Esade, PwC, Georgeson and Diligent launch the Centre for Corporate Governance, a new benchmark in Spain for improving good governance at companies
Esade, PwC, Georgeson, Diligent and the Esade Alumni Directors Club have teamed up to launch the Centre for Corporate Governance, which aims to become a leading institution for improving good governance practices at companies and institutions, with a focus on the Spanish market.
The Centre, which will be based at Esade Madrid, will work to create a context for learning and reflection for board members, executives, investors and experts to promote the improvement of corporate governance through the generation and dissemination of best practices.
According to Mario Lara, director of Esade Madrid and head of the new centre, ‘The Centre is part of the commitment to turn Esade’s Madrid campus into a place where companies and society can come together to respond to new challenges in corporate governance, which require more professionalised, transparent and responsible models.’ He continued, ‘The corporate governance framework is already evolving in various areas, with changes ranging from the introduction of new elements of transparency or the promotion of diversity to the strengthening of socially responsible investment criteria, all of which pose new challenges for Spanish boards.’
PwC has been partnering with Esade since 2017, when it launched its Programme for Directors. With this new initiative, the firm is strengthening its commitment to training. According to Ramón Abella, Partner for Governance, Risk & Compliance at PwC, ‘We are at a crossroads, where corporate governance determines not only the sustainability of companies, but their survival. That is why it is important to have meeting places like the new Centre, where we can share approaches, ideas and advanced practices that can be used to improve a vital area for companies and the economy as a whole.’
To promote the new centre, Georgeson, the world’s leading provider of strategic shareholder engagement and corporate governance consulting services, Diligent, the software provider offering boards a portal to optimise corporate governance, and Esade Alumni have all joined the initiative as collaborating partners. It will also have an advisory board made up of prominent figures from the business world, including Ana García Fau, Ana Plaza, Emma Fernández, Helena Herrero, Isabela Pérez, Juan Arena, Juan Jose Bruguera and Marisa Jordá, amongst others.
Carlos Sáez Gallego, Country Head of Spain at Georgeson, explained, ‘We are very excited to participate in this initiative. We want to make our full expertise in this area available to help position the Centre for Corporate Governance as a leader in Spain and Europe. We are living in a time when corporate governance issues need to be addressed from a market perspective that avoids purely academic approaches.’
Diligent ‘aims to strengthen networking in the community of directors through events and discussion forums, to make the Centre a comprehensive leader in the field of corporate governance and contribute to improving good governance at Spanish companies and in the Spanish market in general.’
Training for directors, social debate and research
The Esade Centre for Corporate Governance aims to offer a comprehensive approach, including training for directors, opinion formation, promoting research and creating spaces for dialogue and discussion, in order to help modernise and professionalise the corporate governance framework, generate confidence in the markets, and maximise the success of business operations.
The Centre will pursue this mission though four main lines of action. First, through the Centre, Esade will promote new training programmes for directors on corporate governance issues, identifying market needs to offer participants new tools that allow them to develop their potential as directors and exercise their responsibilities appropriately.
Second, it will promote the formation of opinion and analysis of new trends in corporate governance, potential regulatory changes in Spain and other fields.
Third, the Centre till pursue research in four main areas: shareholders and investors; administrative and governing bodies; regulation and good governance codes; and other stakeholders. This research will be undertaken from an empirical perspective and in collaboration with Esade lecturers with expertise in the field.
Finally, an Esade Alumni Directors Club has been created in the context of the Centre, to provide spaces for dialogue through events and discussion forums aimed at keeping the community of directors up to date on the latest developments in corporate governance.
The Centre for Corporate Governance marks a new milestone in the combination of Esade’s academic rigour and PwC’s expertise. The two organisations have been working together since 2017, providing knowledge, tools and resources to train directors through the Programme for Directors, which has had a total of 136 students in its first four editions and is aimed at executives seeking to strengthen their experience and prepare themselves to join a board. They have also teamed up on the Corporate Strategy for Directors programme, aimed at CEOs and directors with extensive experience. This alliance has now been reinforced and complemented through the incorporation of Georgeson, Diligent and the Esade Alumni Club, whose knowledge and experience ensure the success of this unique initiative in Spain.
