Tharawat Family Business Forum

What Tharawat Family Business Forum does

Tharawat Family Business Forum is a Dubai-headquartered non-profit membership association that supports family-owned enterprises across the Middle East and North Africa. Operating around four pillars — network, learning, solutions, and research — the forum serves family business principals, next-generation members, and women in family business through curated peer-learning programs, an annual events series, and dedicated initiatives such as the Tharawat Investors Circle, NextGen, and Women in Family Business. The addressable market is substantial: family businesses account for over 80% of the MENA private sector, and the forum explicitly targets coverage across 14 MENA countries rather than the UAE alone.

The organization's core deliverables are an expanding proprietary research library and co-produced academic content. Research outputs include the recurring MENA Family Business Survey, the Family Business Histories Spotlight Series (60 case studies, developed with NYU Abu Dhabi), the Family Business and Wealth (FBAW) platform with American University of Sharjah, a Climate Change Report co-produced with AW Rostamani and Global Compact Network UAE, and the 2024 Wealth and Legacy MENA Single Family Office Report with LGT. Distribution runs through Tharawat Magazine, in-person and virtual events, and partner channels.

The revenue model is built on annual membership subscriptions supplemented by event and program participation fees. The organization is lean — approximately 10 employees — and relies heavily on institutional partnerships (NYU AD, AUS, LGT, AW Rostamani, Global Compact UAE) to extend content production and credibility beyond its internal capacity. Farida El Agamy serves as General Manager. No revenue, member count, or funding figures are disclosed.

Name

Tharawat Family Business Forum

Legal name

Tharawat Family Business Forum

Website

https://tharawat.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tharawat Family Business Forum is a Dubai-based non-profit membership association serving family-owned businesses across the MENA region through peer learning, networking events, research reports, and partnerships with academic institutions and wealth managers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family Business Membership Association

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Business & Succession Advisory (FSAAADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Governance & Next-Gen Advisory (Education, Family Councils) (FSAAABAK), Interest-Based Communities & Forums (BPAMABAC)

Keywords

• Family business membership
• Succession planning
• MENA business networking
• Family business research
• Governance advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: The organization operates as an independent, non-for-profit membership association. Revenue is generated through membership subscriptions that provide access to exclusive events, content, networking platforms, and the Investors Circle.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tharawat Family Business Forum is an independent, non-for-profit membership association serving multi-generational family businesses across the MENA region. It delivers its value through four pillars — Network, Learning, Solutions, and Research — providing access to the Investors Circle member platform, research partnerships with academic institutions, family business case study archives, and recurring event series focused on governance, succession, and innovation.

Product overview

Tharawat Family Business Forum is a membership organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs including research platforms (Family Business in the Arab World, Family Business Histories), member investment platforms (Tharawat Investors Circle), annual event series (Successful Family Business Boards, Tharawat Talks, MasterClasses), and research reports (MENA Family Business Survey, Climate Change Report, Single Family Office Report). The organization also runs specialized programs for women (Women in Family Business), next-generation leaders (NextGen Program), and provides dedicated workspace (Tharawat Space).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 380+ participants from 54 universities in 46 countries engaged at FBAW 2020 conference
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• LGT Middle EastcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 September 2023Partnership with LGT Middle East to conduct research on MENA Single Family Offices, including a survey of 34 regional family offices and joint publication of the Wealth and Legacy report.
• AW Rostamani GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 December 2022Development partner for the Climate Change and Family Business Report. AW Rostamani Group provided support for the initiative addressing climate risks and environmental challenges in the MENA region.
• Global Compact Network UAEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 December 2022Knowledge partner for the Climate Change and Family Business Report, providing expertise on climate action and ESG frameworks for family businesses in the UAE and broader MENA.
• NYU Abu DhabicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership with NYU Abu Dhabi to document and analyze the history of regional family businesses. This interdisciplinary project brings together scholars from Humanities and Social Sciences to compile case studies and establish the first family business history archive in the region.
• Sheikh Saoud bin Khalid bin Khalid Al-Qassimi Chair in Family Business at American University of SharjahcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded the Family Business in the Arab World (FBAW) platform - the first research platform of its kind in the region aimed at discussing the state of family businesses in MENA, enhancing regional research efforts, and developing best practices.
• AGW Family Business AdvisorysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with AGW Family Business Advisory to produce The Levant Family Business Podcast series, exploring topics of interest to family-owned businesses and entrepreneurs in the Levant region.
• Women in Family Business (WIFB)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization focused on women's leadership in family businesses. Collaborated on the Women in Power report exploring lived realities of women in leadership roles within family enterprises.
• Oman Authority for SME DevelopmentsecondaryImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHosted exclusive 2-day workshop on Family Business Investing in Start-Ups in Muscat, Oman.
• Endeavor UAEsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerInteractive session collaboration focusing on growth for entrepreneurs and family businesses with emphasis on financial management.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tharawatforum
• Facebookfacebook.com/TharawatForum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tharawat-family-business-forum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tharawat Family Business Forum