IE Family Business Club Presentation and Networking

Cristina Cruz

Professor of Family Business

IE University

Born into a family business environment, Cristina Cruz has dedicated five years to research into management teams in this type of companies. In her own words: “ I’m interested in knowing the difference it makes if managers are members of the family or not”. Having interviewed 122 Managing directors, Professor Cruz has concluded that “When a team comprises exclusively professional managers or family-member managers, there is enormous trust. The problems arise when you mix these two profiles.”

Now Professor Cruz is focussing her efforts on injecting the entrepreneurial spirit into new generations. “The founder of a family business is a born entrepreneur, but it does not necessarily follow that subsequent generations will be”- she argues. This underlying philosophy and the conclusion of her research is the base of IE’s elective course on family venturing. Cristina´s work was published in prestigious journals such as The Academy of Management Journal and presented in conferences such as the Babson-College Entrepreneurship Research Conferences and the Academy of Management Annual Meetings.

Since 2004, she is a member of the research team of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, the largest single study of entrepreneurial activity in the world. Recently, she has also being appointed Director of the IE University Young Entrepreneurship Chair, funded by Bancaja.

Cristina Cruz holds a degree in economics from the University of Murcia, a degree in international economy from Manchester University, and a doctorate in corporate economy and quantitative methods from Carlos III University in Madrid, having also completed an executive development program in family business at IE. She combines her teaching with consulting services for family businesses.

Ines Juste Bellosillo

President

Grupo Juste

Executive with a solid grounding in business disciplines, backed by postgraduate qualifications from business schools and an intense professional experience including technical, management and leadership roles, pursued with the aim of becoming optimally qualified, from both an academic and a humanistic standpoint for the position I currently hold as President of the family business, the Juste Group. I also carry out other external activities as Board Member, business school lecturer, speaker and member of a number of boards and associations.

Since 2011, President of Grupo JUSTE, a leading player in the chemical-pharmaceutical industry. A family-owned company with more than 95 years’ experience in the research, development and distribution of diagnostic imaging pharmaceutical specialties and active pharmaceutical ingredients, which exports 98% of its output across the five continents, since more than 40 years ago.

In addition, I have been the President of ADEFAM (Madrid Association of Family-owned Businesses) for three years, a member of the Management Board of Farmaindustria (National Pharmaceutical Industry Business Association) and Vice-President of FEIQUE (Federation of Spanish Chemical Industry Corporations).

Highly focused on and supportive of social causes, with a sense of responsibility and commitment to talent and the environment in which I work, I take part in humanitarian aid projects in Peru and Africa.