Family Businesses in Latin America

Daniel G. Van Der Vliet is the John and Dyan Smith Executive Director of the Smith Family Business Initiative (SFBI) at Cornell University. As the founding director of the SFBI, Mr. Van Der Vliet has guided the launch and growth of one of the leading educational centers for family business. He designed and developed the “Leaders in Family Enterprise” course, and he teaches executives and next-generation leaders through Cornell’s external education and eCornell programs. Under Mr. Van Der Vliet’s tenure, the SFBI has developed the Cornell Case Competition for Family Ownership, the Mentors Forum, and the Family Innovations Summit. Cornell has been named as one of the “25 best schools for family business” by Family Capital in 2015.

As director of the Family Business Initiative at UVM from 2003 through 2014, Mr. Van Der Vliet worked with owners and their successors to find solutions that worked for both family and business. In January 2013, he was part of the team that launched and funded the first-ever Global Family Enterprise Case Competition, with 16 teams from nine countries. As director of the Vermont Business Center from 2004 to 2008, Mr. Van Der Vliet led the launch and growth of the executive education curriculum and management development seminars at UVM in addition to establishing custom training opportunities offered by the Grossman School of Business at UVM.

Mr. Van Der Vliet received his M.Ed. at the University of Vermont (UVM) in 2010 and his B.S. in Natural Resources in 2001, also from UVM. He is a member of the Collaboration for Family Flourishing and an editor with familybusiness.org, the leading resource for family business research and information.

Esteban R. Brenes is a full-time professor at INCAE Business School and holder of the Steve Aronson Chair of Strategy and Agribusiness, as well as former Minister of Science and Technology and former Minister of Agriculture of the government of Costa Rica. For 10 years, Professor Brenes served as Visiting Professor of Strategy and International Business at the Business School of the University of Michigan and, most recently, as visiting professor at Cotrugli Business School in Croatia. He has lectured on executive programs at the University of Chicago, Duke University, and the University of Michigan. In addition to his academic work, Professor Brenes is a consultant in commercial strategy, mergers and acquisitions, development of new companies, family business administration, and food policy.

Veronica Maldonado currently serves as chair for the board of the GEM Family Companies, a role she has had since July 2018. Ms. Maldonado also served as the Executive Director of the Family Office and Chair of the GEM Family Council. From 2002-2021 she was the President of the Foundation, La Compañia Humana, which supports education, community development, music, and environmental awareness in Venezuela.

Ms. Maldonado holds an EMBA in Family Business from Kennesaw State University, Atlanta, Georgia. Based in Miami, she is fluent in English and Spanish as well as conversant in Japanese.