The Queen Sofía Spanish Institute is a proud sponsor of the conference and opening event of the 17th edition of Conferencia MBA España held this year at Columbia Business School.

Conferencia MBA España is a two-day event of lectures and networking events where Spanish leaders in business shared their experiences and perspectives with MBA students from top American universities.

The opening ceremony was held in the stunning Sorolla room of the Hispanic Society Museum & Library, with the presence of esteemed guests and speakers including María Nicanor, Director of the Cooper Hewitt Museum; Isabel Rivero, Senior Media and Program Development Manager of the QSSI; and Natalie Espino, Director of Museum Education of the Hispanic Society.

Attendees, both students and speakers alike, enjoyed a Spanish reception with beer provided by Damm.

Speakers were invited to participate in panel discussions together with other professionals in their sectors, with the aim of exchanging opinions and offering advice that can be useful to young professionals.

Throughout the conference, there were various panels including:

• Aviation Panel with Javier Sánchez-Prieto, CEO, IVI; Former CEO, Iberia
• Hospitality Industry Panel with Demetrio Carceller, Executive Chairman, Damm and Enrique Zaragoza, CEO and President, Riviana Foods
• Energy Panel with Rafael Mateo, Former CEO, Acciona Energía and Belén Linares, Director of R&D, Moeve
• Food & Beverage Panel with Álvaro Muñoz, CEO, AM Fresh; Pablo Álvarez, CEO, Vega Sicilia; and Javier Dueñas, CEO, Campofrío
• Healthcare Panel with Víctor Madera, President, Quirón Salud and Javier Sánchez-Prieto, CEO, IVI
• Investment Panel with Gonzalo Santos, Managing Director, Advent International; Iñaki Cobo, Partner and Head of Iberia, KKR; and Ginés Navarro, Founder and Managing Director, Admara Capital
• Entrepreneurship Panel with Carlos Muñoz, Founder, Vueling and Founder & CEO, Volotea and Javier Palafox, Founder, Happy Robot

The Keynote speakers who participated were:

• Álvaro Muñoz, CEO, AM Fresh
• José Vicente de los Mozos, CEO, Indra Group
• Demetrio Carceller, Executive Chairman, Damm
• Pilar Manchón, Senior Director, Engineering & AI, Google
• Tano Santos, Robert Heilbrunn Professor of Asset Management and Finance, Columbia Business School and Director, Heilbrunn Center for Graham and Dodd Investing

For more information about the conference, reach out to info@queensofiasi.org.