Our Team

Luanna McGowan, BA, LLB, LLM, is the President of The McGowan Group Inc., former National Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers, and founder of PricewaterhouseCoopers' Centre for Entrepreneurs and Family Business.

She collaborates with professional advisors internationally and she specializes in the areas of succession planning, communication and governance for entrepreneurs, families in business and family offices.

Luanna is skilled facilitator, trainer and lawyer who has received her BA from the University of Western Ontario, her LLB from the University of Western Ontario and her LLM (ADR) from Osgoode Hall Law School. She facilitates discussions among business owners, management teams, and family members to identify needs and objectives and resolve issues. She assists stakeholders to devise plans to meet identified needs and to develop governance structures that suit individual circumstances that are congruent with the business and family dynamic. Luanna also assists families of wealth to review family office services and structures.

Over the past 25 years, Luanna has worked with hundreds of clients in facilitation and dispute resolution situations. She works with some of the top global companies and has served businesses from several industry sectors including manufacturing, construction, retail, real estate investment and development, automotive, service industries and also not-for-profit organizations.

Luanna is a Fellow and former director of the Family Firm Institute (FFI), and former member of the Society of Trust and Estate Planners (STEP). She is a past president of the Ontario Association for Family Mediation, a former Trustee with the Hamilton Law Association, a former Advisory Member with the Family Mediation Program for McMaster University, a founding director of Hamilton Community Dispute Resolution Project, and a former Member of the Continuing Education Committee for the Canadian Bar Association. Luanna has taught negotiation at Osgood Hall Law School, litigation at the Ontario Bar Admissions, and has founded, taught at and designed ADR programs for Mohawk College, Niagara College and McMaster University.

Luanna is a regular speaker and writer on succession planning, communication, governance and other issues of importance to entrepreneurs, families in business and family offices. She is co-author of a book entitled Succession Planning Toolkit for Business Owners.

Phone: 905-512-2045
Email: lmcgowan@mcgowangroupinc.com

 

Jennifer Pooni is the Director of Client Relations and Resources for The McGowan Group Inc. With ten years of experience supporting the work of family business facilitators and their clients, Jennifer provides research and resources to address clients' specific needs. She is responsible for designing individualized tools, templates and workshops that are customized for clients' unique circumstances.

 

Associates and Relationships 

We have Associates across Canada and globally that can also assist you with family, business and ownership planning. Our Associates use the same facilitated process and you can be assured of the highest level of knowledge, skill and professionalism.

We have also developed a large network of contacts who have experience working with entrepreneurs and families of wealth. Depending on your needs and the nature of the engagement, we can work with your existing advisors or we can introduce you to professionals from cross-disciplinary fields, including:

• Lawyers
• Accountants
• Tax specialists
• Bankers
• Financial planners
• Insurance providers
• Philanthropy advisors
• Coaches
• Investment consultants

Case Studies