Rafael Pastor
Since 2004, Rafael Pastor has been Chairman & CEO of Vistage International, the world’s leading chief executive membership organization. Established in 1957, headquartered near San Diego, and dedicated to executive development and education, Vistage helps more than 14,000 senior executives in 16 countries to become better leaders, making better decisions and achieving better results. The companies of Vistage’s members collectively employ more than two million people and generate approximately $300 billion in revenues.
Previously, Mr. Pastor lived in New York City and had an extensive background in both leading and advising business enterprises. He held senior executive positions at global media companies, including CEO of Hoyts Cinemas Corporation; President of USA Networks International; Executive Vice President, International, of News Corporation and Fox Television; and President of CBS/Fox Video International. He dealt with all aspects of the film, television, news and publishing businesses in the United States and throughout the world. Subsequently, he and his partners founded the Sonenshine Pastor investment banking and private equity firm.
Mr. Pastor started his career as an attorney, first at the Wall Street law firm of Hawkins, Delafield and Wood and then as Associate General Counsel at CBS Inc. He earned his BA degree from Columbia University and JD degree from NYU School of Law, serves on the boards of several not-for-profit organizations, and speaks several languages. He and his wife, Marina, reside in Rancho Santa Fe, and are the parents of Stefan (20) and Monica (16).
Recent Posts by Rafael
I’ve spent the last two weeks in Australia and China on business, and it’s been fascinating to hear international perspectives on the recent turmoil in Read More
The Wall Street Journal’s Sarah Needleman recently reported that during the second quarter of 2011, sales of small businesses were up and, significantly, that it’s Read More
Quite understandably, there’s a growing level of impatience regarding continued high unemployment. While the U.S. is making progress in certain aspects of the economy, we’re Read More
The results of the latest Vistage CEO Confidence Index are sobering, as confidence in the overall economy dropped from a high of 105.2 in Q1 Read More
Next week, I’ll be moderating a panel at The Milken Institute Global Conference titled, Help Wanted: Seeking 12 Million U.S. Jobs. The panel will Read More
What we’ve learned over the years through our Vistage CEO Confidence Index is that confidence has proven to be a harbinger for economic growth. The Read More
At Vistage, we have four strategic imperatives, some or all of which may be imperatives for other companies as well.
Today, I’d like to Read More
At Vistage, we have four strategic imperatives. Some or all of them might apply to other companies too.
The third of our four strategic imperatives Read More
At Vistage, we have four strategic imperatives. Some or all of these may apply to many other companies.
Today, I’d like to discuss organic Read More
At Vistage, our four strategic imperatives are building the brand, growing organically, expanding internationally, and leveraging technology.
Today I’d like to talk about building the Read More
The current economic environment may be improving, but we’re not out of the woods just yet. To make matters even more challenging, events overseas have Read More
Today, we celebrate Presidents Day. (So since it’s a holiday, I’ll keep it brief). Though we’ve been commemorating Washington’s Birthday in one form or another Read More
I recently joined the Board of Directors of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation. The group is comprised of leaders from small companies, Read More
In my recent posts, I’ve written about how difficult it can be for small business CEOs to find qualified talent, despite high unemployment, and Read More
In recent weeks, Amy Chua (aka The Tiger Mom) endured a firestorm of criticism, aimed largely at her parenting methods, which most people here in Read More
In my conversations with Vistage members, I’m hearing a great deal of consternation about how difficult it can be to identify qualified people to fill Read More
The Q4 2010 Vistage CEO Confidence Index soared to 106.3, from 95.1 in Q3, marking the most dramatic spike in optimism about our economy since Read More
Last week, we announced the results of our Q4 Vistage CEO Confidence Index, which revealed a surge in optimism among small business CEOs as Read More
Philip Van Doren Stern is hardly a household name. You’ve probably never heard of him, but in the late 1930s, Stern wrote a short story Read More
On Monday, we released the results of our Q3 Vistage CEO Confidence Index. Various media reported the newsworthy information: no impending double dip recession; Read More
During the next week, Vistage member CEOs will do as they have done every quarter since 2003. They will answer specific questions that reflect their Read More
Some of what I’m reading lately about businesses and particularly CEOs concerns me deeply. Most of America’s CEOs, like those who are members of Vistage Read More
Just last week we released the results of our Vistage CEO Confidence Index. We had over 1,600 CEO responses to a broad range of Read More