Panel Discussions

Panel Description

Educational resources and their deployment are major issues in both developed and developing countries as technological enhancements enable unprecedented access to previously unattainable resources and teaching methods. The purpose of this panel is to discuss how new technologies and methods are being used in developing countries to further education and increase global access to education. The panel will explore recent trends in educational tools and resources in the developing world and will provide insight into current success stories.

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• Max Bulakovskiy, Business Development Manager, i-propeller.com
• Iñigo De Pascual, President and Founder, África Nos Mira
• Susan Moody, Director of Communications, Worldreader
• Carsten Rübsaamen, Founder, President and CEO, BookBridge
• Siddharth Wadehra, Founder, thInQ

Panel Leader(s): Chema Garcia Soto, Brian Quirk

Panel Description

Increasingly, governments around the world are implementing policies promoting energy sustainability in order to mitigate climate change. This is leading to major new business opportunities in the manufacture of renewable energy infrastructure. Other companies are implementing sustainability policies, partly in an effort to control costs in the face of increasing energy prices. However sustainability does not make sound economic sense for all companies, and indeed, future global energy usage is projected to be dominated by fossil fuels for the next 50 years. This panel will discuss how companies are responding to the challenges of energy sustainability to mitigate threats and take advantage of the opportunities offered.

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• Giuseppe De Palma, Vice President European Union Affairs, ExxonMobil
• Javier De Rocafort, Chairman, Quimera
• Charles Elazar, Director Marketing EMEA, GE Energy / Industrial Solutions
• Tomás Pastor, Executive Director, Climate Change and Sustainability Services, Ernst and Young
• Ignacio Martí Pérez, Deputy Technical Director for R&D, National Renewable Energy Centre of Spain (CENER)
• Prof. Mike Rosenberg, Assistant Professor of Strategic Management, IESE Business School

Panel Leader(s): Robert Pfab, Shephali Shrimali, Susana Ortiz

Panel Description

For centuries, sports have transcended geographical and social barriers to unify people all over the world. But can sports be used as an effective medium to promote socially beneficial initiatives outside of the arena? Can sporting entities and athletes genuinely make a difference or is their involvement a marketing gimmick? This panel proposes discussing: (a) How one can make a positive impact through successful social responsibility initiatives (or developmental sport programs); and (b) Specific examples of how sports figures or initiatives have driven social change. Join us as our panelists talk us through their varied experiences, and what to expect next in social sport communities around the world.

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• German Arguelles, Founder and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), adidas International Training Program and eSoccer
• Antonio Dávila, Professor, IESE Business School
• Carlos Hornstein, MD and Founder, Global Play Foundation
• Clare Zurawski, Fundraising Specialist, Street Football World

Panel Leader(s): Adelaida Eymar

Panel Description

A world without poverty. This is the mission of the emerging global movement on social business fostered by Muhammad Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. With a social objective at the forefront, the new social business model challenges the capitalist enterprise business model: in order to maximize social profit, instead of being paid out as dividends, the profit is always reinvested in the business. This raises questions about ownership, treatment of dividends, and motivations. In this session, Social Business entrepreneurs will discuss past experiences and future challenges of different approaches aimed at changing the world.

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• Fionn Dobbin, Founder and Creative Director, Mammu
• Kristen Amy Jones, Strategic Initiatives Manager, Grameen Foundation
• Hans Reitz, Founder & Creative Director, The Grameen Creative Lab
• Mr. Thomas Ricke, Managing Director, Villageboom GmbH
• Magda Rosenmöller, Senior Lecturer, IESE Business School
• Rafal Siepak, Founder, SENStation

Panel Leader(s): Oier Urrutia, Prayer Trairatvorakul, Candice Uy

Panel Description

Is microfinance still a relevant agent of change? Over the past few years, microcredit lending has been a hot topic of debate. Although from microfinance, other tools such as micro-leasing, micro-insurance, micro-savings, and micro-pensions have sprung from this method of helping the poor by enabling them access to credit, the returns that have been made off of these financiers have been the hot topic of these emerging results. What is the actual impact on the lives of these borrowers? What kind of social and financial returns are seen by the investors? How has this lending changed since the economic crisis?

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• Rafael Borreguero Figols, Insurance Actuary, RIMANSI (Organization for Asia and the Pacific)
• Nuria Danés, Marketing Director, MicroBank, of "la Caixa"
• Miquel De Paladella, Co-founder and CEO, 1×1 Microcredit, and UpSocial
• Frederik Pfisterer, Founder & Managing Director, Mambu
• Dana Roelofs, Senior Investment Officer, Triodos Bank

Panel Leader(s): Christina Shin, Devesh Sahai

Panel Description

This panel will discuss the different targets of private equities and impact investing funds in emerging markets, the different criteria used when investing, and the impact on the countries in terms of sustainability of economic growth, inclusivity, poverty reduction, jobs created, social welfare and value kept by the shareholders.

