Business leaders discuss new trends and opportunities at the Esade Alumni 4th Annual Conference of the Americas
Esade Alumni, the network of former Esade students, once again gathered together in Miami almost one hundred business leaders from Latin America, USA and other regions for their 4th Conference of the Americas. At the opening, Francisco Garzón, economic and trade adviser of Spain’s Secretariat for Foreign Trade ICEX in Miami, highlighted “the city’s growing ability to attract innovative, entrepreneurial Spanish talent,” reflected by the great upsurge in Spanish start-ups there. Iñaki Ocaña, head of Global Relations & Careers at Esade Alumni, also emphasized the dynamism of the former Esade student network and announced the opening of the association’s two new chapters in Santo Domingo and Prague.
Learn and experiment in times of innovation
The agenda of the annual conference focused on the opportunities and threats of an innovative, changing landscape. “This is a time for learning and trying things out”, said Charly Maltagliatti, pan-regional client partner at Meta. He analyzed the way in which disruptive technologies such as AI and the metaverse change how we interact and do business. Diego Imperio, president of RICOH LatAm, was interviewed and championed the importance of incorporating a long-term outlook into innovation.
Another panel discussed the new challenges facing the job market. “Things that used to work no longer do so. Physical space will never be the same again”, said Susana Sala, chief operating officer at Paramount for southern Europe, LatAm, Middle East and Africa, whilst Marta García, Head of Organization and Resources at Banco Sabadell in Miami, discussed the bank’s flexitime policy and suggested cultivating a sense of purpose amongst employees: “We must built a culture, a setting where we belong. Employees must know why they work at this company rather than elsewhere.”
Commitment to talent
The social impact of and support for talent was another key issue during the conference. Carla Serra, senior manager Practice LAC at Visa, shared her experience as a BBA scholarship student at Esade. “The scholarship gave me a unique opportunity,” said Serra, who is now a donor to the Esade scholarship program. The commitment to this program is a hallmark of the Esade Alumni community in Miami, which has twenty donors.
The Annual Conference of the Americas is one of the most outstanding international events held by Esade Alumni, a network of more than 72,000 Esade alumni in 115 countries around the globe. The association has 74 international chapters, including 15 in Latin America and 12 in the United States and Canada. Juan Carlos Pereira, director of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United States, introduced the event, which was also attended by Olaya Garcia, director of Institutional Development & Engagement at Esade, and Pedro Galván, president of the Esade Alumni Miami chapter.
