Gabriel Escarrer, president and CEO of Meliá: “Leadership also means transforming without losing sight of one’s mission”
“Leadership also means transforming without losing sight of one’s mission”. With these words, Gabriel Escarrer, president and CEO of Meliá Hotels International, summed up the approach that has shaped his career as the head of the hotel group. He spoke whilst receiving the 2025 Esade Award during the 29th Annual Esade Alumni Day entitled “From Legacy to Leadership”, held at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya. This award, organized by the community of former Esade students, is an acknowledgement of his ethical, innovative and committed leadership, and also his ability to modernize a family business without sidelining its essence or its positive impact on society.
During his speech, Escarrer underlined that 80% of the growth envisaged for Meliá in the next decade will focus on vacation tourism, with a strategic presence in the holiday area that spans the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean, the Middle East and East Africa. “International growth is a must for Meliá. After consolidating our business in the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands and the coastline of mainland Spain, my father decided to open our first international hotel in Bali. The experience changed our vision of tourism: we learned that respectful, positive and sustainable growth is possible,” he said.
The force of family values
During a conversation with María José Parada, professor in the Esade Department of Strategy and General Management and an expert in family firms, Escarrer highlighted his father’s legacy and the values that still underpin the group’s corporate culture: “a vocation to serve, excellence, innovation, coherence and closeness.”
“My father used to say: ‘Great families make great companies, and great companies make great families.’ And it’s true. These values have united us as a family and bolstered our company during the two biggest crises in our industry: the financial crisis of 2008 and the COVID19 pandemic,” he recalled.
For almost three decades, Meliá has combined its family nature with its status as a listed company, maintaining a robust governance model. Half of the company’s board of directors are independent directors, and Gabriel and his sister Mercedes are the only family members on the board. “We combine the best of both worlds: family values and long-term vision, with the high standards and transparency demanded by the market,” he said.
Looking ahead purposefully
As regards the challenges they face, Escarrer emphasized the importance of safeguarding the family legacy whilst continuing to create wealth and well-being through tourism. He also highlighted talent as one of the most urgent challenges facing the sector: “My father realized decades ago that people are our main asset and it’s still true today.”
Escarrer ended his acceptance speech with an inspiring message for the new generations: “The best advice I give to my children – and anyone else who asks – is this: the best investment is the one you make in yourself, in your education and in developing real skills tailored to the world that lies ahead.”
The 29th Annual Esade Alumni Day was opened by Patricia Valentí, director of Esade Alumni, and featured a conversation about the future of Esade and its community between Daniel Sánchez, Esade Alumni chairman, and Daniel Traça, Esade director general. In the section about family firms, professor Dimo Ringov addressed the challenge of globalisation facing companies, followed by a panel discussion chaired by Daniel Sánchez himself with the participation of the Esade professor María José Parada and Gabriel Escarrer.
About the Esade Awards
The Esade Awards are organized by the Esade alumni community to acknowledge and honor organizations and people who, in the course of their careers, activities or services, have shown the values that define the founding spirit of Esade and become a benchmark and example for others.
Previous years’ winners include Joaquín Duato, CEO of Johnson & Johnson; Ana Botín, president of Banco Santander; James Quincey, chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company; Enrique Lores, president of Imaging & Printing Solutions at HP; Pablo Isla, CEO of Inditex; Mikael Ohlsson, CEO of Ikea; Carlos Slim, CEO of Inbursa; Indra K. Nooyi, president and CEO of PepsiCo; Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever; Hiroshi Mikitani, founder, president and CEO of Rakuten, Inc.; Gonzalo Gortázar, CEO of CaixaBank, and Niklas Adalberth, founder of the Norrsken Foundation.
