The Family Business Chair of the University of Valencia (CEFUV) promoted by the Valencian Association of Entrepreneurs (AVE), EDEM Business School, the Valencian Institute for the Study of Family Businesses (IVEFA), the Institute of Family Businesses (IEF) and the University of Valencia (UV), with the collaboration of BROSETA, has hosted the fourth edition of the Family Businesses in the World Conference, which on this occasion dealt with the cases of Colombia and Ireland.

Prior to the presentation of best practices in these areas, the conference featured the involvement of Alejandro Escribá, director of the CEFUV; Elena Fernández, director general of EDEM; Diego Lorente, director and secretary general of AVE, and Mª Dolores Real, vice-rector of innovation and knowledge at the University of Valencia.

On behalf of BROSETA, Alejandro Ríos, Managing Partner of the Firm in Valencia, moderated the debate on family businesses in Colombia, with the participation of Luis Díaz-Matajira, professor at the University of Andes; Guillermo Payá, CEO of Grupo ASV, and Miguel Juan, managing partner of S2 Grupo, who stressed that “the ingredients of international business success are the ability to identify and manage cultural differences and responsible and efficient leadership”, and how “Colombia is a country that provides a relatively stable environment and where there is a lot of talent to develop business initiatives”.

This was followed by an analysis of the situation of family businesses in Ireland, led by Eric Clinton, professor at Dublin City University; Eva Torán, regional director of CaixaBank; Raquel Castañón, director of corporate resources at Cafento; Santiago Palop, president of EMUCA, and José Herrando, industrial director of Saica Pack and Saica Flex, who shared issues of interest in this area such as the opportunities in the Irish market since Brexit, its high business level, its commitment to long-term relations and its increasingly better connections with continental Europe.

Francisco Vallejo, president of the IVEFA, closed the conference by highlighting the lessons learnt in terms of good management practices, the international comparative perspective, the importance of professionalisation and the challenge of succession from the perspective of incoming generations.