Key Is To Evolve Without Losing DNA
November 2025
Family-owned companies are the backbone of many economies. Beyond their financial strength, their biggest advantage lies in trust, long-term thinking, and people-centered leadership.
In our Family Business Insights: Live Talks series, Mike Resnicek, CEO & CFO of Zellstoff Pöls AG (part of Heinzel Group), joined Katharina Kaiser, Country Manager for Austria at Pedersen& Partners, and Marek Petruš, Client Partner at Pedersen & Partners to discuss how family enterprises can modernise and expand without losing the essence that defines them.
Balancing Heritage and Progress
Heinzel Group, one of Europe’s key pulp and paper producers, exemplifies responsible transformation. The family’s long-term vision blends tradition, sustainability, and innovation, ensuring growth without compromising values. As Resnicek notes, “Sustainability, profitability, and innovation are not contradictions.”
Professionalising Without Losing Identity
Evolving governance is essential for growth. Resnicek emphasises that bringing in external leaders and independent board members strengthens, rather than weakens, family influence — provided trust and shared values remain central.For executive search partners, this means identifying leaders who bridge two worlds: family heritage and professional management.
Leadership Is About People, Not Titles
In family firms, people follow values, not hierarchies. Cultural continuity matters as much as strategy. Employees stay engaged when they see the company’s story — and their role in it — evolving together.
Thinking in Decades
Family ownership allows long-term decision-making. Resnicek describes it as stewardship: sustaining growth, investing in people, and building resilience for future generations.
You can read the full Interview below.