Sustainable agricultural business wins FBN Next Generation Lombard Odier Award 2022

The Family Business Network (FBN) and Lombard Odier nominated three exceptionally promising young family business entrepreneurs as finalists in the 14th FBN NxG Lombard Odier Award. The prize was won by Fardan Fahad Alfardan for “Safwa”, his sustainable agricultural business which uses technology to grow produce whilst limiting the impact on the Earth.

At the FBN 31st Global Summit taking place from 28 September to 1 October 2022 in Budapest, Hungary, each finalist will tell their story – including the role of their family and how they envisage future growth in a constantly expanding and globalised world.

This year we celebrate 20 years of NxG history, with great examples of entrepreneurial spirit still evident within our community. In this next generation, we see an inherent desire to find a place in the family business and in the world: we are proud that this results in innovative, responsible and high-impact projects such as those nominated for this year’s NxG Award. We are confident that this space will continue to grow with our community over the years, encouraging more entrepreneurs to forge their path and to find new ways to make the world a better place.

Whilst the recent health and geopolitical crises present intense challenges to any entrepreneurial journey, they also provide an opportunity to accelerate the next wave of innovation. Throughout these turbulent times, FBN and Lombard Odier believe it is essential to consistently foster and support young NxG entrepreneurs.

Family businesses are well known for their resilience over long periods and during crises, and the same should hold true for NxG entrepreneurs. The FBN NxG Lombard Odier Award was created in 2009 to celebrate and support outstanding entrepreneurial projects initiated by the next generation of family business owners.

The 2022 finalists and their projects were chosen by a jury of senior business leaders and entrepreneurs based on the following criteria: Innovation, Viability, Sustainability and Communication.

This year, we are honoured to partner with the International Institute for Management Development; the winner will receive a scholarship to one of IMD’s Executive Programmes.

Finalists will receive guidance from peers and actionable feedback from expert jury members, including senior business leaders, seasoned entrepreneurs and academic experts. They also will have the opportunity to present their project to the FBN community. In the words of Selin Yigitbasi, a past edition winner: “I applied because I did not want to miss the chance to showcase my project to a very purpose-driven and inspirational crowd. I wanted to receive feedback and mentorship and to gain insights.”

The three finalists for the 2022 edition of the NxG Award are:

Fardan Fahad Alfardan, General Manager – Wahat Shafalahia and Safwa
Gulf Council, 3G, Alfardan Group
Qatar, 2G, K. Invest (Holding) SAL

Safwa was born in 2019 from the family farm, providing high-quality produce to the local community. Most vegetables and fruits are imported into Qatar from abroad, so we provide high-quality produce from our farm all year-round, even in the driest summer months. The availability of these high-quality products supports Qatar’s self-sustainability goals, consequently helping the economy as we look to export internationally. Among other features of this technology, the use of aquaponic and aeroponic systems allows us to save water, with 90% of what is used being recycled. Limiting soil use means we are able to protect the land, our most valuable asset. We also do not use insecticide or pesticides on our produce, thereby providing the community with the healthiest vegetables.

Micaela Illy, CEO, EatsReady
Italy, 4G, Illy Caffe

EatsReady is the first Italian startup to venture into the meal vouchers space in Italy, born out of the ambition to create equal value for all market participants by leveraging technology and an innovative business model. The solution has four main aspects: 1. Moving from paper to electronic meal vouchers, allowing us to be more sustainable and avoid painful administration; 2. Fair pricing: 50% commission reduction to restaurants; 3. Transparency for all market participants; and 4. User experience: from double payment to one-click payments. We are focussed on employee welfare, increasing our product portfolio and working with firms to offer their teams ever improving welfare solutions.

Nicolas Staempfli, Co-CEO of “Weinlager Laupen” / Wine Bank “Safwa”
Switzerland, 4G, Weinkellerei Staempfli AG

Weinlager Laupen is a “wine safe” that stores wine for private and institutional clients. The clients have 24hr access to their wine, and the safe is managed and run as an entrepreneurial start-up, integrating state-of-the-art technology to safely store our clients’ liquid treasure in optimal conditions. With Blockchain-technology and our company-ecosystem, our clients can store or peer-to-peer trade their wines.

Frédéric Rochat, Managing Partner at Lombard Odier, said: “We would like to congratulate Fardan Fahad Alfardan as the recipient of the FBN NxG Lombard Odier award, as well as Micaela Illy and Nicolas Staempfli for the fantastic achievement of reaching the final stage. Entrepreneurial spirit, resilience and innovation sit at the heart of family businesses, and we are very proud to be a partner of the FBN Next Generation award.”

“During these challenging times, we must focus on sustainability as there is a profound economic transformation underway. This sustainability revolution is driven by powerful market forces: investor pressure, changing consumer behaviour and the transitioning of companies’ business models. These elements will continue to accelerate the transition to an economic model that is more Circular, Lean, Inclusive and Clean (CLIC®). At Lombard Odier, we are convinced that the environmental transition will provide many opportunities and innovations that we must embrace.”

“This award is a natural extension of our convictions and has been created to support innovative and sustainable initiatives devised by the next generation of family entrepreneurs from all over the world.”