The Banca March Chair Conference celebrates the survival of long-established family businesses and reaffirms its commitment to teaching, research and knowledge transfer 22 April 2026 Category: Grupo Banca March This initiative, launched in 2004 by Banca March, ABEF, IEF and UIB, brings the university and business worlds of the archipelago closer together. The day served to exchange experiences and recognise the best student projects developed within the framework of the Chair in real cases with family businesses. Students and entrepreneurs, together with the promotors of the Banca March Chair of Family Business (CBMEF), shared today, Wednesday 22 April, the excellent results of the actions carried out within this initiative during the last year. The speeches given during the Banca March Chair of Family Business Conference highlighted the importance of continuing to strengthen ties between the family business sector of the Balearic Islands and the university environment, since it generates ways of improvement, innovation and projection, both from the teaching sector and in the field of research and knowledge transfer. During the conference, the activities carried out by the Chair in these areas were presented, as well as the main results of its Family Business Observatory, set up in 2024. The conference began with speeches by José Luis Acea, CEO of Banca March, Inés Rotger, President of the Balearic Association of Family Businesses (ABEF), and Jaume Carot, rector of the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB). On behalf of Banca March, José Luis Acea, the CEO of Banca March, stated: “This event has a very special meaning for Banca March because this year we are celebrating our centenary. Banca March has remained wholly family-owned since its founding in 1926. It has already gone through four generational changes—in 1941, 1974 and 2015—and has built up a financial group that is proud of its Balearic origin and roots over the course of a century, specialising today in private banking and business advice, especially in family businesses and business families. It is, in short, a living example of everything this chair wants to study, understand and teach to new generations of university students, undoubtedly the leaders of the future.” Inés Rotger highlighted the involvement of Banca March, which she congratulated on its centenary this year, while also highlighting “the excellent work carried out by the Chair under the direction of Alfredo Martín”. Rotger addressed the students in particular, thanking them for their “dedication, curiosity and passion with which they are approaching the world of family businesses”, and expressed her gratitude for the involvement of four ABEF member companies: Estel, Ángel 24, Bosch y Lozano, and Iberostar: “Your participation in the Chair, sharing real experiences and opening your doors to students, has generated an enormously enriching exchange.” The importance of data During the event, Alfredo Martín, CBMEF director and professor of Financial Economics and Accounting at UIB, gave the lecture Chair of Family Business: activity, impact and projection. In his speech, Martín reviewed some of the most relevant data from the different studies promoted by the CBMEF. Among other aspects, he highlighted the resilience and profitability of family businesses in the Balearic Islands, since 75% of family businesses in the Islands are more than ten years old and generate 87% of the region's employment. “The data show us that family businesses represent a fundamental value to the Balearic economy due to their adaptability and long-term vision”, Martín highlighted, while also acknowledging the involvement of ABEF members and UIB faculty in the Chair project. New generations One of the event's most special moments featured the students of the Family Business course of the Business Administration degree programme at UIB. Within the framework of this course, which is part of the activities of the Chair, the students maintained close contact with four family businesses, Angel24, Bosch y Lozano, Estel and Iberostar, which presented different challenges to the students. Today the awards were presented to the four best projects, which the students presented to the attendees at the event. The award-winning students received their recognition from Luciano Terrasa, territorial director of Large Companies in the Balearic Islands at Banca March. Terrasa highlighted the talent of these future entrepreneurs and encouraged them to keep going. The day culminated with a round table discussion on the survival of long-established family businesses, which featured Esther Vidal, Commercial and Marketing Director of Autovidal, Guillem Cabot, CEO of Cabot Hotels, and Luciano Terrasa, territorial director of Large Companies in the Balearic Islands at Banca March. Banca March Chair of Family Business The Banca March Chair of Family Business (CBMEF) is a joint initiative of Banca March, the Institute of Family Business, the Balearic Association of Family Businesses and the University of the Balearic Islands. Since its creation in 2004, the CBMEF has developed activities in three main areas: university education, research on family businesses, and the connection between the business environment of family businesses and the university. In recent years, the Chair has promoted specific training programmes focused on providing concrete resources to employees and managers of family businesses, and has also launched a Family Business Observatory that analyses the key factors affecting this business model in different contexts and at different levels, with regular publications of results, comprehensive studies on key topics, and the organisation of events that foster connections between businesspeople and academics