An International Business Professional Finds His Way to Suffolk

Raised in the small town of Vigo, Spain, Juan Martínez can converse in Portuguese, English, and, naturally, Spanish. His business experience spans the globe and a variety of industries—from seafood to electronics to blockbuster films. Along the way, an important stop on his journey was Suffolk’s Executive MBA (EMBA) program.

Early in his career, Juan marketed Sony Playstations and Nintendo at retail outlets in Spain. For nearly five years, he managed major retail accounts and oversaw the distribution of such films as Million Dollar Baby, The Widow Maker, and The Mechanic at Filmax, a film production and distribution company based in Barcelona.

For more than a decade, Juan handled major retail accounts at Famosa, Spain’s largest toy manufacturer and distributor—active in Italy, Portugal, and France, as well as Spain. Juan’s next post (starting in 2018) was at Grupo Profand, a company focused on agriculture and fish harvesting, serving Argentina, Peru, Europe, Asia, and the US. When Juan started at Grupo Profand in business development and marketing, the company was eager to expand its footprint in the US, but its knowledge of the market was limited.

The company acquired Stavis Seafoods, which has operated in Boston for almost a century. Juan was named Business Development Director and became a new resident of Massachusetts. Grupo Profand invested heavily in Stavis Seafoods, for example, by converting the headquarters of Legal Sea Foods into a processing plant. Stavis sells to retailers like Walmart and Trader Joe’s, and its territory covers the entire U.S.

Committed to Juan’s professional development, Grupo Profand supported his enrollment in Suffolk’s Executive MBA program. After just three months in the program, Juan recalls that he “already felt ready to take on a new role at my company.” And that’s exactly what happened. While still taking classes, he was promoted to VP of Purchasing at Stavis Seafoods. Upon his graduation, he was promoted once again, this time to CEO.

Juan’s tenure as CEO has amply demonstrated his leadership traits. During his first year in this position, Juan significantly increased Stavis Seafoods’ sales while reducing its overhead.

During Suffolk’s 18-month EMBA program, Juan took 17 courses that addressed such vital fields as finance, negotiation, marketing, and public policy. His capstone project was directly relevant to his job, focusing on business efficiency and labor costs at Stavis Seafoods. Off-campus study was another key facet of the program. His 11-person cohort traveled to Washington, DC, to learn about public policy and lobbying. In Madrid, his group explored international business topics and was required to pull together a detailed presentation in a single day.

With teamwork at the heart of Suffolk’s EMBA, it’s no surprise that Juan has strived to stay in touch with his cohort. As an alumnus, he also finds time to engage with the program. Juan hosted an EMBA cohort during their visit to his company’s facility in Madrid, where they observed Europe’s biggest seafood producer in action. Juan presented a business case to the group, and they developed an analysis to address issues raised by the case.

Describing his professional journey, Juan notes, “I tend to be my own worst critic. But Suffolk’s EMBA program helped me to gain confidence in myself—and I couldn’t be happier with the results.”