With much sadness, we report the passing of Mariano Puig Planas, former President of Puig and second-generation member of the Puig family.
Mariano was born in Barcelona in 1927. He earned a doctorate degree in chemical engineering and graduated from the IESE Business School in 1964.
He was husband to María Guasch and is survived by four sons and one daughter.
Even from a young age, Mariano Puig stood out for his leadership abilities and keen business sense, the company noted. As President of Puig, he established important ties with US, Caribbean and French markets.
He spearheaded Puig’s international expansion and was also responsible for acquiring the distribution rights for Max Factor, Paco Rabanne and Carolina Herrera, which the company still distributes today.
In 1998, Mariano received the Distinguished Family Business Award in Lausanne on behalf of the Puig family. He also received the Family Business Award from Kellogg University in Chicago in 2003.
In 2014, the Spanish Ministry of Work and Social Security awarded him the Medal of Honour for the Promotion of Business Careers and the Gold Medal for Merit in Work in 2016.
In February 2019, Mariano was presented by King Felipe VI, the Kingdom of Spain Award in recognition of his stellar business career. The ceremony was held at his alma matter the IESE Business School in Barcelona.
In addition to being one of the founding members of the Family Business Institute in Spain, Mariano Puig was also
- Member of the FBN and the European Family Business
- Member of the International Board of IESE Business School,
- Barcelona Member of the International Board of the University of Barcelona
- Member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Language Foundation
- Madrid Patron of the Princess of Asturias Foundation
- Member of the Fundación Amigos del Museo del Prado
- Madrid Member of the Business Advisory Board of ESE Business School
- Member of the International Advisory Board de IAE Business School Universidad de los Andes, Santiago de Chile
- Member of the University Advisory Board of the UIC Universidad Austral de Buenos Aires
