To kick off the evening, Jeffrey Dentzer, CEO of the Banque Internationale à Luxembourg (Bil) and presenter of this edition of 10x6, highlighted what links these companies, despite their very different trajectories. “They are not necessarily the largest or the most visible, but those that endure, that put down roots and that, generation after generation, embody something greater,” he summarised.

Structured around five themes – roots, transformation, expansion, vision and legacy – the event brought together leaders from a wide range of sectors who are all facing the same challenges: evolving, reinventing themselves and building for the long term.

You don’t become a champion overnight; you become one by refusing to give up.

Anne Nickels, managing director, Namur

Roots: the art of endurance

The first to take to the stage, Anne Nickels, managing director and a member of the sixth generation at the helm of the Namur company, traced the history of a confectionery business founded in 1863 from Nicolas Namur’s American dream. Having travelled to New York and then to Sacramento during the Gold Rush, her ancestor eventually returned to Luxembourg to open his shop there. More than 160 years later, the family business continues to thrive by cultivating three essential strengths: resilience, adaptability and a willingness to question the status quo. This resilience was forged particularly during times of crisis. During the world wars, “everything was in short supply: no more chocolate, no more sugar, no more raw materials. So we adapted, we innovated,” she explained. Today, the challenge has changed: preserving the flavours of childhood whilst continuing to surprise. “You don’t become a champion overnight; you become one by refusing to give up,” summarised Anne Nickels.

Founded in 1892, Optique Moitzheim has also been in the family for generations. Elena and Pablo Moitzheim, the fifth generation to take over the family business, explained how this century-old company continues to champion a traditional, artisanal approach in an industry dominated by major international brands. In their workshop in Luxembourg City, some frames are still made to measure. “It’s not just about making glasses, but creating a frame that truly suits the person who will wear it.” Their talk also explores how attitudes towards glasses themselves have evolved. “Before, people used to say: ‘Oh no, I have to wear glasses.’ Today, it’s more like: ‘I have to like them too.’”

We are not here to own a business; we are here to act as its stewards for a generation.

Laura Ferber, junior partner, Ferber Group

At Ferber Group, Laura Ferber plays, alongside his brother Lionel, the fourth generation of a family business that has become a major player in Luxembourg: 14 salons, four barbershops, 149 employees, a Hair Academy and a centenary planned for 2028. To explain what keeps the group going, the CEO looked back to her paternal great-grandmother, who was born in Buffalo and later adopted by a Luxembourgish family: “A pioneering woman.” In this story, she finds the values that still underpin Ferber: respect, passing on the legacy, and responsibility. “We’re not here to own a business; we’re here to be its custodians for a generation,” she summarised. A philosophy that translates into concrete action: 4,500 hours of training a year, apprentices taken on every year, and a tree planted for every hair colouring treatment carried out.

Transformation: reinventing oneself to survive

Co-founder of Data Service Luxembourg (DSL) and den Atelier, Laurent Loschetter recounted 40 years of entrepreneurship through a resource that has become central: time. In IT, projects today require greater foresight. “In the 2000s, we were in the ‘just-in-time’ era. Today, we’re in the ‘just-in-case’ era.” In the events industry, this approach takes on a whole new dimension. Tasked with designing and producing the celebrations marking Grand Duke Guillaume’s accession to the throne, he spoke of an extraordinary project: 11 hours of live coverage, 600 staff members, 3,000 volunteers and 350 drones in the skies above Luxembourg. “A concert taking place is a small miracle every time,” he summed up. But beyond the logistics, his message focused above all on how to choose one’s commitments: “Your time is running out; you will never have the chance to make it up.”

It must not simply be a logo stuck on a label, but a symbol of quality, reliability and exclusivity.

Stefano Florio, head of finance and HR, Flowey

This stands in stark contrast to the following statement. Jeffrey Dentzer describes Gradel as a company where “failure is simply not an option”. Based in Ellange, the SME, which operates in the nuclear, space and defence sectors, works far from the limelight. Yet some of the equipment developed by the company is already being used to handle eight-tonne satellites worth up to €500m. Its CEO, Claude Maack, goes on to describe an in-house developed technology for ultra-lightweight composite structures. “Every kilogram saved on an aircraft saves 100 kilograms of fuel, or 350 kilograms of CO2 per year.” After a difficult period in the nuclear sector, Gradel has decided to diversify into the space industry, drones and military satellites. The company is now seeking investors with a view to increasing its revenue tenfold over the next ten years.

