The challenge
A 150-year-old family-owned conglomerate managed dozens of entities and was also expanding globally. Its largest divisions included Engineering and Construction, Property, Auto Distribution, as well as FMCG, partnering with several major international brands
The conglomerate’s subsidiaries operated with separate boards and distinct reporting lines. Board members relied primarily on email, spreadsheets, and Microsoft Teams for their collaboration. However, the onset of COVID-19 exposed the limitations of this decentralised structure. Despite their family connection, the lack of centralised communication meant board members were often unaware of developments in other businesses.
In response to the pressures of the pandemic, the group revamped its board of governance. Previously, only family members served on the board, but the group added two additional independent directors. In addition, to ensure complete oversight, they consolidated all 60-plus companies and required them to report to a single Executive Committee (EC). And these changes served as fertile ground for the family to upgrade their governance technology.
The solution
With proper governance structures now in place, the family group’s technology adoption unfolded in a three-phase series. First, to move away from emails and spreadsheets for the Board of Directors, they adopted the DiliTrust Board Portal. The Board Portal solution created a secure, centralised platform for all board members. Directors could then securely access up-to-date and accurate documents from any time and location.
Then, while undergoing the onboarding process for the Board Portal, the group came across DiliTrust’s Entity Management module. For months, the group’s CFO had been searching for a system that could display all the group’s shareholdings, Commercial Registrations (CRs), and shareholders across 60+ companies. The module provided precisely what was missing.
The group is now launching the Entities module to create a centralised system for tracking all companies. The module maps complex shareholdings, accesses CR documentation, and maintains real-time shareholder structures. Critically, it will automatically send reminders for CR expiry dates, helping the group avoid fines for non-renewal, a significant challenge.
Finally, the group adopted Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) as the third module. This addressed the struggle of dealing with a high volume of contracts. The new CLM system will replace manual processes with automation and AI tools that help compare contracts, identify exceptions, and ensure consistency and compliance, thereby freeing up time for more strategic tasks.
The impact
Continuing its century-long journey, with DiliTrust as a tech partner, the conglomerate is modernising its governance model to align with global best practices. The Board Portal is effectively replacing its previously fragmented, email-based, and unorganised board management processes. And the group’s governance structure had become more centralised and secure with the use of the platform.
In addition, the Entities Management module provides full visibility across its numerous entities. The module tracks authorised managers and signatories, ensuring that the group knows who is legally empowered to act on behalf of a specific company. In addition, it sends reminders for expiring CRs, a function that is expected to reduce fines that occur from failing to renew documents on time.
Finally, the CLM module, which was the last to be added, saves significant time on contract reviews using AI-assisted comparisons. Moreover, the module replaces the manual, “line of sight review,” where staff had to view contracts “line by line.”
Modernising legacy
What took 150 years to build is now being digitised to take on the future. The partnership between DiliTrust and the family-run conglomerate proves that even highly complex, family-owned conglomerates can achieve substantial benefits from unified governance technology. This technology supports centralised decision-making and reduces operational risk across the entire family empire. Furthermore, this strategic partnership ensures better oversight in the present while simultaneously establishing a robust foundation for the future success of the next generation of leadership.