The donation - the largest ever alumnus gift in the school's history - will support research into family business.
INSEAD has received a 5 million euro pledge from Swiss philanthropist and INSEAD graduate André Hoffmann. By the standards of European educational philanthropy, this is a significant event. The donation will enable the creation of the André and Rosalie Hoffmann Chair in family business, as well as supporting the work of visiting researchers drawn from the world's leading family business thinkers.
The gift will also allow INSEAD to pioneer a truly international approach, typical of the school, to the study of family enterprise by examining family business models across countries and continents. Research to date demonstrates that family businesses are generally more efficient than those with spread public ownership. Yet business schools are only just beginning to recognise the significance of family firms as an area of academic investigation.
Explaining why he chose to support research in this field, André Hoffmann said: "I am amazed that for many years family ownership was frowned upon as a historical aberration, which would soon be taken care off. The truth, however, is that stable, family-influenced businesses perform better then other businesses. This evidence, which flies in the face of conventional wisdom, deserves further analysis and understanding. My support for INSEAD's research in this area is thus motivated by the wish to reverse an injustice."
INSEAD's Dean Gabriel Hawawini stressed that the gift is the largest ever from an alumnus of the school and represents an important milestone in the school's history. INSEAD recently launched a 200 million euro fundraising campaign and the donation represents a major boost towards this ambitious objective.
"It is significant that André Hoffmann has chosen to single out research for this most generous donation, thus demonstrating his belief that research is the intellectual capital on which the future of INSEAD is founded," Hawawini said.
About the Donor
André Hoffmann is a member of the Hoffmann-La Roche business family and has been a member of the board of Roche Holding Ltd since 1996. He is also a director of Givaudan Ltd and Glyndebourne Productions Ltd. He completed his MBA at INSEAD in December 1990. Amongst his multiple philanthropic interests are causes such as: The World Wide Fund for Nature; La Fondation les Corbillettes pour l'Aide aux enfants handicapés mentaux; L'Institut International de Recherche en Paraplégie; Tate Gallery, London; International Institute for Strategic Studies, London; and the University of Oxford.
