Thunderbird announces new Masrin Center for Global Entrepreneurship and Family Business
T
he Thunderbird family is expanding with a new addition: the Masrin Center for Global Entrepreneurship and Family Business, named after distinguished Thunderbird alumnus, Jimmy Masrin ’87. Masrin is the President, Director, and CEO of PT Caturkarsa Megatunggal based in Jakarta, Indonesia. The company is a family business that has diversified across several industries including chemicals, mining, fuel distribution, and supply chain and logistics businesses.
70 to 90 percent of annual global GDP, and create 50 to 80 percent of jobs in the majority of countries worldwide. “A well-run family business can be the most powerful form of business. Thunderbird’s intersection of family business and entrepreneurship is an incredibly effective way to add value in the world, and do so in a sustainable and socially conscious manner,” said Andy Unanue ’04.
“In times of accelerated change, family business owners and leaders have an important role in promoting innovative and entrepreneurial solutions to the many challenges we are currently facing,” Masrin said. “I wanted to invest in family business and entrepreneurship at Thunderbird to build much-needed bridges between the communities of entrepreneurs and business leaders, helping us all better prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution."
During Thunderbird’s Alumni Reunion in Japan in 2019, the first group of families gathered to learn about global disruptive innovation and to discuss best practices for succession and family governance. The meeting was held both in Tokyo and Kyoto and featured prominent guest speakers Edward Jung and Glenn Edens, two icons of the technology world, as well as cultural visits and peer-to-peer sharing.
The shared vision for the center is to create a diverse and inclusive community of family businesses, offices, and enterprises that are globally focused and impact-oriented while embracing technology. With a world undergoing rapid change and disruption, family businesses have the opportunity to play a protagonist role in driving innovation and economic resilience, given that family-owned firms account for two-thirds of all businesses around the world, generate around
"As a second-generation member of a family office, I’ve had opportunities to attend many events and programs focused on family businesses,” said Andy Ogawa ’98. “What’s distinctive about the community created by Thunderbird's new center is the immediate bond generated by a shared global mindset and curiosity for the role of startups and new technologies in improving the world, and the diversity of perspectives represented in the programs," Ogawa said.
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