Antoni Esteve is the founder and director of AdSalutem Sleep Institute and president of the Factor Humà Foundation. He is the seventh generation of Laboratorios Esteve. He was told from a young age that he was born to be a pharmacist and continue the family legacy. He did so until he was sixty. Throughout his career, he has also served as president of Esteve, FarmaIndustria, the Princess of Girona Foundation, and the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation, among others. One of his greatest assets, he explains, is the multitude of relationships and connections he has been able to make throughout his life.
He became an entrepreneur because he wanted to help people sleep well and find answers beyond pharmaceuticals. "Sleeping well has a direct impact on energy, health, self-confidence, discipline, rigor, friendliness, and happiness. As simple as sleeping," says Antoni Esteve. He loves walking and habitually checks his watch, which averages over 20,000 steps daily. You've probably encountered Antoni Esteve crossing Barcelona at some point.
— Yours is a family of pharmacists.
— This pharmacy thing has always been. I am the seventh generation. The Esteve pharmacy in Manresa was opened in 1787.
— From apothecaries to entrepreneurs.
— My grandfather created a business project from the pharmacy, and we thus became a business family. They transferred the pharmacy to me when I finished my degree, but I have mainly dedicated myself to the family business of Laboratorios Esteve.
— Why did you study pharmacy?
— I was told from a very young age that I was born to be a pharmacist and continue the family legacy. So I did.
— You earned a doctorate in pharmacy.
— What I found most attractive was research, pharmacology, and the scientific world. My vocation was awakened, I went to Pennsylvania (United States) to complete my thesis and discovered pharmaceutical marketing, which was still unknown here. I applied it back at Esteve and in the academic field.
— You were president of Esteve from 2005 to 2012.
— It was the continuation of my entire career, and I replaced my father. We experienced the 2008 and 2012 crises, which led to a market collapse with the famous subprime mortgages and junk bonds.
— And the then minister Pedro Solbes saying: "There is no crisis."
— That era brought about important reforms, and Esteve made a shift with new governance. I left the presidency to provide the family business with a more financial and scientific component, thus adapting to the new changes.
"I left the presidency of Esteve to provide the family business with a more financial and scientific component. The family dedicated itself to governance and the board to ensure harmony in ownership"
— You stepped aside.
— The Esteve family left executive positions to allow external professionals to join the company. We dedicated ourselves mainly to governance and the board of directors and family, with the aim of ensuring harmony in ownership.
— What challenges did you set for yourself professionally?
— I remained in the presidency of the Esteve Teijin Healthcare subsidiary until recently and in parallel, I was president of FarmaIndustria, the Princess of Girona Foundation and the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation, among others. Beyond what people may think about the monarchy, I have a special affection for the Princess of Girona Foundation for its promotion of entrepreneurship among young people. I also started my own project with AdSalutem Instituto del Sueño.
"Sleeping well has a direct impact on energy, health, self-confidence, discipline, rigor, friendliness or happiness"
— Why did you undertake this?
— I identified a series of needs in sleep health and research. Why do we sleep and how can we help people sleep better? I wanted to find answers beyond pharmaceuticals and from a transversal approach in research, companies, schools or healthcare.
— What happens when we sleep well?
— Sleeping well has a direct impact on energy, health, self-confidence, discipline, rigor, friendliness or happiness. As simple as sleeping. It is a way to empower, enable and provide resources. And what happens when we don't sleep well? Diseases, loss of brain health or lack of healthy aging. I wanted to create a project with a high impact on society.
— We are not very accustomed to sharing knowledge. The transfer occurs in the process of recognizing and receiving this knowledge heritage, but it is a rather atypical situation that must be promoted in the academic and business world and from civil society. Sharing implies opportunities, but knowledge must also identify sources that feed it and give it meaning.
— You are also president of the Fundació Factor Humà.
— I got to know Fundació Factor Humà almost by accident, and it is the result of one of the great assets I have, which is the multitude of relationships and connections made throughout life. So, Manel del Castillo and Salvador Alemany proposed it to me because of my interest in people and their behavior in business, social, and sectoral organizations. It's never too late.
— Is there a lack of humanist leadership in companies?
— People are the main competitive asset of a company, and in this sense, training, qualification, talent, and commitment are key. It seems that this is already very clear, but perhaps not enough when it comes to an area of growth and value for companies, which are the source of a country's wealth. It is in everyone's interest that people and companies do well.
"The leader is a person who puts their skills and knowledge at the service of a team and a business purpose"
— What does a good leader of people need?
— To know how to share, help, give opinions… The leader is a person who puts their skills and knowledge at the service of a team and a business purpose. They are capable of understanding what the future demands to design policies that respond to a vision.
— How do you reach the desired future?
— The leader is capable of attracting the interest of their environment to share an attractive purpose for the future.
— What is Mercè Sala's legacy?
--- I knew her little, but she was a person with the ability to transform organizations and adapt them to changing environments.
— What do you remember about the pandemic?
— The pandemic generated situations of anguish and uncertainty that alter the proper functioning of the brain. People must protect themselves and face crises with the guarantee of being able to overcome them.
— Is there a good response to mental health disorders?
