The university world and the business realm are brought closer, forming a bridge between two realities. This important challenge is being pursued and realized today. Family Business Presidents from the University of Alicante and the Miguel Hernández University in Elche are supported by a strong team of professors and family entrepreneurs who share their knowledge and experience to demonstrate how family-driven governance models work—from the closest possible distance, so that every detail is understood clearly.
Both chairs were created to promote knowledge, values, and culture around family businesses. This model shines through its deep regional roots, its core values, and the social contribution it makes. In the Alicante province alone, family companies account for a large share of the business fabric, highlighting their potential as key drivers of regional economic development.
The initiative began with Manuel Peláez Castillo, President of the University of Alicante Family Business, in 2003, and later with Juan Perán, who led Family Businesses at the Elche campus in 2004. Both men are honored as two of the province’s foremost family entrepreneurs who foresaw the need to transfer their knowledge to university students. Since then, the link between academia and the business world has strengthened, thanks to family business management courses offered by both institutions.
Leading these academic efforts, the chairs have been guided by presidents who have shaped the program over the years. Today, Vicente Sabater heads the UA chair and Gustavo Lubián directs the UMH program. Their work, along with the predecessors Hipólito Molina, Ángel Sánchez, and Fernando Olivares at UA and Santiago Orts, Marcos Requena, and Nunci Serrano at UMH, has consistently brought the university closer to the family business landscape, creating a productive symbiosis where both sides benefit equally.
The two chairs form part of a broader Network of Family Business Chairs, established by the Instituto de la Empresa Familiar. With a national footprint, the network includes a total of 39 chairs since its creation in 1998. The collaboration among professors, entrepreneurs, universities, and sponsors has shaped a program that continues to thrive today.
New edition of lectures
Across all these efforts, the practical realities of family business are highlighted and connected to the university setting. Building on this momentum, new editions of both chairs were launched for the second term of 2023, opening opportunities for university students and family business members in the province to participate.
Information about participation is available through official university channels and program coordinators.