Comparison · 16 material differences
Family Business Association vs MacKay CEO Forums
This comparison was generated on request from the records. It carries no editorial verdict and is not indexed. The published comparisons are listed on the compare page.
Read down each column for one organization, across a row for the difference. A bronze mark at the left of a cell means the organizations differ on that row. A dash or “not published” means the organization does not disclose the fact; it is not a zero.
Verified September 2026
Family-business organization
Verified September 2026 Family Business Association
Owners, family members, emerging-generation members and non-family executives of Australian and New Zealand family businesses, family enterprises and family offices, plus the…
Peer advisory
MacKay CEO Forums
Canadian CEOs, business owners and senior executives, split into forums by role and company size
What the records say
- Role or title: Family Business Association: No published role or title; MacKay CEO Forums: CEO Membership: CEO, business owner or founder.
- Minimum company revenue: Family Business Association: No published minimum company revenue; MacKay CEO Forums: CEO Membership: annual company revenue $5MM-$5B+.
- Accredited-investor status: Family Business Association: Advisor members (accountants, lawyers, financial planners and consultants) complete an accreditation course to become an FBA Accredited Advisor; MacKay CEO Forums: No published accredited-investor status.
- Geographic restriction: Family Business Association: Australia and New Zealand; MacKay CEO Forums: Canada.
- Annual dues: Family Business Association: A$695 a year; MacKay CEO Forums: C$12,000 a year.
Side by side
| Family Business Association | MacKay CEO Forums | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Family-business organization | Peer advisory |
| Founded | 1998 (FBA dates the merger that created Family Business Australia to 1998, while tracing its origins to Family Business Services SA in 1992 and the Australian Family Business Network in 1995. It describes itself as supporting the sector for over 25 years.) | 2005 (MacKay's own pages say "more than 20 years" and cite "5,000+ Alumni members across Canada over 20 years" without naming a year; the Peer Resources directory dates the founding to 2005. Nancy MacKay, PhD is listed as Founder and CEO on the leadership page.) |
| Headquarters | Melbourne, Australia | North Vancouver, Canada |
| Geographic footprint | Australia and New Zealand, with team representatives across Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory, South Australia, Western Australia and both New Zealand islands | Canada: Forum Chairs listed in twelve regions across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed: FBA describes "a growing community of family business members and advisor members" and says 44 industries are represented across its membership, but publishes no member figure. | 1,300as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | FBA does not publish a chapter count. It lists team representation across seven Australian states and territories plus New Zealand's North and South Islands, and runs Forum Groups by region. | 12 |
| Primary audience | Owners, family members, emerging-generation members and non-family executives of Australian and New Zealand family businesses, family enterprises and family offices, plus the accountants, lawyers and consultants who advise them | Canadian CEOs, business owners and senior executives, split into forums by role and company size |
| Typical member | Members are people connected to a family business, family enterprise or family office in Australia or New Zealand, at any size and any stage: the association names start-up founders, family members in the business, the emerging generation, family business leaders, non-family executives, transitioning leaders and retired mentors as its audiences. A separate advisor membership serves accountants, lawyers, financial planners and consultants seeking FBA accreditation. | Members are chief executives, owners and senior executives of Canadian companies with revenue from about $5 million to over $5 billion, with a separate tier for companies above $1 billion. MacKay states that 37% of members are women. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | No published role or title | CEO Membership: CEO, business owner or founderverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum company revenue | No published minimum company revenue | CEO Membership: annual company revenue $5MM-$5B+Currency is not stated on the page; MacKay prices in Canadian dollars plus GST/HST.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Accredited-investor status | Advisor members (accountants, lawyers, financial planners and consultants) complete an accreditation course to become an FBA Accredited AdvisorAdvisor dues fall from A$810 to A$635 plus GST once accreditation is complete.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published accredited-investor status |
| Geographic restriction | Australia and New ZealandFBA describes itself as the peak body for families in business across Australia and New Zealand.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | CanadaForum Chairs are listed only in Canadian regions.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Family businesses join online through the FBA join page by selecting Family Business Membership and adding further family members at the reduced rate; there is no published vetting. Advisors join on a separate track and then complete the accreditation course. Forum Group entry is a four-step process rather than a purchase: an expression of interest, a conversation with the Forum Group team about fit, an introduction to the proposed facilitator, then formal placement into a group of non-competing peers. | Prospective members apply through the Join MacKay pages or by contacting the office, then are screened for strategic fit and matched to a forum of non-competing peers. Community members may be invited to sit in on a full-day forum meeting before committing to a forum tier. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed for membership, which appears open at the published rates. Forum Group placement is curated: the FBA team matches participants to a group of non-competing peers and both sides confirm the fit before joining. | Not publicly disclosed. MacKay says peer groups are screened for strategic fit but publishes no acceptance rate. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | A$695 a yearFamily Business Membership, first family member, plus GST. Each additional member from the same family business joins for A$350 plus GST.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | C$12,000 a yearCEO Membership: "$12,000 (full year)". Prices are quoted before GST/HST.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | All published prices exclude GST. Card payments attract a surcharge and processing fee; EFT does not. Prices are quoted in AUD; the join page also offers an NZD toggle. | Not publicly disclosed; no joining fee is mentioned on the membership pages.verified September 2026 |
| Programme fee | A$4,345 a yearIn-Person Forum Group: ten four-hour sessions a year, plus GST. Additional participants from the same family business pay A$3,695 plus GST. Requires an FBA Family Business Membership.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | All figures are annual and quoted before GST/HST. MacKay publishes each tier's price on its own membership page. |
| Membership term | Annual | Annual (dues quoted as "full year") |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Forum Groups meet ten times a year, monthly from February to November; plus a year-round calendar of local networking events, education courses and the annual Family Business Conference: Asia-Pacific | Seven forum meetings a year: six full-day sessions plus a two-day retreat; plus speaker sessions and national summits |
| Peer forums | Small confidential peer groups of non-competing family business peers, led by an independent facilitator, meeting ten times a year for four hours in person or three hours online. Streams include In-Person, Virtual, Women in Forum and a two-year Emerging Leaders programme. Running since 1998 on a "what's said in the room stays in the room" rule. | Forums of about 14 carefully matched, non-competing members led by a certified Forum Chair |
| Confidentiality | Forum Groups operate on an explicit confidentiality rule dating to the programme's founding in 1998; FBA also publishes a Member Code of Conduct. | Confidentiality is one of MacKay's stated core values; forums are described as confidential, judgement-free spaces |
| Time commitment | Forum Group participants commit to ten meetings a year, of four hours in person or three hours virtual | Roughly eight meeting days a year at full attendance; members must attend at least four of the seven meetings |
| Organized as | Forum-based, Event-focused, Chapter-based, Virtual | Forum-based, Chapter-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Yes |
| Local chapters | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Not documented |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Partial |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | Partial | Yes |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | Yes | Yes |
| Spouse and partner programming | Partial | Not documented |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | No |
| Investment discussions | No | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | Partial |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Family Business Association · MacKay CEO Forums