— The best antidote to not falling into mental health disorders is strength and confidence in the future. I resist thinking that it is just a matter of habits; we must prevent disorders before they happen, and we have to apply psychotherapeutic response measures.
— What else worries you?
— There are wars, people risking their lives crossing the sea without resources to find better opportunities...
— Let's also talk about talent.
— Talking about talent retention is very ugly; it's better to call it talent recognition or promotion.
— How is talent promoted?
— You have to behave differently from others. If a person feels well paid, they will not leave for economic reasons. If a person feels recognized, they will not leave due to lack of recognition.
"Talent retention is a more reactive than proactive policy"
— Said like that, it sounds easy.
— Talent retention is, in general, a more reactive than proactive policy. I believe in proactivity! If talent leaves, it means you have a problem and you are falling behind. You have to think about people policies that strengthen your team and are attractive to talent.
— With rights and duties.
— True, we are in a country where there are more rights than duties and obligations. This is not too healthy.
— What role should senior talent play?
— Seniors have to play a very important role by contributing differently from young people. Thus, the great function of the human resources director is continuous harmony in the management of management between generations. It is good for companies to plan succession, just as it makes sense to set retirement from the age of 60 as a universal criterion.
— A matter of life expectancy.
— I have colleagues in top management who have been invited to leave their organization from one day to the next. Succession and team renewal must be well planned, and everyone must be given a time frame. That is, companies must be responsible and help people who reach retirement age.
— Give me an example.
— Specialization can work against you because it can further limit the possibilities of finding a second job from the age of 60. If there is good planning, the worker can prepare in different areas and face this stage of life with greater probabilities of success.
"We are in a country where there are more rights than duties and obligations"
— A second chance?
— Yes, the true second chance is being able to choose your destiny and face your future. At 65, there are still many things to do, and playing golf every day must be a very boring luxury. I prepared myself at the time and still practice by example.
—What do you practice at 67?
— I was a pharmaceutical entrepreneur until I was sixty and now I am in another stage of life. At 65, there are still many things to do and I believe I can surpass 90 years following the current trend. However, we are reaching 100 years and it is impossible to artificially prolong life. I hope no one is foolish enough to propose it or say it is possible.
"A great city like Barcelona is being put at risk; it is overcrowded and we have to think above all about the citizen who lives here"
— How do you see Barcelona?
— With too many people! Overcrowded. Barcelona is overusing tourism and I'm not even getting into whether tourism is cheap or has high added value. I prefer cultural or scientific tourism to enrich Barcelona residents beyond the cost of each visit.
— What is your city model?
— There is only one life, and if we live in society, it is to be productive, face a series of vital challenges together, and foster an environment that is habitable and healthy. A great city like Barcelona is being put at risk.
— What is there too much of?
— There are too many people, too much tension, too much noise, too much traffic, too much pollution, too much dirt... We have to put a stop and reflect on how to make this city a more attractive place to live.
"Public-private partnership is only possible if there is trust and it is key to enriching a country and a society"
— You tell me.
— We need to review what elements put at risk the habitability of the city, which cannot be just a pole of attraction for tourism, sacrificing the comfort of those who live here. We must think above all about the citizen of Barcelona. I believe in balances, but I also believe that the tourism sector has exerted too much pressure in recent years and this is not sustainable because it leads us to saturation in all senses. We must act in the face of danger.
— And how do we act?
— We have to review what our strengths are as a city and clearly commit to them, preserving the balance, harmony, and attractiveness for those people who live here. I grab my backpack and go on foot or by public transport. I've become an activist. [Laughs].
— Do we need more and better public-private collaboration?
— I especially recommend the book La confianza no tiene precio (Trust is Priceless) by IESE professor Jordi Gual. Everything is based on trust for things to happen. It's about sharing a desire and finding solutions to an obstacle. Public-private partnership is only possible if there is trust and it is key to enriching a country and a society.
— Is there trust?
— We have to plant the seed and look for a project that allows us to demonstrate that this trust is possible. I am a fighter for this partnership in areas such as, for example, healthy aging, brain health, or sleep disorders.
— The previous interviewee, Camino Quiroga, asks you the following questions:
— What encouraged you to start the AdSalutem project?
— The determining factor was the family protocol that invited us to leave the executive. I wanted to continue doing things with impact and I had the assets, ideas, and networking that gives you wings. You are encouraged to do it when you are able to share your personal project and have the support of your environment. I spent my life talking about what others could do, and I decided to put myself to the test. The purpose of AdSalutem is very good and it had to be tried.
— Are people sufficiently aware of the importance of sleeping well?
— No, and that's why we exist. We are not sufficiently aware of the importance of sleeping well and not doing so is a luxury that as a society we cannot afford. Not paying attention to sleep is a risk and sleeping is a natural and very efficient resource for taking care of oneself.
ANTONI ESTEVE'S SEVEN LIVES
- Role model: My father and my grandfather Antoni
- Book: Principles of Sleep Medicine. William Dement
- Movie: Life is Beautiful by Roberto Benigni
- Song: Palabras de amor. Serrat
- Favorite spot: Baix Empordà
- Life motto: "Always forward"
- Dream: To continue enjoying my main assets: family and friends