On Thursday, 27th November 2025, the Gozo Innovation Hub hosted the Family Business Forum Gozo 2025, an event organised by the Family Business Office as part of SME Week 2025. The Forum brought together Gozitan family businesses, policymakers, and support institutions for an afternoon of discussion on succession, governance, and long-term sustainability within family-run enterprises.
Panel Discussions
The first panel, “The Family Business Advantage – Incentives that Drive Growth”, explored how registered family businesses in Gozo are benefitting from incentives and support mechanisms designed to strengthen their long-term resilience.
During this session, Daniel Borg, CEO of the Gozo Business Chamber, outlined several key challenges commonly faced by Gozitan family businesses. He emphasised the importance of clear succession planning, noting that uncertainty about future leadership can hinder investment and limit a business’s ability to scale or innovate. He also highlighted the need for family businesses – many of which operate as micro enterprises – to move beyond a purely operational focus and adopt a more strategic, long-term perspective.
The second panel, “Structuring for Success – Governance and Growth Across Generations”, examined how effective governance, transparent decision-making, and well-designed systems contribute to business continuity and competitiveness.
Here, Michael Galea, President of the Gozo Business Chamber, shared insights from his personal business journey. His intervention centred on the principle that succession is a process, not an event, built over many years by developing structures, delegating responsibilities, building trusted teams, and ensuring the business can operate independently of its founder. He also emphasised that in Gozo – characterised by a small market, limited resources, and double insularity – collaboration among businesses is essential. Peer networks, he noted, must be strong, consistent, and rooted in honesty in order to build resilience, particularly during periods of economic stress.
Advisory Sessions and Networking
The Forum concluded with an open Q&A session followed by a dedicated networking segment and one-to-one advisory meetings. These personalised sessions provided family businesses with the opportunity to discuss issues such as registration, incentives, governance structures, and succession planning directly with Family Business Office experts.
Strengthening Gozo’s Family Business Ecosystem
The Gozo Business Chamber values its long-standing collaboration with the Family Business Office and remains committed to raising awareness about the incentives, support mechanisms, and governance tools available to family businesses in Gozo. Events such as the Family Business Forum play a crucial role in equipping businesses with the knowledge and structures needed for sustainable growth.
