On 11 November, the Spanish Conference of Business and Economics Deans (CONFEDE) held the opening session of its annual meeting at the IQS campus, marking the first time the association has met at a private university.
On 11 November, the Spanish Conference of Business and Economics Deans (CONFEDE) held the opening session of its annual meeting at the IQS campus, marking the first time the association has met at a private university.
The event was attended by nearly all of its members, 80 deans in total, and was chaired by Dr Josep Franch (Dean at ESADE), Dr Carlos Moslares (Dean at the IQS School of Managment), and the President of CONFEDE, Dr Eugenio Luque (Dean at the University of Malaga).
The day's main event was the roundtable "An international look: Business and economics studies as seen by rectors and deans at foreign universities," in which the following individuals participated via streaming: Salvador D. Aceves, Senior Vice President of Regis University; Ángel Cabrera, President of The Georgia Institute of Technology; Ignacio de la Vega, Executive Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Faculty, and Internationalization at Tecnológico de Monterrey; Mauro Guillén, Dean of Judge Business School, Cambridge University Business School; and Ramón O'Callaghan, Dean of the Porto Business School, University of Porto.
The five speakers, all with vast experience and extensive careers in academia, gave their opinion on the changes that business and economics studies are undergoing, apart from the aspects that have changed due to COVID-19. The impact of digitization and new technologies and the role of traditional universities in view of continuing education (Lifelong Learning) were other noteworthy topics of discussion.
Along these lines, the experts explained the challenges posed by the demand for new and more innovative, interactive, and multidisciplinary programmes considering the possible obsolescence of traditional careers. The participants also discussed whether traditional faculties, organized in silos, could respond to demands for interdisciplinary studies.
The meeting also featured the lecture "Quality Processes and Accreditations," led by Dr Lázaro Rodríguez Ariza, head of ANECA, the entity in charge of carrying out evaluation, certification, and accreditation activities for the Spanish university system in order to continuously improve it and adapt to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).
How are the skills that are sought in our graduates changing?
On the second day, the roundtable “How are the skills that are sought in our graduates changing?” was held at ESADE. The speakers from the business world included Miquel Ángel Alós, Senior Advisor & Co-founder at Inprocess Technology & Consulting Group; Laura Evangelio, Technical Service and Development at Dow Chemical; Javier Fernández, Employer Branding & Talent Manager at Danone; Ana Martínez, HR Director at Firmenich; and Maite Poyos, Talent Leader at Deloitte Spain. The moderators were Marta Camprodón, Campus Life Manager at the IQS School of Management, and Maria Obiols, Career Services Director at ESADE Business School.
The closure of the event featured the conferences "The impact of technology in business and economics studies," led by Dr Xavier Ferràs (ESADE), and "The vision of universities in upcoming years," led by Dr Santiago Niño-Becerra (IQS School of Management).
CONFEDE is a Spanish nationwide organization formed by the deans at 83 Spanish faculties of Business and Economics, both public and private, in Spain. Its objectives are to support, improve, and coordinate business and economics studies at the different faculties through the creation of discussion and exchange forums open to all Spanish universities on topics of interest to university education in the fields of business and economics.