Expansion: thinking globally from Luxembourg

For many business leaders, going global is seen less as an ambition and more as a necessity. At Flowey, a family-run business based in Bissen that specialises in cleaning and care products for surfaces—particularly for cars—more than 80% of its output is now exported. Founded 35 years ago by Filippo Florio, a trained mechanic, the company now sells its products in over 50 countries. Stefano and Gianna Florio tell the story of a business that began almost as a family affair: the father in the field, the mother in administration, and then the four children gradually joining the management team. For them, ‘Made in Luxembourg’ is not just a marketing slogan. ‘It shouldn’t be a mere logo stuck on a label, but a synonym for quality, reliability and exclusivity.’

The same applies to Steel Shed Solutions. Based in Bertrange, the company now sells nearly 3,800 metal sheds a year in over 60 countries. Its co-founder, Vincent Lyonnet, sums up the paradox in a single sentence: “Being a national champion yet ultimately little known within the Grand Duchy.” The entrepreneur describes, in particular, a project developed in French Guiana, where a business park gradually took shape around several steel-framed buildings before attracting housing, schools and sports facilities. “The building isn’t the end goal; the building is the catalyst.” But this openness to the world also exposes Luxembourgish companies to international crises. Vincent Lyonnet refers to the blockage of the Suez Canal and its immediate consequences on delivery times and logistics. “The world is becoming our market, but the world is also becoming our main risk.”

A listed company thinks about the next quarter. A family business thinks about what its grandson will say about the decision taken today.

Georges Krombach, Chief Commercial Officer, Heintz van Landewyck

Vision: AI as the next game-changer

With Marc Lauer, Chairman of the Foyer Group and former CEO of the Luxembourg-based insurer, the concept of vision has become a long-term commitment. Having joined the group in 2004, when Foyer had around 400 employees and €500m in premiums, he oversaw its transformation into a group with a European outlook, active in both insurance and wealth management, now worth €4bn and employing over 1,000 people. “A company is much more than just figures. It’s a culture,” he pointed out. For him, a national champion is not the one who shines the brightest at any given moment, but the one who “stands the test of time” and “builds together with others”. Before summarising his recipe with modesty: “A little talent, a lot of hard work and even more luck.”

Where Marc Lauer spoke of continuity, Hans-Jürgen Schmitz, co-founder of Mangrove Capital Partners, has turned his attention to the next major breakthrough: artificial intelligence. The Luxembourg-based investor, whose fund has backed Skype, Klarna and Wix, describes AI as “the most dramatic technological wave” he has seen in 25 years of venture capital. “Dealing with AI in your professional life is no longer optional.” Even certain professions that are thought to be safe could be affected. A few minutes after Laura Ferber’s talk on hairdressing, Hans-Jürgen Schmitz quipped: “Even hair stylists could face a challenge. Robots capable of cutting hair already exist.” In his view, Luxembourg already has the necessary infrastructure – a national AI strategy, the Meluxina supercomputer, a financial ecosystem – but still lacks concrete applications, particularly in healthcare.

Transmission: thinking beyond the next quarter

Georges Krombach, Managing Director of the Family Business Network Luxembourg and CCO of Heintz van Landewyck, concluded the evening by discussing the role of family businesses in the Luxembourg economy. In his view, they think differently because they plan across several generations. “A listed company thinks about the next quarter. A family business thinks about what its grandson will say about the decision taken today.” He also describes succession as “an emotional upheaval”, where governance issues often go beyond the legal framework alone. But his message is clear: these businesses remain a cornerstone of the Luxembourg model. “It is not SpaceX or Amazon that fund tennis clubs, the Scouts or local associations. It is Luxembourg’s family businesses.”

Just a few minutes earlier, the room was still discussing artificial intelligence, military satellites and drones. Yet the evening’s conclusion brought us back to a simpler idea: behind the technologies and growth strategies, it is often the companies capable of thinking long-term that stand the test of time.