Four Things to Know About Babson Commencement Speaker Adriana Cisneros
Adriana Cisneros is no stranger to the bright lights of a Babson College stage.
The CEO of global enterprise Cisneros joined her father, Gustavo Cisneros ’68, H’19, for an entertaining and informative conversation about succession in family businesses during Babson’s Centennial Celebration in 2019.
Now, nearly seven years later, Adriana Cisneros will return to Babson to address the graduate Class of 2026 at the College’s Commencement ceremonies May 16. She also will be awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Entrepreneurial Leadership degree, adding a designation her father received in that centennial year.
COMMENCEMENT 2026: Learn more about Babson’s Commencement ceremonies May 16.
Cisneros now leads the global conglomerate started by her grandfather nearly 100 years ago, and she has been cited by Variety as one of New York’s 50 most influential entertainment executives.
“She is a champion of education and social impact,” Babson President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD said, “and a respected voice in business, philanthropy, and global leadership.”
As she prepares for her Commencement speech, here are four things to know about Cisneros:
1. Following in Her Father’s Footsteps
Adriana Cisneros was introduced to the family business at a very early age. Her father, Gustavo, brought her to her first Cisneros business meeting when she was 8, and Adriana spent many moments with him and the company as a child.
“I had chemistry with Adriana, and she had chemistry with me,” the elder Cisneros said in 2019. “She was always interested in bringing coffee for us and listening in to the business. She gets it.”
Cisneros said her connection with her father, who passed away in 2023 at the age of 78. extends beyond their family ties.
“The times that we’ve decided to make the boldest changes or the biggest bets, the person who’s understood me has been my father,” she said in 2019. “Everyone else is perfectly willing to learn or to follow along, but he’s the one who is like ‘OK, we get it, now how are we going to execute?’ It’s really special, and it’s really fun.”
2. Leading a Nearly Century-Old Family Business
Adriana Cisneros’ grandfather, Diego Cisneros P’68, founded Cisneros as a transportation company in Venezuela in 1929.
Diego soon expanded into consumer products, including obtaining the exclusive Pepsi-Cola bottling rights in Venezuela in 1940, and then media, acquiring a TV channel that became Venevisión. That was the beginning of building what would become one of the most influential Spanish-language media and entertainment enterprises in the world.
His son, Gustavo, took over in 1970 at age 25, just two years after graduating from Babson. He led the company for 43 years, growing Cisneros into a global conglomerate in media, telecommunications, consumer products, and satellite television, including launching Univision and DirecTV Latin America.
When Gustavo first approached Adriana about succeeding him, she resisted. She had graduated from Columbia University and earned a master’s in journalism from New York University. And, she had founded and built Cisneros Interactive into one of Latin America’s leading digital advertising companies before it was sold to Entravision.
Still, she questioned the timing of the transition, but Gustavo knew from experience what it would take to assume control. “I took over when I was 25, and it was a hot mess. I needed so much energy and passion,” he told her. “You’re going to need to not sleep. You’re going to need to run a marathon at sprint speed. The only way you’re going to be able to do that is if you start now.”
She was just 33 when she became CEO of Cisneros in 2013.
“I knew when I made the decision that it would be what I would do for the rest of my life,” Cisneros said, “and I knew that it meant my life was going to be radically different from the life that I thought I would have.”
3. Making Her Own Impact
Over the past decade-plus, as CEO, Cisneros has led the conglomerate into the future, toward its own centennial, streamlining and diversifying it with a focus on digital media, connectivity, and sustainable real estate.
She reorganized the company into four divisions: Cisneros Media, Cisneros Digital, Cisneros Real Estate, and AST SpaceMobile, as well as its Social Leadership initiatives.
Yet, she continues to embrace the company’s extensive history and roots that include bringing brands such as Ford, Pepsi, Burger King, and Apple to new markets in Latin America. That legacy inspired her to pursue partnering with companies such as Facebook.
“We would never bet on the business that we’re in today if it hadn’t been for the businesses we were involved with in the past,” Cisneros said. “Even the youngest of companies realize that having a partner that’s been around for 100 years is actually pretty cool.”
Cisneros also serves on the boards of several other companies, including Mattel Inc., Ford Motor Company, The Electric Factory, and the Knight Foundation. She also is involved in institutions such as the Aspen Institute, where she is a Henry Crown Fellow.
In 2022, at a ceremony in Miami, she stood alongside her father in accepting the Babson-Camus Global Family Entrepreneurship Award, created by Cyril Camus ’92, P’26 and the Bertarelli Institute for Family Entrepreneurship at Babson.
4. Giving Back Through Her Foundations
Not only has Cisneros followed her father’s leadership of the family business, but she also has carried on his legacy of giving back.
Cisneros now serves as the president of Fundación Cisneros, which was founded by her parents, Gustavo and Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, in 1970. The family’s nonprofit organization works to expand educational access and cultural opportunities across Latin America. As president, Adriana has worked to extend that legacy by focusing on women and girls, including initiatives in the Dominican Republic.
In addition, she founded Fundación Tropicalia, which supports girls ages 9–12 with education, leadership skills, and tools to prevent early pregnancy and gender-based violence through its flagship initiative, Soy Niña, Soy Importante (“I’m a Girl, I’m Important”).
For Cisneros, social impact isn’t just about her family’s legacy, but it’s also essential to its longevity.
“If you want your business to be around for the next 20 years,” she said, “you have to be a good citizen and lead with transparency and honesty.”
Watch the entire conversation with Gustavo Cisneros ’68, H’19 and Adriana Cisneros, at Babson’s Centennial Celebration in 2019:
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