The 2023 Henokiens Annual Congress which took place in Geneva (Swiitzerland from 28 September to 30 September 2023 saw the following higlights :

Henokiens Association General Meeting

The key points :

Words of welcome from Yves MIRABAUD

On behalf of his family and the staff of the Mirabaud Group, Mr. Yves Mirabaud welcomes all the members of the Association to Geneva hoping that they will all enjoy the program which features a wide variety of events, including activities aimed specifically at the Next Gens, whom he is delighted to see in such large numbers in Geneva.

Speech Alberto Marenghi

The President of the Henokiens Alberto Marenghi opens the Annual General Meeting by thanking Yves Mirabaud, his family, the Mirabaud Group and its staff for all their efforts over many months to make the Geneva Congress a success. He then asked all members to observe a moment of silence in memory of Louis Fabrice Latour, after a long illness, and of Henri Gradis who both who passed away last September. He then then presented a report on this year activities and of the board of the Association which had seen in particular the arrival of Anne-Sophie Catherineau, the new Henokiens treasurer in place of Christophe Viellard. Then he informs the members that he intends to lead with the board a reflexion on the evolution of the Association linked to its growing attractiveness if the Assembly renews its confidence in it for the next two years, which it does unanimousl.

Anne-Sophie Catherineau

Anne-Sophie Catherineau, new treasurer of the Henokiens Association, introduced herself to all the members, pointing out her past experience in management control before joining her family company.

Congress 2024

After presenting his company Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten, Mr. Jun Nakagawa, proposes to the members a first draft program for the 2024 Congress which he will organize with the help of the company Gekkeikan. The Congress is scheduled to take place between September 24 and 27, 2024, in Nara and Kyoto.

New members

The new members Pinto Basto from Portugal (founded in 1771) and Tarrerias Bonjean from France (founded in 1685) present their companies.The President Marenghi informs the Assembly that Mr. Claudio Stefani Giusti CEO of the latest member to join the Henokiens, the Italian company Acetaia Guisti will give a presentation of his company on September 29. In total 4 new companies have joined the Henokiens in 2023 (J.&L. Lobmeyr - Pinto Basto - Tarrerias Bonjean et Acetaia Giuisti) adding to the 2 companies that entered into (Group Bolloré and Group Mirabaud).

The « Compendium » Henokiens

The Assembly is informed of the development of the Henokiens Compendium which now comprises 23 case studies of member companies all available on Henokiens website. The latest to be published will be the Grondona is case and the Lobmeyr case is under development.

Academic meetings

Participation of the Henokiens at the EDHEC conference on October 13, 2022 on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the EDHEC Family Business Center and at the INSEAD Family Enterprise Day, June 3, 2023.

European Family Businesses

Following the General Assembly, Jesús Casado, Secretary General of European Family Businesses, an organization bringing together family business associations from different countries of the European Union, made a presentation on the developments and initiatives of EFB to all European institutions (commission, parliament and council of the European Union).

12th Edition of the Leonardo Da Vinci prize

The Leonardo da Vinci Prize, created by the Henokiens Associaton and le Château du Clos Lucé, has been awarded this year to the Swiss company Caran d’Ache.

Caran d’Ache is a Swiss, family-run company founded in 1915 and recognised internationally for its fine art drawing and Haute Écriture instruments. A true icon of the “Swiss Made” label, the Maison is 100% Swiss and is currently run by Carole Hubscher, member of the family involved in the company's management at the highest level since the 1930s. Caran d’Ache, whose headquarters and manufacturing site are located in Thônex, in the Canton of Geneva, embodies the passion of Fine Arts, serving creativity with elegance and excellence. Caran d’Ache employs approximately 300 people and manages a network of a dozen shops in Switzerland along with 120 shop¬-in-shops around the world and exports its products to 90 countries.

Founded in 1915 as the “Fabrique Genevoise de Crayons”, and renamed the “Fabrique de Crayons Ecridor S.A.” in 1920, the company will ultimately be renamed la Maison “Caran d’Ache” in 1924 by Arnold Schweitzer, an ambitious Swiss financier. Although sales of the Caran d’Ache pencils are progressing steadily in Switzerland, this is not the case abroad, which leads businessman Jacques Hubscher, Sr. and his son Henri to invest in the company in 1930 before taking ownership of it a few years later. Jacques Hubscher left his mark on the company starting in 1960 when he expanded the company internationally and broadened its scope to include the Haute Écriture sector. Carole Hubscher, representing the 4th generation of the family, has been at the helm of the Maison since 2012, alongside her sister Patricia Hubscher, member of the Board of Directors in charge of corporate governance and orientation for the coming generation, and their cousin, Dominique Christin.

The Prize was presented on September 28, 2023 to Ms. Carole Hubscher, President of Caran d'Ache, member of the 4th generation of the Hubscher family, by Mr. Jean-Claude Biver, entrepreneur, business leader in fine watchmaking, ex -president of the watch division of the LVMH group, in the company of Mr. Alberto Marenghi, President of the Henokiens Association, François Saint Bris, President of the Château du Clos Lucé- Parc Leonardo da Vinci and Mr. Patrick Chappatte, international press cartoonist.