Karen Laprade, an expert in human behaviour and facilitation, helps family enterprises effectively manage the important – and often complicated and sensitive – family, business, ownership and planning issues they face. As the founder of Lead Family Enterprise Advisors, she champions a model of interdisciplinary advisors deployed to work intimately with complex families, helping to identify and create optimal conintuity valuing the intersection of relationship harmony and financial prosperity. Karen is adamant that relationships need to be cultivated just as much as the financial and business end of things. She believes this is a significant area that is missing in traditional family business advising. Managed well, relationships can be a source of strength for family enterprises, enabling effective leadership and nimble decision-making. Lead provides integrated advice from a roster of experts, in financial planning, legal issues, insurance, risk, wealth management, philanthropy and family therapy. For new clients, Lead creates an “issue triage” to determine the most critical needs. Next comes a sit-down with all family members, and a detailed assessment of values, to get to the bottom of what motivates each individual.  It’s very revelatory for families to uncover where their values conflict and converge. It’s often very difficult for family members to get on board with a plan when they don’t share the same ideas or expectations, let alone dreams for the future.  Once values are clear, a vision and strategy can unfold: to leverage strengthened relationships so the enterprise can grow wealth and prosper, for generations to come.

 

Karen is a certified Family Enterprise Advisor and holds certificates in Family Wealth Advising and Family Business Advising from FFI. She brings expertise in conflict, mediation and organizational development working with families in Canada, the U.S. and Bermuda.  Her approach is informed both by her own family retail business experience as well as her training in family business advising and psychology.  

 

Karen is passionate about parenting and living closely with nature. She and her family spend much of their time caring for and showing horses.