ISB’s PGP MFAB helps shape the next generation of family business leaders

Family businesses form the backbone of India’s economy, contributing to the nation’s GDP and employing a majority of its workforce. They represent India’s entrepreneurial spirit, built on trust, long-term vision, and deep community ties that have sustained industries across generations. These enterprises now stand at a defining juncture. Their future success hinges on the next generation’s ability to harmonize enduring family values with contemporary business practices. Today’s leaders must steer smooth succession transitions and drive innovation, while safeguarding the legacy that has sustained their enterprises over generations.

The Indian School of Business’ (ISB) Post Graduate Program in Management for Family Business (PGP MFAB) is designed exclusively for next-generation leaders of family enterprises. The program blends global management frameworks with the unique complexities of family ownership. Through a 15-month modular format, exposure to international best practices, and a strong focus on leadership, governance, and innovation, ISB’s PGP MFAB equips participants to manage complexity, navigate transitions, and lead with conviction. The programme helps successors steer succession processes, strengthen governance, and build disciplined growth strategies, preparing leaders to not only preserve their legacy, but also transform it for the future.

A curriculum grounded in context

Unlike a general MBA retrofitted for families, the PGP MFAB curriculum is tailored to the distinct realities of family enterprises. The curriculum addresses key dimensions such as succession planning, intergenerational transition, governance, financial planning, strategic growth, and innovation, using real-world frameworks and India-centric case studies. The learning journey encourages strategic thinking, operational agility, and personal leadership, equipping participants to shape their enterprise’s next chapter with clarity and confidence.

Divya Tetali, Business Development Manager, Deepak Nexgen Feeds Pvt .Ltd. and part of the Class of 2023, credits the curriculum with expanding her understanding. “One of the most valuable takeaways from PGP MFAB was learning how to bridge generational perspectives, while driving meaningful change. It equipped me with the language and tools to bring structure, innovation, and governance into a legacy business, without losing its soul.”

Learn more about ISB's PGP MFAB programme : Watch overview 

Learning while leading

The modular format allows participants to stay actively engaged in their businesses, while gaining cutting-edge academic insights. This “learn-while-you-lead” approach ensures that classroom concepts are translated into tangible business outcomes. Each module is designed for real-time application—participants attend one intensive week of classes every four to six weeks and apply their learnings directly to business challenges in the interim.

The program also includes an international immersion module, offering insights into global family business practices, emerging market trends and strategic leadership frameworks. The international immersion provides students with a global perspective, bridging family business leadership practices across borders and helping them to adapt ideas that can drive long-term competitiveness back home. 

A classroom that mirrors the real world

The PGP MFAB learning experience is immersive, interactive, and hands-on. Participants engage in live case discussions, business simulations, and collaborative problem-solving exercises that reflect the realities of modern enterprise leadership. They are encouraged to challenge assumptions, test strategies, and explore new solutions within a safe, yet dynamic academic setting. The emphasis is on clarity, communication, and conviction, developing leaders who can inspire people, drive strategy, and safeguard the values that define their organisation’s identity.

Experiential learning that delivers impact

A key differentiator of PGP MFAB is its action-based learning approach, designed to bridge strategy with execution. The Managing Growth Practicum, one of the programme’s signature components, enables participants to conduct an in-depth diagnostic of their own enterprise. Guided by ISB faculty, they evaluate performance across strategic, operational, financial, and marketing dimensions, and design interventions to unlock growth. The process culminates in a final presentation that aligns key family stakeholders around a shared vision.

Complementing this is Action Week, an intensive, collaborative sprint where participants work together to solve live business challenges sourced from within their cohort. The experience sharpens strategic thinking, strengthens decision-making under pressure, and offers cross-industry exposure that broadens their perspective.

For Sirisha Limkar, Director, Limkar Group, and part of the MFAB Class of 2018, this focus was transformative. “PGP MFAB is a beautiful lifetime memory for me,” she shares. “Being a Shadow CEO, meeting business leaders and seeing them in action was an experience I truly relished. ISB’s learning environment facilitates fresh ideas, and one must create opportunities to expand on them.”

An alumni network that grows with you

The peer ecosystem is one of the programme’s strongest assets. Participants represent a wide range of sectors—manufacturing, infrastructure, healthcare, FMCG and real estate—creating a learning environment that thrives on diversity and collaboration. These relationships often evolve into long-term partnerships, mentorships or business collaborations grounded in mutual respect and shared ambition.

ISB’s PGP MFAB graduates join the school’s 20,000+ alumni community, including more than 1,000 family-business leaders, a network that provides perspective, opportunity, and support long after graduation.

Shaping legacy leaders for tomorrow

Through real-world learning, global exposure, and research-driven insight, ISB’s PGP MFAB helps next-generation leaders modernize their family enterprises, while preserving their heritage. The program builds strategic clarity, leadership confidence and professional governance—the cornerstones of long-term business sustainability. It is less an academic credential and more an operating system, turning successors into strategists and custodians into change-makers, so India’s most enduring institutions can continue to grow, adapt and inspire.

Applications for the Class of 2026–27 are now open. Whether your goal is to professionalize operations, scale into new markets, or build robust governance systems, ISB’s PGP MFAB offers the foundation to lead with conviction — and carry your family legacy into the future with renewed strength.

Discover more about the programme here.