{"id":15887,"date":"2019-09-24T10:39:43","date_gmt":"2019-09-24T08:39:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.riu.com\/blog\/?p=15887"},"modified":"2019-09-24T10:39:43","modified_gmt":"2019-09-24T08:39:43","slug":"brothers-carmen-luis-riu-management-riu-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.riu.com\/blog\/en\/brothers-carmen-luis-riu-management-riu-group\/","title":{"rendered":"Luis Riu: \u201cmanagement with My Sister Carmen is Based on Trust\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Running RIU is a family affair. For more than 20 years, my sister Carmen and I have shared ultimate responsibility for the company that our parents and grandparents founded in 1953. I am often asked what it\u2019s like to direct a company with my sister<\/strong>. It\u2019s a common assumption, from the outside, that there must be tensions and rivalry between siblings.<\/p>\n

\"Carmen<\/a>

Carmen Riu and Luis Riu at the entrance of the new Hotel Riu Plaza Espa\u00f1a, in Madrid.<\/p><\/div>\n

But that\u2019s not our case. We have divided up the functions in such a way that each of us focuses on doing what we like the most<\/strong> and we have achieved a balance that lets us make decisions with impressive agility. I think the secret is total trust, and the fact that we complement each other, rather than substituting each other. Today, Carmen and I want to talk about how we organise ourselves.<\/p>\n

1. First Key of the Team Carmen + Luis Riu: Trust<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s an anecdote that I think illustrates this very well. In 1991, when I moved to Punta Cana to lead our first international project, I had to make a five-hour journey to get to the embassy in the capital, to sign some documents we needed. Just one administrative task and I\u2019d lose a whole day.<\/p>\n

One day, I had had enough. I was in Barcelona, so I went into a notary\u2019s office and made a power of attorney in Carmen\u2019s name so that she could sign anything we needed on my behalf<\/strong>. Carmen explains that \u201cthe power of attorney was so extensive that, every time I showed it, the lawyers were taken aback and they would start debating whether I could file for divorce from Luis Riu\u2019swife in his name.\u201d When I came back from Punta Cana, she made an identical one for me<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

“The jurists were debating whether I could ask for a divorce in the name of Luis Riu with his power of attorney ” jokes Carmen.<\/p>\n

2. Second Key: A Balanced Distribution of Tasks<\/h2>\n

Add to this trust the fact that, as often is the case among siblings, we have totally different personalities and tastes. By applying these differences to our work, we can organise ourselves and complement each other very well.<\/p>\n