Business schools • Forum
Renowned for its entrepreneurial spirit, Spain is home to several worldclass institutions that continue to train entrepreneurs of the future, both at home and abroad.
Javier Tafur MANAGING DIRECTOR, ESCP EUROPE – MADRID CAMPUS
ESCP EUROPE HAS EVOLVED significantly over its 200-year history, whilst keeping the soul of the school intact. ESCP Europe was founded in Paris in 1819 by a group of academics and entrepreneurs, including scholar Jean-Baptiste Say, who coined the word “entrepreneurship.” More than 10 European languages were taught at the school, and ESCP Europe has maintained this international ambition and connection ever since. Providing a practical education has been our focus for 200 years, along with retaining an international ambition and leading in technology and innovation. Our Madrid campus is among the top-three business schools in Spain. We have quadrupled the size of the school in Spain in terms of our activities and number of students, as well as increasing the number of permanent faculty members. This feeds the faculty numbers of our entire network because professors from the Madrid campus also teach in Paris, London, Berlin, Turin, and Warsaw. While the Madrid campus is fairly small in size compared to our campuses in London, Berlin, and Paris, it leads in terms of technology and innovation. Our first online master’s program was launched in Madrid.
José Daniel Barquero Cabrero GENERAL DIRECTOR, ESERP BUSINESS & LAW SCHOOL
THE BUSINESS SCHOOL provides official degrees in law, international business, advertising, marketing, public relations, masters in all specialties, and even doctorates. We have around 7,000 students across our three campuses in Barcelona, Madrid, and Palma. The school has evolved in regard to new technologies and ways of communicating. We have always adapted to new market trends. Based on what companies demand, we conduct market research and incorporate new ideas into our study plans. We also anticipate the needs of the labor markets through our career fairs, which are attended by 150 companies. Our students change depending on the autonomous community. In Madrid, for example, our students mostly come from around Spain and from Spanish-speaking countries. Around 20% are international. In Barcelona, 90% of courses are taught in English, and its student body comprises students from all over Europe. Forbes Magazine listed us as one of the top-five business schools in Spain. We believe strongly in the practical application of our teachings, which is why our graduates know how to build a business plan from scratch.
Carlos Moreno CAMPUS DIRECTOR OF BARCELONA AND MADRID, GENEVA BUSINESS SCHOOL
THE SCHOOL’S INITIAL MISSION WAS TO PROVIDE INSTRUCTION to private bankers in Switzerland; however, an expansion plan was put in place, and its was changed to Geneva Business School in 2010. Over the years, campuses have been opened in countries such as Kazakhstan and Myanmar. We have also forged partnerships in countries in the Middle East. Our main goal is to prepare each student for an unpredictable future. We ensure that our attention is concentrated upon giving each student a practical education. Although we cannot foresee what jobs will look like in the next five years, we are capable of providing students the necessary skills to succeed in the future. One such skill is critical thinking. Instead of exams, we have a more project-based learning environment. Project-based learning is more beneficial as it is more connected to the real world. We are able to adapt when necessary, by being open to collaborate with our students, to listen to what they have to say, to support them in any way we possibly can and to be open to new opinions and interpretations.
Jorge Pintó PRESIDENT, ISDE LAW BUSINESS SCHOOL
ISDE WAS FOUNDED IN 1995 by a group of lawyers to attract the best talent to the legal world. A group of lawyers from Madrid and Barcelona met and designed a program for law graduates. This idea started at a national level, but it was extended to international firms too, and at present more than 200 firms from all over the world count on us. We must train people according to what the market demands. More than 70% of our students are foreigners. Spain has universities and schools that offer high-quality training, and many of them are well-placed in international rankings. ISDE offers a law degree in collaboration with the Complutense University, a prestigious institution where the majority of members of the Spanish government studied. We also collaborate with other Spanish and international universities such as Georgetown, Columbia, and Cambridge. Our students have a high rate of employability. Many of our teachers come from our partner firms and they teach classes because they themselves have a great interest in attracting talent. The multiplicity of ISDE’s contacts and networks is one of its great values.
José Luis Fernández GENERAL DIRECTOR, EAE BUSINESS SCHOOL
EAE BUSINESS SCHOOL was founded 60 years ago in Barcelona to teach business skills to engineers. We were one of the first business schools in Spain to provide MBAs, not only for engineers but all professionals. We now have four campuses: two in Madrid and two in Barcelona. We offer undergraduate courses in business and marketing, while our graduate courses are more focused on the management operations of companies, ranging from MBAs to programs in marketing, commerce, human resources, logistics, and finance, as well as modules related to digital economy. Nearly 67% of our students are foreigners from 107 different nationalities. Our methodology is innately practical. Nearly 72% of our professors are active professionals in their fields. We approach education based on what the market demands. For this reason, we work with an advisory board of directors of top companies who keep us informed and up to date on what recruiters are looking for. Our careers department helps our students develop their career further through different initiatives that are personalized depending on the student’s profile and goals.
Eduardo Gómez GENERAL DIRECTOR, ESIC BUSINESS &MARKETING SCHOOL
ESIC WAS FOUNDED 54 YEARS
AGO IN MADRID because of the need to train people in commercial management. The school started with the creation of a new and unique five-year long study program. An important milestone in the school’s history was the decision to become a specialized business school with an accredited MBA. Another good decision was to expand geographically. We have nine campuses in Spain and one in Brazil; however, at the same time, we do not want to neglect the local market by attracting only international talent. We have important agreements with universities in Florida, Colombia, Peru, Morocco, and China. Another success story of ESIC was the creation of the Pozuelo campus. We are co-founders of the Institute of the Digital Economy (ICEMD). ESIC’s students and international partners value its specialization. They value our vision and vertical training, especially in marketing and the digital economy. We listen carefully to the needs of other schools and universities with whom we have agreements and cooperate with open parameters. We care more about knowledge than about business.
Koldo Echebarria DIRECTOR, ESADE BUSINESS & LAW SCHOOL
A COMBINATION OF INNOVATION and social impact has been the centerpiece of our identity right from the start. ESADE was founded in 1958 with a highly innovative and entrepreneurial spirit. We launched our first bachelor’s degree in business studies in 1959 and our upper management programs a year later, which later became known as executive education. In 1964, the first MBA program began. Six decades after, ESADE enjoys a consolidated position in the top of the most prestigious international rankings, as one of the best business schools in the world. Our full-time MBA has been ranked the best MBA program for women by The Financial Times, and Bloomberg Businessweek has ranked it number-one worldwide in educational experience for its mixture of academics and business professionals. The 60th anniversary of ESADE has come at a time of transformation: mindsets, business models, and societies are changing, and higher education must not be left behind. In this context, our school is marking the milestone with various initiatives designed to encourage reflection on the teaching methodologies of the future.