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Wellesley, MA, Sept. 19, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Babson College, the global leader in entrepreneurship education, in partnership with CAMUS Cognac, operated by fifth-generation head and Babson alumnus Cyril Camus, announces Gustavo Cisneros and family as the recipient of the second annual Babson-Camus Global Family Entrepreneurship Award. This prestigious award recognizes one highly distinguished and uniquely impactful entrepreneurial family that has created significant economic and social value across generations while exemplifying Babson College values.
Cisneros is a privately held company with almost 100 years’ experience operating businesses globally. Today, the company has three divisions. Cisneros Media produces and distributes entertainment content across all platforms worldwide. Its over-the-air and pay TV networks reach over 50 million subscribers in the U.S, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Spain. Cisneros Interactive is the leading independent digital advertising company in Latin America, with offices and sales teams in 15 countries in the region, representing brands such as Facebook, Spotify, and LinkedIn, and sells its own proprietary solutions in mobile and audio. Cisneros Real Estate is responsible for the strategic positioning of the company’s real estate portfolio, Tropicalia being its most significant undertaking. Outside of the three core divisions, AST & Science, CISNEROS latest investment, aims at bringing worldwide connectivity through LEO satellites.
The Fundación Cisneros, co-founded by Gustavo with his wife, Patty, promotes a wide range of community development, educational, and cultural programs focused on democracy and critical thinking, which have impacted thousands of lives throughout the Americas and have increased international awareness of Latin America’s contributions in the global cultural arena. The foundation’s award-winning Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Royal Academy of Arts in London, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid, among others.
The Cisneros family has a long history of embracing the transfer of leadership. In 1970, 25-year-old Gustavo assumed responsibilities for the group from his father, Diego, and led the group into a decades-long era of growth and international expansion. Similarly, in 2013, 33-year-old Adriana stepped into the CEO role. She credits the businesses her father and grandfather set up with shaping the bold thinking and strategies she and her team work on today.
Representing his family, Gustavo Cisneros ’68, H’19, said, “I’m extremely honored to receive this award. Thank you to Babson and Camus for recognizing my family’s commitment to living our values and driving impact, both across our businesses and through our foundations.”
The criteria for the award are based on achieving impact and demonstrating values-based entrepreneurship. Careful consideration is given to the demonstration of excellence in the following areas: Entrepreneurship and Economic Value Creation, Social Value Creation, and Family Value System as a Driver of Impact.
“Gustavo and his family have embodied the spirit of family entrepreneurship, passing down the legacy of business philanthropy from generation to generation,” said Cyril Camus ’92, P’26, fifth-generation head of CAMUS Cognac and Babson alumnus. “Their entrepreneurial spirit knows no bounds as their ventures and impact cross borders, bridging continents.”
According to just released data from the 2021/2022 U.S. Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Report, released by Babson College, continuing a family tradition motivated 41.5% of entrepreneurs, exhibiting a 45% increase over the prior year.
“This award and its recipient align with Babson College’s mission and focus,” said Lauri Union, the Nulsen Family Executive Director of Babson’s Bertarelli Institute for Family Entrepreneurship. “Entrepreneurial Families contribute approximately 70% of global GDP, and this means these families are perhaps the greatest force for the creation of economic and social value on the planet.”
“This year’s award is being presented to an entrepreneurial family that has developed a highly distinguished and impactful business that will create social and economic value for generations to come,” said Stephen Spinelli Jr., MBA’92, PhD, President of Babson College. “Through this award we hope to inspire entrepreneurial families throughout the world.”
The 2022 Award Design:
To pay homage to the economic and social value generated by Gustavo Cisneros and family, Camus commissioned a unique piece from its bespoke Ateliers. The telecommunications tower serves as a reference to the Cisneros main industry, spreading knowledge to the region, while the eye on the bottle represents all the people who did get access to knowledge through the company and the foundation’s work. The words engraved and gold plated on the Baccarat crystal bottle are an extract of the key values and impacts of the company and the family. The cognac inside is a blend of cognacs distilled in the 1940s and 1970s, representing Gustavo’s and Adriana’s respective generations.
About Babson College:
Babson College prepares and empowers entrepreneurial leaders who create, grow, and steward sustainable economic and social value everywhere. We shape the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge, skills, and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in organizations of all types and sizes. A global leader in entrepreneurship education recognized globally by U.S. News & World Report, our undergraduate, graduate, executive programs, and partnership opportunities are tailored to the needs of our world. The Bertarelli Institute for Family Entrepreneurship (BIFE) is a learning hub which extends Babson’s founding mission, amplifying the capacity of enterprising families around the world to create economic value and social impact built upon the foundation of stronger family relationships.
About CAMUS & Les Ateliers Camus:
CAMUS is the last international Cognac house still entirely independent: founded in 1863, CAMUS is the only cognac company started by a winegrower to have grown to a global scale while remaining entirely in the hands of its founding family. At the head of the company today is Cyril Camus, fifth generation of the family.
Standing out from the other great Cognac Houses, CAMUS takes pride in a unique style of entrepreneurship: valuing freedom of action, nourishing appetite for innovation, cherishing the family stewardship of the company, and embracing the ambition of always growing stronger from one generation to the next.
The mainspring of the company is to create the most aromatic, most beautiful Cognacs for the pleasure of those who enjoy the finest things in Life. And the key attitude to achieve this objective is perfectionism, seeking the utmost refinement with sincerity, passion, and determination.
Following this philosophy of excellence, the family business inaugurated in 2018 Les Ateliers Camus: a gem of its craftsmanship. This extraordinary workshop is the “birthplace” of its rarest and most exclusive Cognacs.
By joining forces with great names in French craftsmanship, the House of CAMUS becomes the master of Cognacs made-to-measure. From crystal creators to cabinet makers, CAMUS partners with the most renowned interpreters of luxury manufacturing to offer connoisseurs and collectors an opportunity to tailor their own exceptional Cognacs.
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Kathryn Balcerski Babson College kbalcerski@babson.edu