,type=downsize)
Adriana Cisneros is in charge of an 90 year old media legacy. As the CEO of Cisneros, a group that has connections with Univision, the launch of DirecTV in Latin America, and more, Adriana is tasked with taking a media company wthat has stood the test of time and ensuring it remains current and up to date with today’s evolving media landscape.
Cisneros is the daughter of the company’s chairman, Gustavo Cisneros, and the granddaughter of Diego Cisneros, who founded the company in Venezuela, in 1929. Adriana is now based in Miami, where the company is headquartered and has expanded its reach, affecting people from all over Europe and Latin America.
Adriana is an enormous figure in the world of entertainment and media. Aside from her work im the Cisneros Group, she’s branched out of her own business, becoming the president of Fundacion Cisneros, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving education in Latin America and has also gotten involved with different art institutions, like MoMa PS1 and MoMa’s Latin American Acquisitions Comittee. She is the co-chair of Endeavor Miami, an organization that promotes entrepreneurs, and a trustee Paley Media.
Adriana Cisneros is also a leader of Fundacion Tropicalia, an initiative that started in 2012 in the Dominican Republic, and that wanted to empower young girls and their towns of residence. The program is made up of different initiatives, including a summer program that helps girls have fun and get education while also realizing their potential and skills.
Adriana spoke to Forbes.com about the “origins of her business drive” and shared how her parents were the root of her ambition and creativity.
“Nurture is a big part of it. ... My parents were extremely supportive of their kids coming up with crazy ideas. When I was 6 years old I started a club, Los Emprendedores, in the Dominican Republic, where we had our beach house. We spent the day picking up bottles, and our parents would pay us for them.”
While Cisneros was born in the business, she worked hard to have the sufficient preparation to lead it. She graduated from the University of Columbia and has a Master’s Degree from the University of New York. She is also a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Program for Leadership Development.