Solana and Almunia agree at ESADE, "We must teach tomorrow's leaders to be global"

"We must teach tomorrow’s leaders to be global, rather than local". So concluded Joaquin Almunia, former Vice President and Commissioner of the European Commission, and Javier Solana, President of ESADE’s Center for Global Economy and Politics (ESADEgeo) and former High Representative of the European Union and Secretary General of NATO, at the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) meeting held today at ESADE. The event drew some 400 deans and directors general from the world’s top business schools.

Solana underscored the need to teach global dynamics, as "directing an institution is not all that different from managing a multinational company". Almunia added, "Business schools play a very important role, especially when it comes to building networks and internationalization."

Towards globalization

Both men placed special emphasis on globalization. According to the president of ESADEgeo, "Production has been globalized, which helps to prevent conflict."

"Globalization has led to inequalities in several regions", cautioned Almunia, before adding, "However, today we are more aware of and alert to the risks it can entail."

Alfons Sauquet, Global Dean of ESADE, noted, "There are certain trends in globalization of which we are not yet aware and which are not yet clear defined." In this regard, the former vice president and commissioner of the European Commission explained that financial markets "are global, but the regulators responsible for controlling them are not strong enough."

Solana simplified this idea, stating "The world is playing football without a referee, and we need one. What’s more, that referee needs to be made up of a large number of countries." For the former secretary general of NATO, if the world is not playing strategically, it is, in part, due to the "brief lifespan of governments". He concluded that one of the main concerns is "how to create jobs, especially in Europe, and how to integrate technology into them".