Joaquín Duato, CEO of Johnson & Johnson, during the Esade Alumni Annual Conference: "We need to invest in global, constructive and servant leadership to face new challenges”
“Faced with new corporate challenges, it is more necessary than ever to have a global vision that understands the strength of each region; and leaders must embrace a servant leadership mindset to constructively guide the team’s growth based on their strengths”, said Joaquín Duato, CEO of Johnson & Johnson and an Esade alumni, during his conversation with Belén Moreu, president of Esade Alumni. They were speaking during the celebration of the 26th Esade Alumni Annual Conference entitled 'Building our Future’, and which brought together more than 1000 Esade alumni at the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya. The head of the healthcare company was awarded the “Esade 2022 Award” for his global and responsible leadership, as well as his innovative vision and commitment to generating a positive impact on society. The rapid response of the healthcare company to the pandemic was highlighted, as well as its commitment to technology as a lever for business transformation and progress in society – a goal it shares with Esade. “I am very optimistic about the potential of technology to accelerate progress in healthcare. In the next decade there will be more innovation and progress in healthcare than in the last 100 years," said Joaquín Duato.
He is convinced of the importance of technology and encourages his employees to be bilingual in this area, combining fluency in their area of business with technological skills. "There is an urgent need to retrain leaders' and improve their abilities with technology. A better understanding of data produces faster and better-informed decisions, and at the same time accelerates and simplifies innovation," said the CEO of Johnson & Johnson. Beyond his commitment to intelligent automation and data science to advance and transform healthcare, Duato has been recognized for his vision about the new challenges of leadership, the fight for health equity, environmental health, and creating impact through personal and corporate purpose.
Esade Alumni and its mission
Belén Moreu, president of Esade Alumni, reflected on the challenges facing society at a time of economic uncertainty, social challenges, geopolitical crisis, and climate urgency, and the responsibility of the alumni community to build a better future. "Esade alumni contribute to generating positive and significant impact on organizations and society. We are a global community of more than 67,000 responsible leaders who share the purpose of contributing to business progress and creating a fairer and more sustainable world. We all have our role to play in the progress of society and working together we are better. Esade Alumni aspire to be the first generators of the great changes that the world needs," said Moreu.
About the Esade Awards
The Esade Awards are organized by the Esade alumni community with the aim of recognizing individuals and organizations that, in the development of their careers, activities, or services, have demonstrated the values that define the founding spirit of Esade and are an example for others. The winners of the previous awards have included Ana Botín, president of Banco Santander; Pablo Isla, CEO of Inditex; Mikael Ohlsson, CEO of Ikea; Carlos Slim, CEO of Inbursa; Indra K. Nooyi, chairman and CEO of PepsiCo; Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever; Hiroshi Mikitani, founder, chairman, and CEO of Rakuten, Inc; Enrique Lores, president of Imaging, Printing and Solutions at HP; and James Quincey, chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company.
