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On 14th October, EADA’s International MBA participants took part in the 3rd edition of the Barcelona MBA Day, which is a great initiative organised once again by Barcelona Global, a private non-profit association made up of 214 of the city’s leading companies, research centers, entrepreneurs and professionals. A total of 500 MBA participants from EADA Business School, IESE Business School, ESADE and UPF Barcelona School of Management spent the day visiting multinationals, local companies, research centres, startups and places of cultural interest and entertainment in Barcelona. Specifically, they were divided into 25 groups and each group visited a multinational, a cultural institution and a research centre.

The main objective of the Barcelona MBA Day is that future global executives discover first-hand the most entrepreneurial, economic and cultural aspects of the city and also that all of them could become good ambassadors of the Barcelona brand. Apart from this, MBA Day aims to position Barcelona as a destination for international university and postgraduate students.

According to Bibiana Camba, EADA’s International Development Director, “the Barcelona MBA Day is a great opportunity to know about Barcelona’s competitiveness from a business, cultural and technological innovation perspective and also to attract and retain international MBA talent”. Camba adds: “The event also showcased the excellence of higher education in Barcelona”. In fact, the city not only boasts some of the top business schools but is also the 6th global city of choice among MBA students after Boston, New York, London, Paris and Chicago.

An immersion in the entrepreneurial, economic and cultural side of Barcelona

EADA’s MBA participants enjoyed the knowledge given by Top companies and institutions. During their visits, they had the chance to talk to senior management in each of the companies about what they do and in what way they are global leaders. They began the day visiting two big companies. On one hand, Grupo Freixenet, which is one of the leading companies in the Spanish wine-growing sector and the world leader in high-quality sparkling wines produced using the traditional method. On the other hand, Mapfre, a global insurance company with a presence on five continents and business in more than 100 countries, with more than 35,000 professionals around the world. This company is also committed to sustainability and the development of the people in the countries it operates in.  Participants were guided by Thomas Scholl, Chief Financial Officer at Freixenet, and by Sergio Sánchez, Director of Institutional Relations at Mapfre.

After that, participants had the chance to know a bit more about the cultural sector in Barcelona. One group visited Galería Joan Prats, one of the pioneering art galleries on the international contemporary scene. The other group visited Paolo Gasparini’s photograph exhibition at Fundación Mapfre. This photographer is a referent in portraying the cultural tensions and contradictions of the South American continent. Participants were guided by Olivier Collet, Co-Director of the Galería Joan Prats, and by María de Pfaff, Director of KBR Fundación Mapfre –a new Barcelona photo center–.

They ended the day by visiting leading research centres in Barcelona. One was the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB), which seeks to analyse the global issues that affect political, social and governance dynamics, from the international to the local. The other one was the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), which is an inspiring environment for life sciences and biomedical research. Specifically, this large scientific hub brings together several research centres and a critical mass of research in various fields. Its international community of residents can access a range of cutting-edge scientific and technical services, and it is also connected to Hospital del Mar –a university hospital–. On this occasion, they were guided by Pol Morillas, Director of CIDOB, and by Reimund Fickert, Director of Projects at the PRBB.