Josh Baron

Dr. Josh Baron is a cofounder and partner at BanyanGlobal. For the last decade, he has worked closely with families who own assets together, such as operating companies, family foundations, and family offices. He helps these families define their purpose as owners and establish the structures, strategies, and skills they need to accomplish their goals.

Josh is a visiting lecturer in executive education at Harvard Business School, where he teaches about how to build a family business that lasts, how to manage conflict in a family enterprise, and how family ownership can create a competitive advantage. He was formerly an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, where he taught MBA courses on family business management and managing conflict in family business, and in the Enterprising Families Executive Education Program.

Josh has worked with clients in North America, South America, Africa, Australia, and Asia. He began his career at Bain & Company, consulting to Fortune 500 companies. In 2000, he joined a small team of people to help build a new organization called the Bridgespan Group, which has become America’s leading consulting firm for foundations and nonprofit organizations. He moved on to found his own firm advising family philanthropists before joining BanyanGlobal.

Josh publishes and speaks frequently on subjects concerning family enterprises. He has a particular interest in how ownership creates a competitive advantage, how families can escape major conflicts, and how philanthropy can help families achieve their broader goals. He has written a magazine article and more than 20 digital articles about family businesses for Harvard Business Review, and is coauthor of their Family Business Handbook: How to Build and Sustain a Successful, Enduring Enterprise. Josh has written for The Huffington Post, Trust & Estates magazine, and Family Business Magazine, among others, and has been cited in The New York Times and Forbes. He is also the author of a book about international relations.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Josh received a B.S. in economics from the Wharton School of Business and a B.A. in international relations with honors. He also holds a master’s with distinction in international relations from the University of Cambridge and a master’s and Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University.