Leading an international company requires a clear strategy and governance. And if it's a family business, even more so. After an exceptional 2025 in which Mango increased its turnover by 13% —up to 3,767 million euros—, its president and CEO, Toni Ruiz, reviews the keys to this leadership, especially after the death of Isak Andic.
In a colloquium at the Círculo Ecuestre, Ruiz reviewed his career at Mango, where he became general manager in 2018. As CEO, he was appointed two weeks before the outbreak of the pandemic: "My first signature as CEO was the ERTE. And I said: we can only get better." And so it has been, applying certain principles that guide his role at the head of the company.
1.- Grow, yes, but not "grow for growth's sake"
"It's not growing for growth's sake; it's growing sustainably, and reinvesting in the company," highlighted the CEO of Mango. "If you want to have the best teams, the best technology, the best AI, the best stores… you have to keep growing." In fact, reinvestment in the company is the priority, even above distributing dividends: "The policy we have is to reinvest the maximum in the company." In this sustainable growth, he rules out two paths: growing through acquisitions, or going public: "One buys when one doesn't know how to develop their business." And even more: "Going public doesn't interest me either. We are interested in a long-term vision with roots in Barcelona and Catalonia, and there is still a lot of market to conquer."2.- The values and culture of the company, non-delegable
As president, Ruiz defends that he cannot stop dealing with the values and culture of the company. And even more so, after the death of Andic: "Isak was unique, and it will be very difficult to replace him in many things. But my goal is to create the ecosystem that allows those values and that culture to remain a reality, and that we have in the team those young people who one day will be the guarantors of passing them on to the next generation."3.- Bet on the present, and on the future
In Mango's leadership, Ruiz not only looks at the short term, but always starts from a long-term perspective to advance the company's sustainable growth. This is also why the company prioritizes reinvesting in its own development: "It's about working not only in the short term, but also in the medium and long term." This long-term view also includes how changes are approached: "The big challenge is how you prepare an organization of 18,000 people to adapt and work on topics like AI." In Mango's case, Ruiz assures that what AI most enhances is creativity and personalization.
4.- From globality, to detail
"I appreciate people who are capable of understanding the globality and also the detail of the things that happen." It is in this "dual reality" that Ruiz finds what motivates him most. "Looking at the direction but also looking at the people, or inspiring customers."5.- "Taking pride" in Catalan companies
"It is everyone's responsibility to support and give confidence to the projects we have here." And even more so in a context where "the complexity of business and family projects makes that management difficult." In this sense, he has invited reflection on whether the necessary conditions are being developed in Catalonia for this business development to occur. And he insisted: "It is everyone's responsibility to take pride in the companies we have here. And, from that pride, try to help make those projects successful."
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