Portugal shoe family firms hindered by founder dominance in succession

A study presented on Thursday examined succession in Portuguese family‑owned shoe companies. It found that succession is often decided years in advance within the family, but the process is poorly structured, giving successors limited autonomy and concentrating decision‑making in the founder. This dynamic blocks the productivity of successors, especially those aged 40‑55, who remain constrained by the founder’s continued involvement.

The research proposes the LTB (2026) model, a progressive eight‑year succession framework with nine phases. It urges families to establish clear governance rules early, clarify ownership‑management relationships, and gradually reduce the founder’s daily leadership as the successor demonstrates readiness. The model targets mainly SMEs where capital is concentrated with the founder and external managers play a minor role, emphasizing the need to adapt to internationalisation, innovation, digitalisation and market demands.

By structuring family‑business governance, the study argues that firms can preserve competitiveness, renew competencies and ensure smoother leadership transitions.