Spain’s King inaugurates IESE’s new Madrid campus , a space for leaders in sustainability

King Felipe VI presided over the inauguration of IESE’s new Madrid campus, accompanied by Minister of Universities Joan Subirats, Dean Franz Heukamp and María Iraburu, President of the University of Navarra, to which the school belongs.

The event was attended by 400 people, including employees, alumni and the directors of IESE’s partner companies, who support the school’s role in training responsible leaders concerned with people and the environment. In addition, numerous employees and alumni followed the event stream remotely.

The official inauguration in the new auditorium showcased the origins of IESE six decades ago and its values ​​(sustainable, ethical and human leadership). It did this through a digital show in which a drone travels through the city of Madrid until it reaches the new campus, where the King then unveiled the commemorative plaque.

“We’re in a beautiful building, with an incredible auditorium. But it’s much more than that,” Heukamp said in his speech. “This is an instrument for educating people who can create a better world. It’s an amazing project.”

Before the ceremony, Felipe VI attended the session ‘Leaders for a more sustainable world’ given by IESE Prof. Pascual Berrone, as well as a class of the Executive MBA, a program for young professionals with 10 years of experience. During the class, taught by Prof. Julián Villanueva, the king got to experience the case method through a lively discussion of Amazon. In addition, the king toured the school’s new facilities and was photographed with Master in Management students, an international program aimed at recent graduates.

IESE’s new campus in Madrid, which opened last September, extends the previous plot by tripling the surface area to reach 33,600 square meters. This will allow the school to increase its activity in the capital by 50% over the next five years.

Its location in the vicinity of the Casa de Campo, Madrid’s main green lung, its architecture of open spaces with large natural light inflows, and the use of green energy, have also been accredited through Leed Gold certification.

IESE, a leading school according to the main international rankings, has always stood out for its approach to responsibility and social impact. This is recognized by the Financial Times, which in 2021 ranked the school’s MBA program at number 1 for Corporate Social Responsibility.

In this 2021-22 academic year, IESE has launched various initiatives to promote the development of leaders in sustainability. These include a new specialization of the MBA program focused on the objectives of sustainable development, and the creation of a research and teaching initiative in sustainability that aims to generate knowledge and good practices that can be applied in programs and companies. In addition, last November, this new campus hosted the IESE Global Alumni Reunion with more than 30 international experts in sustainability.