Fardan Fahad Alfardan won the award for ‘Safwa’, his sustainable agriculture business that uses technology to grow produce while limiting the impact on the planet.
Family Business Network (FBN) and Lombard Odier honor three exceptionally promising young family entrepreneurs, finalists for the 14th FBN NxG Lombard Odier Award. Fardan Fahad Alfardan won the award for ‘Safwa’, his sustainable agriculture business that uses technology to grow produce while limiting the impact on the planet.
During the 31e FBN Global Summit which will take place from September 28 to October 1, 2022 in Budapest, Hungary, each of the finalists will tell their story – including the role played by their family and their vision for future growth in an interconnected and constantly changing world. .
This year we celebrate the 20e NxG Anniversary, which celebrates great examples of entrepreneurial spirit that still benefit our community today. We perceive in this new generation the strong desire to find its place in family businesses and in the world: we are proud to see that it proposes for this innovative, responsible and high-impact projects such as those nominated for the This year’s NxG Award. We are confident that this space will continue to expand alongside our community for years to come, encouraging more entrepreneurs to take charge of their destiny and find new solutions to make our world a better place.
Despite the unprecedented challenges that the recent health and geopolitical crises pose to the evolution of businesses, they also offer the opportunity to accelerate the next wave of innovation. In these troubled times, FBN and Lombard Odier consider that we must continue to encourage and support the young entrepreneurs of the new generation.
Family businesses are well known for their ability to withstand the times and times of crisis – and so should NxG entrepreneurs. Created in 2009, the FBN NxG Lombard Odier Award aims to reward and support outstanding entrepreneurial projects initiated by the new generation of family business owners.
The finalists and projects for 2022 were chosen by a jury of experienced business leaders and entrepreneurs based on the following criteria: Innovation, Viability, Sustainability and Communication.
This year, we are honored to partner with the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) and the winner will receive a scholarship to attend one of IMD’s programs for leaders.
Finalists will benefit from advice from their peers and practical feedback from expert jury members, including experienced business leaders, seasoned entrepreneurs and specialist academics. They will also have the opportunity to present their project to the FBN community. As Selin Yigitbasi, winner at a previous edition, recalled: “I submitted my application because I didn’t want to miss the chance to show my project to an enthusiastic public with very clear objectives. I wanted to get feedback, find mentors and get information.”
The three finalists for the 2022 edition of the NxG Award are:
Fardan Fahad Alfardan
Gulf Council, 3rd Generation, Alfardan Group
Qatar, 2nd generation, K. Invest (Holding) SAL
Managing Director – Wahat Shafalahia and Safwa
Safwa was founded in 2019 from the family farm, and provides high quality products to the local population. In Qatar, most fruits and vegetables are imported from abroad, so we offer high-quality produce that grows year-round on our farms, even in the driest months. The availability of these high quality products supports Qatar’s self-sufficiency goals and benefits the economy as we seek to export them internationally. Among the different benefits of this technology, the use of hydroponic and aeroponic systems allows us to save water since we recycle 90% of what we use. By limiting land use, we can protect land, our most valuable asset. We also do not use insecticides or pesticides for our products, which allows us to provide the healthiest vegetables to the people.
Micaela Illy
Italy, 4th generation, Illy Caffe
Managing Director, EatsReady
EatsReady is the first Italian start-up to enter the meal voucher business in the country. It was born from the ambition to create the same value for all market players by leveraging technology and an innovative business model. The solution is based on four main pillars: 1. From paper to electronic meal vouchers, avoiding administrative hassles and promoting sustainability; 2. Fair prices: 50% reduction in the commission levied on restaurants; 3. Transparency for all market players; 4. User experience: from double payment to one-click payments. We work above all on the well-being of employees and, for this, we are expanding our product portfolio and working with companies to offer their teams ever more effective solutions.
https://eatsready.com/en
Nicolas Staempfli
Switzerland, 4th generation, Weinkellerei Staempfli AG
Co-CEO of “Weinlager Laupen”/Chai
Weinlager Laupen is a “wine vault” that stores wine for private and institutional customers. Customers have access to their wine 24 hours a day and the safe is managed and operated like a start-up by integrating state-of-the-art technologies for secure storage of its customers’ liquid treasures in optimal conditions. Thanks to blockchain technologies and our ecosystem of companies, our customers can store their wines or exchange them among peers.
https://weinlagerlaupen.ch
Frédéric Rochat, Managing Partner of Lombard Odier Group, said: “We would like to congratulate Fardan Fahad Alfardan, the winner of the FBN NxG Lombard Odier Award, as well as Micaela Illy and Nicolas Staempfli for their remarkable run to the final. Entrepreneurship, resilience and innovation are at the heart of the DNA of family businesses and we are extremely proud to be partners of the FBN Next Generation award.”
“Today, as we live in complicated times, we must focus on sustainability as a profound economic transformation begins. This sustainability revolution is fueled by powerful market forces: pressure from investors, changing consumer behavior and the adoption of different business models by companies. These forces will continue to accelerate the transition to a more circular, efficient, inclusive and clean economic model. At Lombard Odier, we are convinced that the ecological transition will offer many opportunities and bring out innovations that we should not miss.”
“This award is a natural extension of our beliefs. It was created to support the innovative and sustainable initiatives of the next generation of family entrepreneurs around the world.”
Alexis du Roy de Blicquy, CEO of FBN, said: “We are particularly proud to recognize 3 outstanding family entrepreneurs from our community who support the entrepreneurial spirit of their family across generations. Congratulations to Fardan Fahad Alfardan for winning this prestigious award.”
“As NBF celebrates the 20th anniversary of our NxG Community, it is fundamental to encourage and support new leaders who are participating in the innovations and transformation of historic companies to face the challenges of today, including climate change. Family businesses are a powerful force for good: as the horizon of their thoughts and actions is expressed in generations and not quarters, they play a significant role in transforming business models and redefining success across generations.”