GLOBAL FAMILY MANAGED BUSINESS PROGRAM

The Global Family Managed Business (GFMB) program is a 12-month certificate program built for young family business owners and entrepreneurs who want to tackle the challenges unique to running a family business. You will work through decision-making, conflict management, ownership control, and business growth using case studies, real-world tools, and your own business as a live case. The program is delivered across three business hubs, Mumbai, Dubai and Singapore, giving you first-hand exposure to how different markets and cultures do business. The program is offered by SP Jain School of Global Management, a leading Australian business school that has been ranked by reputed international publications such as QS,  Bloomberg Businessweek,  Forbes, Times Higher Education-Wall Street Journal, and The Economist. To learn more, please see the program highlights.

A traditional master's degree is built for students heading into the corporate sector. If you are stepping into a family business instead, the challenges you will face, like ownership transitions, family dynamics, and balancing tradition with growth, are different. GFMB is designed specifically for that path. Rather than general management theory, you will work through frameworks built for family businesses, with the goal of securing your entrepreneurial journey and helping your business scale.

India's participation in global trade means Indian businesses now compete with international players while also getting access to markets worldwide. Knowing how to operate in that environment is not optional anymore; it is central to staying competitive. That is what "global" means for GFMB: you will study across three of the world's top business hubs, Mumbai, Dubai and Singapore, and get direct exposure to how business is done in each. You will learn international practices, network with business owners and community leaders from different markets, and bring global strategies back to reimagine your own family business. To learn more about the global learning experience, please visit the Program Structure page.

Good question, and a fair one, since no two family businesses look alike. While your industry might be different from the next student's, the fundamentals of running a business stay the same. That is why every assignment in GFMB is built around your actual business, not a hypothetical case study. By the end of the program, you will have developed a full business plan for your own family business, one of the mandatory deliverables of the course.

The GFMB program does not offer specialisations. Instead, it provides a comprehensive curriculum that covers all key aspects of running a family business, including leadership, governance, finance, strategy, operations, and succession planning. This holistic approach prepares you to make informed decisions across every area of your business. To learn more about the curriculum, please visit the Program Structure page.

A few things set it apart. The core faculty team is led by Dr Parimal Merchant, who pioneered the FMB program nearly three decades ago and has spent these thirty years teaching and mentoring family business students specifically. The faculty team comprises renowned experts with a collective experience of over 350 man-years in teaching and business consulting, bringing deep practical insights and real-world perspectives that make the program highly relevant and impactful for every participant. You will also get genuine global exposure, not just case studies about global markets. Studying across some of the world's top business hubs, such as Dubai and Singapore, gives you first-hand insight into multinational business environments, international practices, and the chance to network with business owners and community leaders from other markets.

The program builds in a dedicated focus on the digital shift too, covering what today's technological landscape means for family businesses, think ERP and CRM systems, digital marketing, and data analytics, so you are learning what's actually relevant to running a business right now.

To learn more, see the GFMB program highlights.
Lastly, those who complete the first semester successfully will have the option to opt for the Degree Program from London offered by SP Jain London School of Management. For more details, visit the page - Masters of Family Managed Business (MFMB) | SP Jain London School of Management.

Even if your family business operates locally today, business opportunities, customer expectations, and competition are becoming increasingly global. Markets shift, competitors go global whether you do or not, and opportunities you cannot see yet from a local vantage point will show up eventually. The GFMB program's global immersion experience helps you develop an international perspective, identify new opportunities, and apply the best global practices to strengthen and grow your business over the long term.

GFMB is built to give you the practical skills needed to lead your family business and grow it into the next stage, not just theory for theory's sake. To do that, the curriculum is structured around six core areas: Business is Customer, Business is Execution, Business is People, Business is Money, Business is Strategy, and Business is Dependent. Together, these cover everything from managing customer relationships and daily operations to leading people, handling finances, setting strategy, and building the leadership and negotiation skills you will need along the way. To learn more, see the GFMB program curriculum.

The GFMB program combines classroom learning with practical business experiences. You will learn from experienced faculty, mentors, and diverse peers, allowing you to apply new ideas directly to your family business. Add to that out-of-classroom activities such as industrial visits and global immersion trips, and you get a learning experience that is built to be holistic rather than confined to a syllabus.

For more information, see how we teach and the program learning outcomes.

The GFMB program actively involves parents as mentors throughout the learning journey, encouraging meaningful collaboration between generations. With expertise in family business dynamics, the faculty helps families strengthen communication, align perspectives, and turn generational differences into opportunities for long-term business success.

You will study alongside next-generation family business owners and entrepreneurs from across India, representing a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, trading, retail, and services. Learning alongside such a diverse cohort means you leave with a network that spans regions and sectors, not just people who look like you on paper. For more information, please see the class profile.

 The GFMB program is designed for young family business owners and entrepreneurs. To view the complete eligibility requirements and selection criteria, please visit the Admissions page. 

 For the latest fee details and payment schedule, please visit the Fees page.  

 To apply for the GFMB program, you need to complete the online application and submit the required documents. To apply to the GFMB program, please click here.