Gustavo Cisneros: PioneerGustavo Cisneros is one of the most successful business leaders in the history of Latin America. He took the major company built by his father, Diego Cisneros, and transformed it into a diversified, international powerhouse. Indeed, he was perhaps the first entrepreneur to see the potential of the U.S. Hispanic market, and he cofounded Univision, which would become the leading Spanish-language media company in the United States. In his book, Pablo Bachelet narrates an engaging tale about the growth of an influential and complex entrepreneurial organization and the evolution of its leader. Bachelet captures the exhilaration of life on the fast track of international business transactions and provides the reader with an insider's view of the launch of new business ventures. What emerges is a portrait of Cisneros as a man who is willing to take risks, yet understands the need to proceed with caution; as someone who has enjoyed great success, yet also tasted failure; as a captain of industry for whom every business venture provides an opportunity to innovate and create. These traits are illustrated through a succession of stories that include, among others, Cisneros' dazzling effect on the soft-drink business in Latin America. Under his family's stewardship, Pepsi controlled an 82 percent share of the market in Venezuela, one of the few countries in the world where Pepsi was winning the famed "Cola Wars." Then, virtually overnight, all that changed: With the successful implementation of "Operation Swan," Cisneros repainted and relabeled his Pepsi plants with the famed red and white Coca-Cola logo. The secret agreement instantly gave Cisneros and Coca-Cola a 94 percent share of the soft-drink market in Venezuela and left Pepsi in the dust. In chapters such as those describing Cisneros' attempts to establish an integrated platform for satellite TV in Latin America, and his dealings with Rupert Murdoch, Emilio Azcarraga, and other media barons, Bachelet reveals some of the secrets to Cisneros' highly effective management style. In his foreword to the book, Carlos Fuentes dubs Gustavo Cisneros "The Pioneer"-El Adelantado"-and Bachelet's account succeeds in illustrating a career of risks being rewarded and errors being acknowledged. He shows Cisneros advancing from traditional mass-consumption businesses to media and telecommunications, and reveals his relentless quest to integrate and grow his businesses. Gustavo Cisneros: Pioneer is an engrossing tale of how personal traits and business acumen have combined to create unprecedented success. Book jacket. |
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