PABLO ISLA AT IE: FROM ORTEGA TO ORTEGA

25 Ene PABLO ISLA AT IE: FROM ORTEGA TO ORTEGA

Yesterday we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the creation of the Top Management Programs Unit at IE. To this end we had the privilege of receiving Pablo Isla, President of Inditex. The choice was far from coincidence; Inditex, its founder and its management team encapsulate the values of entrepreneurship which we stress so strongly at IE. The changing society in which we live forces us to develop entrepreneurial leadership if we wish to develop sustainable and profitable businesses. Furthermore, the entrepreneurial leader manages with values which are ever more necessary to a society which wishes to improve social responsibility.

Getting to know at first hand the clear sightedness, humility and pride which characterize Mr. Isla it is easy to understand the extraordinary success of the Indicted phenomenon.

I would like to make use of this post to share three reflections on what we heard yesterday during what was an extraordinary lesson for the entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial families that follow us.

From a philosophical viewpoint Inditex highlights the lessons of two famous Ortegas: look ahead and think big (Ortega y Gasset), without forgetting the little details (Amancio Ortega). It pays great attention to logistics but also takes on the challenge of competing with the best and for this reason its international expansion was launched in the key fashion capitals such as Paris or New York.

From the business model perspective in Inditex it is the store, the product, the sales force and the staff who lead. Operations on the other hand are organized to give service to the heart of the business. Truly, the client is king.

Finally, and no less important are the values and principals which make up Inditex’s corporate culture: entrepreneurial spirit, non-conformisim, ambition with humility and self criticism.

Inditex is a living example of an organization with an entrepreneurial strategy, structure, people and values; An example of how to build a society with more opportunities. For this reason I have always called for the teaching of such success stories from primary school until post graduate education so that our children learn by example and become new Ortegas. We send our praise from this meeting place for entrepreneurs.