Arnaud de Coninck

President Trudeau recently said, “The pace of change has never been this fast, yet it will never be this slow again” and even though family businesses have been traditionally hard-wired for longevity and stewardship, family enterprises must adapt and evolve to survive. Solvay has been adapting to an ever-changing World for more than a Century and a half. It had to reinvent itself many times, always building on a strong heritage of social responsibility, technical excellence and a family character. The Belgium company was born in 1863 out of a technological breakthrough, the ammonia-soda process set up by Ernest Solvay and a small circle of relatives including his brother Alfred. Solvay embarked on a rapid international expansion and in 1900, 95% of the soda ash consumed in the World were produced using the Solvay process. The Group survived both World Wars, thanks to its family shareholder base and jealously guarded manufacturing secrets and by the early 1950s, Solvay diversified and resumed its global expansion. Sixth-generation family shareholder Arnaud de Coninck will not only share the unique evolution of the company but will also discuss how the family business has sustained its longevity by being prepared to evolve and innovate, the role of the owners in supporting this approach and the measures taken to achieve their purpose.