Global Alumni Reunion Kicks Off In New York

IESE’s Global Alumni Reunion gets underway this week in New York, where more than 1,000 executives are gathering for an annual event that this year centers on the trends shaping the business of tomorrow.

The four-day event, under the theme “Be Ahead of What’s Next,” features visits to companies on the cutting edge of business, such as LinkedIn and SAP. There are also guided visits to landmarks such as Grand Central Terminal and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

There is a full day of talks by change leaders, including Bibop G. Gresta, chairman and co-founder of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies; Adaire Fox-Martin, SAPS’s executive board member and president, EMEA and Greater China, Global Customer Operations; Nokia Chairman Risto Siilasmaa; and Mark Thompson, chief executive officer, The New York Times Company.

Over the weekend, the reunion will host a 10k charity run through Central Park along with an Open House at IESE’s New York campus. The celebration closes Sunday with a mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Reunion Coincides with IESE’s 10th Anniversary in U.S.

The alumni reunion coincides with the 10th anniversary of the school offering programs from its campus in New York – and with the 60th anniversary of IESE’s founding. IESE was the first European business school to establish a permanent presence in the U.S., a decision made to better serve the executive education and research needs of the North American business community. In the past decade, IESE has attracted thousands of executives from all over the world to attend its programs at its campus in mid-town Manhattan, as well as in Miami, Silicon Valley and other cities throughout the country.

“Our campus in New York extends into the U.S. IESE’s unique mission of helping business leaders aspire to have a deep, positive and lasting impact on people, firms and society and inspire them to work with a spirit of service and integrity, basing their actions on the highest standards of professionalism and accountability,” says Eric Weber, IESE vice dean and head of U.S. operations.

“Our presence in the U.S., and especially in New York City, lets IESE bring global business excellence to the five boroughs and far beyond, unlocking the complexities of the global marketplace in ways that few institutions can,” Weber says.

In this vein, IESE recently launched a popular new Executive Education program, Driving Leadership Potential, in targeted specially toward a tri-state cohort of millennials. This innovative program offers a blended learning approach, combining online modules with ones taught on-campus, all supported by a personalized development program. The program is aimed at young managers interested in knowing how to navigate and move forward in a rapidly changing business environment.

IESE’s New York campus offers a full portfolio of programs for different levels of executives, as well as providing facilities for its MBA degree programs and executive programs originating from its others campuses in Barcelona, Madrid, Munich and São Paulo. It also serves the needs of its associated schools, 15 independent graduate business schools that IESE has helped found throughout Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe over the last 55 years.