The Chair of Family Business at the University of Valencia (CEFUV), promoted by the Valencian Association of Entrepreneurs (AVE), EDEM Business School, IVEFA, the IEF – Institute of Family Business and the University of Valencia, and with the collaboration of CaixaBank and Broseta, held the 8th Conference on Family Businesses in the World, a meeting that brought together international researchers and representatives of leading family businesses to reflect on the power of narratives in management and generational continuity.

The session featured contributions from Allan Discua Cruz (Lancaster University) and Alexandra Dawson (Concordia University), who highlighted how family stories build identity, reinforce shared values and facilitate key processes such as succession. Discua recalled that ‘all business families have a story to tell, a legend to fulfil, a tragedy to mourn’, while Dawson stressed that ‘narratives reveal what numbers cannot’.

The academic perspective was complemented by a round table discussion moderated by Alejandro Escribá Esteve, director of CEFUV, with the participation of Ignacio Alberola (LA ESPAÑOLA), Fátima Zamorano Sánchez (Grupo AZA Valencia, S.L.) and Federico Martin Sancho (Transportes A. Martin, SLU).

Their testimonies highlighted the role of tradition, intergenerational learning, professionalisation and transparency as essential elements for strengthening the business legacy.

In their speeches, Alberola emphasised how tradition can drive innovation; Zamorano defended the importance of sharing mistakes; and Martin underlined humility and commitment as pillars for the future.

It was an enriching dialogue in which all voices agreed on the same message: preserving the legacy also means telling its story.

The Family Business Chair thanked its promoters and collaborators for their support, as well as all those who attended and made this event possible. Because the stories that family businesses build not only explain who they are, but also project who they will be.