynote Topics include:

Three Keys to Family Business Success
Succession Planning in Family Businesses
Managing Family Relationships
Holding Effective Family Business Meetings
Legacy versus Liquidity: Managing the Capital Needs of Family Businesses