The rise of Father and Daughter Businesses

The chairman in question is her parent, Sri Ram, and together they run Supreme Creations, the UK's largest producer of reusable shopping bags made from natural fibres.

For 16 years the business has been making jute, canvas and cotton bags for everyone from UK supermarkets Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury's, to US sportswear giant Nike, and fashion retailer Top Shop.

Set up by Mr Ram, his daughter convinced him to let her join the business six years ago when she was 22.

He made her work her way up from the bottom at the firm's London head office.

When Ms Sriram joined the company it only made plain reusable bags, but her big idea was to introduce fashion designs. And as a result, sales rose sharply, and last year she was made chief executive.

 Supreme Creations now manufacturers "several million" bags a year at its own factory in southern India, has 800 staff, and supplies 50,000 clients around the world.

The business is an example of a still rare but growing phenomenon - a company run by a father and daughter.

While father and son firms remain far more common, as an increasing number of women are deciding on a career in business, many are choosing to join their dads at the family firm.

But what is it like to run a company with your father or daughter? What are the benefits, and what can go wrong?

Here three sets of dads and daughters discuss their working lives.

'Yin and yang'

Ms Sriram, now 28, says her dad took some persuading before he would let her join Supreme Creations, because he was apprehensive about mixing family life with business.

At the time she was an Oxford University graduate who had completed internships at Deutsche Bank and advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi, but "wanted to get a short stint with my father as he is a successful entrepreneur".

After joining the company she never looked back.

"My father and I have an extremely loving yet professional relationship, but he remains Dr Sri or chairman [at work]," says Ms Sriram.

"It keeps a very clear divider between our lives, which allows us to respect each other in a professional outfit.

"Business is business, however he has given me unadulterated advice and mentored me daily. This is priceless.".

Mr Ram says that his daughter was able to quickly understand the business and "carve a niche for herself".

He also thinks that their working relationship is more effective because she is his daughter rather than a son.

"There are many things that men do differently [to women]," says Mr Ram. "If I had a son then he might have been a mini version of me. But with a daughter, that yin and yang situation exists."

Independent adjudicator

While everything appears to run smoothly at Supreme Creations, another father and daughter partnership, Peter Ibbetson and Gemma Guise, admit that their working relationship can be a lot more tempestuous.