Four out of every ten students in the latest intake for ESADE's monthly-format Executive MBA (EMBA) in English are women. This is ten per cent higher than female participation in this kind of programme worldwide (30.1%), according to the 2017 Executive MBA Council Survey. The survey includes ESADE among the 11 business schools that — as shown in the latest Financial Times ranking — have EMBA programmes in which women make up over 35% of the student body.

The 40 participants in the latest edition of ESADE's EMBA programme are drawn from 25 countries from around the world. Each speaks an average of four languages and 60% come from abroad. Their academic backgrounds vary, the main ones being: Economics or Business (55%); Engineering (13%); Law and Humanities (13%); Sciences (5%). With regard to the sectors represented by students taking ESADE EMBA programmes, the principal fields are: Energy; Finance and Insurance; Technology and Telecommunications; Consulting; Aeronautics; Health Care; Public Sector. With regard to the functional areas in which students work, Marketing, Sales, Operations, General Management, and Finance are the most strongly represented.

The part-time programme is imparted in English on the Barcelona and Madrid campuses and lasts 16 months. Participants have an average of ten years' professional experience.

ESADE and its commitment to women's talent

The high percentage of women in ESADE's EMBA (40%) and in the rest of the School's programmes (43%) is the result of a firm commitment to gender balance and female leadership. ESADE was the first Spanish business school to join The United Nations' #HeForShe platform and since 2013, it is an academic partner in Proyecto Promociona para Mujeres en la Alta Dirección [Women for Senior Management Project], an initiative fostered and carried out by Instituto de la Mujer y para la Igualdad de Oportunidades [Institute for Women & Equal Opportunities] and the CEOE [Spanish business organisation]. Almost 400 women have already taken the programme.

Furthermore, ESADE periodically carries out surveys such as the ESADE Gender Monitor and Mujeres con Impacto [Women Who Make a Difference]. Over the last year, the School has supported many projects, such as the publication ‘37 almas en una’ [37-in-1], a collective essay based on the stories of 37 women managers who tell how their personal and professional experiences contribute to female leadership. These and many other initiatives, such as The MBA Women in Business Club, won Joint First Prize in the EJE&CON ‘Gender-Free Talent’ Award, together with the scientist Margarita Salas, the firms PwC and Atrevia, and the magazine Capital Humano [Human Capital]. Eugenia Bieto, ESADE's Director-General, is the first woman to be appointed President of the CEMS Global Alliance and is one of the few women heading a world-class business school.