PR OFILE
There is no such thing as a holiday in leadership
“Each of the boys will debate with Andrew what
they want to do. [The boys] make decisions and they are always telling me what they are going through. [However,] I would never ask Andrew to convey a discussion he had had with any of my boys. “Andrew has never said: ‘Oh, I had this discussion,
you should know about it’, as that would break the whole trust structure. “That is why the family office works well because
it is a real exchange of views or ideas. The family office does not have any power in and of itself,” he adds. “Family businesses work well because the
ownership is controlled by a family that is at a high level of functioning in their relationships,” says David Harland, managing director of Brisbane-based FINH who advises family businesses in Australia, New Zealand, and South-East Asia. Harland says that Ray White’s model of 100%
family owners within a franchise model and close to 100% family membership on the corporate board is unlikely to be one that “corporate governance experts around the world would advocate”. “But that is the unique things about family
businesses. They cut the cloth to suit their family relationships and how they wish to run their organisations,” says Harland.
BRICKS AND MORTAR White acknowledges that letting go of the leadership of a family business is a tough thing to do. “A company is going pretty well and it is a great
thrill. It is easy to say, ‘Oh, I want to know what is happening’. And I do not do that. I keep thinking, ‘Oh whoops. I did not tell my father that either!’ “Who knows what my kids will work out amongst
themselves? It is up to them. They are going to have to work that out as time goes by as there will be changing environments, changing conditions, and changing risks.”
ISSUE 74 | 2018 Having stepped back from a day-to-day role
(allowing more time for personal pursuits including tennis and surfing), White now spends a lot of time as an ambassador—although don’t be fooled—he still spends most days working on some aspect of the business. He is an avid reader of management books. “I never say, ‘I am going to stay home today’,” to
which he adds later on: “There is no such thing as a holiday in leadership”. “There is a huge role that I intend to keep
personalising the company. We have got thousands of people running businesses. Just communicating with them is very positive and I enjoy doing that enormously,” he says. “Everyone love Brian,” confirms Alex Tilbury, Ray
White’s media manager. “He is like a rock star when he goes to events,
people want to be in his photo and they just love talking to Brian.” “It is a big advantage to us,” says White. “If you spoke to our [franchise] business—they are
all independently owned—and you asked: Why are you in Ray White? Why do you stay in Ray White? The word family would come up first. It is the family structure, and the brand. The stability of not just the family, but the leadership benches is impressive to a lot of people.” Harland agrees: “Ray White Group, and through
Brian, have really mastered how they present the ‘familyness’ and the social capital of the family through their brand name of Ray White. So although it is the Ray White family and it is the Ray White brand name, they actually leverage the model through other families.” What are White’s final thoughts? “Family
businesses are fantastic things. But you can never take any of that for granted is one of the biggest lessons.” A humble attitude that his grandfather would be
proud to hear is still a core value 116 years after starting from one tin shed.
CAMPDENFB.COM 19
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