Sharing our thinking

CMG regularly updates our thinking on research, trends, and stories about business families and how best to support them.

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The Gucci family: Lessons in legacy, power, and succession

What started as Guccio Gucci’s vision of Italian luxury — inspired by his days as a luggage porter at London’s famous Savoy Hotel — quickly became a cautionary tale littered with deceit, fraud, and murder. Three generations of a family managed to make Gucci the most sought-after luxury brand and empire. But, over a few decades, they lost it all. Today, Gucci is owned by Kering, a multinational holding company based out of France...

Jen McCain joins CMG as a Special Advisor to Canada's business families

Creaghan McConnell Gould is pleased to announce that Jen McCain will be supporting the CMG team as a Special Advisor as of March 3, 2025. In some way, shape, or form, Jen has been part of a successful family business her entire life, equipping her with a wealth of first-hand knowledge and experience to offer to both CMG and the highly accomplished Canadian business families we’re privileged to serve...

Advancing advisor relationships: CMG appoints Jay McConnell as Manager of Advisor Services

Creaghan McConnell Gould is pleased to announce Jay McConnell’s appointment as Manager of Advisor Services, effective August 6th, 2024. Jay comes to CMG after over six-and-a-half years at PwC Canada. His most recent role was as a Manager in the Private Wealth tax group, supporting high-net-worth Canadians and their families with a range of complex advisory needs including tax and estate planning, tax audits, and tax compliance...

The Arnault Family: Mixing family and non-family for the long game

To family businesses worldwide, LVMH may be considered the quintessential example of a well-oiled family operation. As more Arnault family members move into positions of power, the Board's makeup begs the question: Is there such a thing as too much or too little family within a family business?...

Matt Mammola joins CMG to guide families through complex estate, tax, and succession planning

Creaghan McConnell Gould is pleased to announce Matt Mammola’s appointment as a Family Capital Advisor, effective August 6th, 2024. Matt joins CMG after a twenty-year career at Ernst & Young (EY), where he was a Tax Partner. He has extensive experience providing tax planning and advisory services for Canadian entrepreneurs and business families...

Today, we become Creaghan McConnell Gould.

We’re delighted to announce that our company’s official name is changing to Creaghan McConnell Gould, effective Sept. 6, 2024. This change reflects the commitment of our owners – Peter Creaghan, Marty McConnell and Bob Gould – to build a 3rd generation business in serving and supporting Canada’s business families.

The Robinson Family:
A blindsided inheritance arrangement

Dick Robinson died unexpectedly in 2021 while still leading the family business. Dick hadn’t left the century-old company to either of his sons, Ben or Reece, as his father had left it to him. Instead, Dick’s will left Scholastic, and all of his personal possessions, in the control of Iole Lucchese, Scholastic’s Chief Strategy Officer...

The Merck Family:
How a 13-generation business family prepares its next-generation leaders

CMG has been following the Merck family and its extraordinary 13-generation family business for a few years. This fourth and final installment looks at Merck's future and how the family prepares for it...

The Buss Family:
Best-laid plans nearly fouled by a conflict between siblings

In the aftermath of the passing of their patriarch, Dr. Jerry Buss, we underscore two crucial areas that the Buss family could have concentrated on in their succession journey: focus on the business of being a family and gather together to identify shared goals and values that can serve as a guiding force for everyone...

The Arnault Family:
Mastering the business of the business – and the business of the family

Here, in the latest in our series of profiles of iconic business families around the world, we celebrate Bernard Arnault for his mastery of two key ingredients of success for family businesses: the business of the business and the business of the family...

Frank Creaghan: Founder of CMG, visionary, and leading
advisor to Canadian business families

With sadness we announce the passing of Frank Creaghan, CMG’s founder and visionary, who left us peacefully at his home in Toronto on June 26, 2023...

The Kristiansen Family:
Building the LEGO® legacy over multiple generations

The Kristiansens extraordinary legacy with LEGO® caught CMG's attention in 2020. This update shares how the family's commitment to transparency, retaining control of the family business, and long-term thinking has paid off...