REPORT
''We need a favourable legal and economic framework so that businesses can grow; we need legal certainty, simplification, and no surprises or uncertainties,'' declared Ignacio Osborne, President of the Family Business Institute, at the most recent session of Matins ESADE, sponsored by Bluecap and organised in collaboration with La Vanguardia. Mr. Osborne explained that the Family Business Institute defends family businesses and their interests generally, not just the interests of affiliated companies. ''Business owners want a long-term vision,'' he commented. ''It’s important to convey the idea that business owners create jobs and work.''
Corporate governance
During his presentation, Mr. Osborne spoke about the need for good corporate governance, which, he said, ''offers a very clear competitive advantage''. He noted that good corporate governance has been central to the corporate operations of Osborne, the parent company of brands like Cinco Jotas, Rioja Montecillo and Anís del Mono, where Mr. Osborne has served as CEO since 1996.
''Osborne’s corporate governance began with the aim of organising an increasingly large ownership structure,'' he commented. ''The seed was planted in the 1960s, when the fourth generation was in charge – the generation of my grandfather, who decided that a family growing this quickly had to be regulated.'' He added: ''It’s important to define what the shareholder, the board of directors, and the business management should do. It’s essential to separate those three roles.''
Regarding the role of women on company boards and gender quotas, Mr. Osborne noted that his company has for many years had a large number of women on its board, which currently consists of three women and seven men. ''At Osborne, this has never been a controversial issue, because there have always been many women. We see this as normal, and we’ve never discussed quotas because that is not the best way to avoid discrimination.''
Programme
Ignacio Osborne, President of the Instituto de la Empresa Familiar (Family Enterprise Institute), keynote speaker at the latest Matins ESADE talk, entitled "The importance of corporate governance for the family business".
Ignacio Osborne, family business executive and shareholder, will review the experience of the Osborne company during the successful organisation of its corporate governance, and examine areas including generational changeovers, shareholder structure, adaptation to change, and decision-taking in difficult periods.
Chairs and closing:
Joaquín Uriach (MBA 94), President of ESADE Alumni
Introduction:
Pedro Parada (PhD 03), director of ESADE's Department of Strategy and General Management and member of the executive board of ESADE Alumni
Lecture:
Ignacio Osborne, CEO of Osborne Group
Discussion:
Joaquín Uriach (MBA 94), President of ESADE Alumni
Ignacio Osborne
Engineer (ICAI) and Master in Senior Management (AD-1) (Instituto Internacional San Telmo).
Ignacio has been the Osborne Group CEO since 1996 and board member of Savencia since April 2009. Appointed chairman of the IEF family firm institute in May 2016. Ignacio represents the Osborne Group in the Foro de Marcas Renombradas and is a member of the executive commission of FEV, Spain’s federation of wine producers. FEV chairman from 2006 to 2008. Member of the advisory council of Rabobank; the BBVA Andalucia council; the Loyola University Foundation’s council for university-society cooperation; and the board of trustees of the University of Comillas-ICAI foundation.
Follow and participate on the event with the hashtag #MatinsESADE
For further information:
esadealumni@esade.edu
Language: Spanish
