Experience During the school holidays, Armand Basi would take his three daughters (Núria, the eldest) to the fac- tory in Barcelona’s Gracia neighbourhood to put stamps on letters, and when theygot oldetheyr, moved on to the warehouse. When the time came to choose the subject for her higher education, Núria Basi went against her father’s wishes and studied biology instead of textile engineering. Basi worked at aresearch centre in Barcelona that ultimately closed down, despite the employees decid- ing to purchase it. Although it was not what she had envi- sioned, Basi ran the centre for ten years. The centre ended up being sold, and Basi began a new phase in the United States, in Kansas City, where she worked for a company that was automating biological processes and needed someone who combined scientific and manage- much as possible”, she said. That technology not only served ment knowledge. This was the late 1980s, and Núria Basi to improve processes, but also forced all the departments says that it was working there that she learned one of the in the company to stop working in silos and to come to- most important lessons of her life: the existence and impor-gether, admitting both the good and the bad. tance of intellectualproperty. “I came from this university The businesswoman led Basi through good times and culture where everything was photocopied from books; I bad. First, when the company had to reduce its production remember the day in the US when everyone looked at me structure in Spain to adapt to the new textile market, and as if I had committed a crime”, she recalls. then in 2017, when Lacostedecided to take back the licence After a few years in the US, her father asked her to joinfor Spain and Basi sold the business, which ultimately led the family business, then one of the largest textile compa- to a major restructuring and workforce reduction. “That nies in Spain. For two years, Núria Basi worked alongside moment was traumatic, and I learned a few things, such as the then managing director, supervising processes and how trade unions work, they told us that our company was attempting to modernise operations, until, with the re- well known and that was why there was more mobilisation”, tirement of her father, she ended up taking over the man- she recalls of those negotiations, which she personally led. agement, although her father stayed on as chairman. The structure of the modern Basi bears little resem- Núria Basi then led the process of generational change. blance to that created by her father, but the philosophy re- “I’m abiologist, but management is in my genes”, says mains the same: to seek out fashion brands that are a good Basi; “research taught me a methodology that is the key fit for Spain. Today, Basi is a lean organisation with some of to everything: doing research means working in an orderly its services outsourced, “which allows us to focus on what and rigorous manner, with the ability to observe and to we do best”. And while it has a managing director, Basi re- have a methodology, which means that before doing any- mains at the helm, offering her “knowledge and history” thing, I think about what I want to do”. This way of work- to the company, which now owns the Armand Basi brand ing clashes, according to her, with how things are done and markets Nautica, Cole Haan, No Name and Caval. today, “in a world where speed is paramount and there is “In America, I also learned about social return; in Kansas no time to read something a second time”. City,everyone who worked in the laboratory devoted some Under the leadership of Núria Basi, the family business of their time to the community: if they were good at playing grew to 600 employees at a time when production and the piano, they would go to church for weddings or funer- logistics were internalised and there was then a network als”. Today, Núria Basi devotes much of her time to collab- of around 100 shops. The businesswoman recalls when the orating with various organisations dedicated toeducation, company installed its first ERP system. “It can’t be that wewomen’s issues and entrepreneurship. She is particularly are more special than everyone else and can do everything concerned about protecting the brand: “we lack, myself differently from the rest of the world: we have to adapt as included, a culture focussed on product and brand”. 98