MBA Global Leadership Series
Business leaders offer advice to IESE MBA

Bernd Kundrun

The ability to motivate people while being led by a team are two of the keys to successful leadership in an evolving market such as publishing, according to Bernd Kundrun, CEO of Gruner+Jahr AG. Kundrun shared his insights during a session with IESE MBA students titled “Leadership in a Changing Market – Europe’s Largest Magazine Publishing House Gruner+Jahr,” held at the Barcelona campus. 

Kundrun said that shifting media consumption patterns and changes in the allocation of advertising budgets were causing uncertainty in today’s magazine market. Advances in information technology have thrown up huge challenges for publishers.

The G+J case

The G+J Group has adopted a three-fold approach to chart its path in these turbulent waters by focusing on ensuring relevance, market share and revenue.

Faced with the tide toward Internet publishing, Kundrun said the G+J Group had no choice but to go with the flow. The company adopted the motto “Expand Your Brand” during its transformation from a traditional publishing house into a multimedia group. New challenges appeared as the new G+J brand was being formed, but Kundrun remains optimistic, confident that “with every threat you can find an opportunity.”

Paul Van de Geijn

“Leadership is based on three central pillars: inspiration, people and trust,” said Paul Van de Geijn, chief executive of Life Insurance of Zurich Financial Services, during a presentation on leadership to MBA students at the Barcelona campus at the end of last year. “These pillars,” he continued, “are contingent on five elements: leadership, attitude, inspiring and rewarding people, and setting challenging objectives.”

Van de Geijn, who has more than 30 years’ experience in the industry under his belt, told students that he joined Zurich Financial Services’ Life Insurance division to help transform it. He said it was essential to communicate with deeds, not just with words. “In my case,” he continued, “the key was to have a common need, which was to get the business back on its feet.”

On top of that, Geijn stressed the importance of knowing how to inspire people, pointing out that “you can manage objects but people need to be inspired; they need leadership.” He also told the MBA students that while it is okay to make a mistake once “it is stupid to make it twice.”
  
In conclusion, he urged IESE MBA students to “be humble. You will never be so successful that you have nothing to learn from somebody else.”

Jordi Canals, dean of IESE, opened the session with a brief introduction on the transformational and global success of Zurich Financial Services.

Marco Drago

“Focus on opportunity.” That was the advice offered by Marco Drago, Chairman of De Agostini SpA, to MBA students. De Agostini SpA is the holding company of the De Agostini Group, which has interests in sectors spanning from publishing, media, gaming and finance.

De Agostini is one of Italy’s largest and most international family-run companies and Drago offered his insights into the company’s extraordinary growth over the last 10 years. “The key revolution has been managing the relationship between the family and the company,” he said.

Fifty years ago, very few of De Agostini’s managers came from outside the family which led to stagnation in growth and innovation. “A key element of success is people,” Drago said. “The presence of quality external management helps create the conditions to attract external expertise and entrepreneurship,” he added.

Other key elements of a successful family business are to ensure that no business unit carries a higher risk burden than others, as well as a modern corporate governance system. According to the business leader, “There must be a recognized and accepted leadership within the company, and a separation of the roles and responsibilities between shareholders, board directors and management.”