Speaker & Entrepreneur

Prof. Dr. Peter May

The Power of the German Mittelstand – Learning from the Champions!

Peter May is a leading expert on family businesses, owner strategy, and generational transition, and a renowned pioneer in owner-strategic consulting. As the founder of PETER MAY Family Business People, the lawyer and business economist advises well-known entrepreneurial families and supports complex generational transitions. With groundbreaking concepts such as owner strategy and the governance code, he has had a lasting impact on the family governance landscape. As a keynote speaker, he delivers strategic insights on succession, the role of ownership, and long-term business success.

Rates

Vita

Peter May – Expert in Family Businesses, Owner Strategy, and Generational Transition

Expertise in Family Businesses and Owner Strategy
Peter May is one of the leading experts on family businesses and is considered a pioneer of owner-strategic consulting. The entrepreneur platform Family Capital lists him among the “World’s Top Family Enterprise Advisors,” while a major German business newspaper has referred to him as “the family business whisperer.” The lawyer and business economist has advised renowned entrepreneurial families for decades, guiding complex generational transitions, and is the founder of PETER MAY Family Business People.

Achievements and Impact on Family Businesses
Prof. Dr. Peter May is regarded as a leading authority in owner-strategic consulting in Germany. He has supported numerous prominent entrepreneurial families and built two of the most influential consultancies for family businesses: INTES and the PETER MAY Group. His groundbreaking concepts include the owner strategy, the family constitution, and the 3-dimensions model. In addition, he initiated key frameworks such as the governance code for family businesses, significantly shaping the family governance landscape in the German-speaking world.

Academic, Practical, and International Expertise
As a lawyer and business economist, Peter May has taught at renowned institutions in Germany and abroad, including IMD and WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management. His work combines strong academic foundations with extensive entrepreneurial experience. As a member of an entrepreneurial family himself, he has also served as CEO and chairman of advisory boards in family businesses, giving him first-hand insight into the challenges of ownership strategy, succession, and shareholder structures.

Publications and Thought Leadership
Peter May is the author and editor of numerous publications on family businesses. His standard works “Erfolgsmodell Familienunternehmen” and “Die Inhaberstrategie im Familienunternehmen – Eine Anleitung” are considered key references in the field and have been translated into multiple languages. As a keynote speaker, he delivers strategic insights on succession, ownership roles, and long-term business success.

Why Peter May is the Right Speaker for Your Event

Strategic expertise for family businesses and entrepreneurial families
Extensive experience with succession processes, governance, and owner strategy
Unique combination of practical experience, academic depth, and top-level consulting
Inspiring impulses for stability, growth, and generational continuity
Clear focus on the long-term success of family businesses

Topics

Success Family Business Generational Development Hidden Champions Leadership Business Succession

The Power of the German Mittelstand –
What You Can Learn from Top Family Businesses

The evolution effect – recognizing adaptability as a key success factor
How successful family businesses strategically navigate current geopolitical and economic shifts
Owner strategy as a key driver: how to challenge outdated beliefs and rethink family businesses

The Art of Successful Succession –
How to Secure the Future of Your Business and Family Harmony

Why succession so often fails
Do’s & don’ts of successful succession planning
Practical tips and personal insights for both predecessors and successors

The 7 Success Secrets of Great Entrepreneurs –
Learning from the Champions

It’s all about mindset – what you can learn from Warren Buffett, Ingvar Kamprad & others
Which inner attitudes enable sustainable entrepreneurial success
The thinking and decision-making principles that define successful entrepreneurs
The ultimate discipline – how to combine success and fulfillment
How to write your own success story with the 4 + 1 strategy

References & Press

“The Family Business Whisperer: Peter May looks through keyholes many others would love to look through. He is one of the few advisors and lawyers in Germany who has earned the trust of a rare yet economically significant group: family entrepreneurs.”
Handelsblatt

“With his understanding and his approach, Peter May has, over the past three decades, become something like a fatherly friend to many family entrepreneurs. (…) The 59-year-old is a highly valued advisor, welcomed even at the top management levels of the largest German family businesses and several DAX corporations.”
Handelsblatt

“Peter May is now a brand and undoubtedly the first address when it comes to family strategy or shareholder mediation.”
Mark Binz in Handelsblatt

“Like no other, Peter May has demanded and advanced the development of an independent business administration discipline for family businesses. He is a stroke of luck for family enterprises.”
Reinhard Zinkann, Miele

“Working with Peter May is not only rewarding, it’s also a pleasure.”
Jürgen Heraeus, Heraeus