Ignacio Rivera belongs to the fourth generation of the Rivera family. Great-grandson of José María Rivera Corral, founder of Estrella de Galicia in 1906, Ignacio joined the family business in 1990 and assumed the Commercial-Marketing Department.
From this position, he promotes the development of the Company and its territorial expansion, which begins with the opening of the brand to other markets. Aware of the great potential of the mineral water market in our country and following the Group's decision to enter this new market segment, he took over the management of Compañía de Aguas de Cabreiroá in 1994 and was appointed Deputy General Director of Hijos de Rivera in 1999. He continues with the expansion plans and designs and directs the launch of new brands and formats, with an ambitious product diversification.
In 2007, after the centenary of the Company, Ignacio Rivera assumes the General Management of Hijos de Rivera and decides to face new challenges and bet on the innovation and expansion of the company. Among them, maintaining the family legacy and redesigning the corporate strategy. Thus, he promotes the reorganization and professionalization of the company. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to reaffirm the company's commitment to new markets and to the diversification of products and services, leading to growth well above the sector average.
In 2012 he was appointed CEO and, in the midst of the crisis, the company plans to position itself as a leader in the premium beer segment, lead the beer culture in Spain, consolidate its international expansion and diversification, promote its own distribution business, grow in Brazil as a spearhead to other American markets and to develop the business intelligence area. In recent years, the company has experienced an unprecedented upward trend and tripled results compared to just a decade ago, while positioning itself as one of the leaders in the ranking of Big Craft brewers worldwide. With the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Hijos de Rivera resists with solvency and even manages to improve its market share, and all this without resorting to ERTEs and turning socially to overcoming the crisis.
In 2021 Ignacio is appointed Executive Chairman of the Corporación Hijos de Rivera. The company reaches a record turnover and a team of more than 1,500 people. Made up of 31 companies and present in 70 countries, the business group faces its future loaded with major projects, such as the construction of its second factory in the world in Brazil or the expansion of its original factory in A Coruña, in addition to deepening its internationalization and to address a determined commitment to the generation of positive impact as a global strategic purpose.
Bachelor of Business Administration and Management at ICADE, Master MBA at ESDEN. ADECA. Honoris Causa European Business School. More than 30 years at the head of Hijos de Rivera: Executive Chairman of Corporación Hijos de Rivera (November 2021-present)