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• Santiago Alvarez, Associate, Actis Private Equity
• Anna Marie Harling, MBA Student, IESE Business School
• Tim Radjy, CEO, AlphaMundi
• Luca Torre, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Ambers&Co Capital

Panel Leader(s): Maria Luisa De la Peña, Rafael Merry

Panel Description

Over the years, key players have constantly been innovating and testing new methodologies and practices for improving healthcare delivery in emerging economies. The challenges faced have not deterred them from moving forward in these geographies owing to various factors including market opportunity, growth and sustainability. This panel will analyse the role adopted by each of the key players to ensure successful evolution of healthcare delivery in these markets. Discussions will range from analysis of trends to measures adopted to overcome the main challenges faced, from differentiation strategies with a focus on innovation and growth practices to driving factors and key performance indicators.

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• Esfandiar Ardalan, Pharma Sustainability Officer, F.Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.
• James Dixon, European Sales Manager, Systems Integration, Medical Systems Division, Olympus Europa Holding GmBH
• Raphael Gernot Klingmann, CEO, Omnia Molecular SL
• Dr. Gunther L Faber, Chairman, One Family Health
• Antoni Plasència, Deputy Director, Centre de Recerca en Salut Internacional de Barcelona (CRESIB)

Panel Leader(s): Devyani Pershad, Alberto Gomez

Panel Description

Sustainability has been an important subject for the energy industry as global energy demand increases and general public’s awareness of the environmental issues rise.
Corporations as well as research institutions have been developing technologies in the energy sector to make the industry more sustainable. However, the collaboration amongst the players including public, private, and academic institutions is essential when it comes to the implementation.
The city of Barcelona, in its ‘Live Barcelona’ project, successfully combined the expertise and efforts from different players in the effort of developing a smart city; making the city accommodate electronic mobility easier. In this panel, speakers from different sectors (private, public, R&D) will discuss the issues as well as keys to success in collaboration for sustainable urban development.

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• Josep Miquel Pique, Director of Strategic Sectors, Barcelona City Council
• Eduard Puig Mac Lean, Energy Services Director, Enertika
• Christopher Regan, Director of Process Engineering & Technology, Endesa
• Jordi Zubelzu, Innovation Unit Manager, Agbar

Panel Leader(s): David Poythress, Alok Thakur, Joshua Fernandes

Panel Description

How can we make our financial institutions more sustainable? Should we work in cooperation with or opposition to policy regulators? What are the external environmental conditions involved? What are the internal structural changes required within financial institutions to promote more responsible business behavior?

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• Bruce Cahan, Founder/CEO, Urban Logic
• Dr Tillmann Lauk, CEO and Founding Partner, eM Investor – Fund 1 (eM1)
• Tony Myron, Senior Banker / Small Business Finance, Financial Institutions Team, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Panel Leader(s): Luuk Speksnijder, Julieta Dorantes

Panel Description

With agricultural markets and investments becoming extremely popular over the past years, Africa (especially Sub-Saharan Africa) has received more and more attention amongst investors as one of the biggest growth areas. Africa offers huge areas of un-explored arable land, has big upside potential in productivity and a significant demand impact with its fast growing population. But what is necessary to take advantage of these opportunities? What can be done to mitigate the risks of investments associated with the area (such as political stability and lack of infrastructure)? What are the roles of private and public investors? What kinds of investments are feasible?

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• Douglas Barnett, Lead Results Officer for Private Sector Development, African Development Bank
• Josephine Lindahl, Managing Director, Owner, Eyelander
• Dr. Shachi Gurumayum Sharma, Head of Business Development, AME, Syngenta
• Thomas Smith, Agricultural Investment Consultant,
• Alejandro Trenor, Associate Banker, Agribusiness, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Panel Leader(s): Felix von Arnim, Anna Syryca, Anna Bayona

Panel Description

The mass proliferation of mobile phones around the world presents a new delivery channel for basic financial services that can be extremely beneficial for especially the base of the pyramid. Clients can convert cash to electronic money and use their mobile phones to perform many financial transactions through traditional financial service providers (banks, microfinance institutions, etc) or new entrant non-bank actors (such as mobile network operators) providing financial services, without being present at a branch or an agent. This panel will question the growth opportunities of this technology and discuss how this industry is evolving. The panel will also focus on the opportunities and constrants of mobile financial services.

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• Frederick E. Allen, Leadership Editor, Forbes
• Enrique Aznar, Chief Integrity Officer, Millicom International Cellular
• Stewart Jordan, Co-founder, GoldenGekko
• Ignacio Mas, Consultant on mobile money and technology,
• Francesc Prior Sanz, Professor, UIC, and Managing Partner of the development consultancy FIR

Panel Leader(s): Katrina Hsu, Roy Ayllon

Panel Description

The panel will focus on the changing role of CSR departments within organizations and seek to discuss the relevance and need for CSR, as we know it, within large corporations. Discussions will range from the objectives of traditional CSR departments to their actual role in growth and sustainability of businesses. The panel will also aim to discuss emerging trends in global corporations surrounding the structure of CSR departments and social foundations, the link between sustainability and CSR, and other relevant themes.

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• Amanda Feldman, Consultant, Volans Ventures
• Antoni Gelonch Viladegut, European External Stakeholders and CSR Associate Vice-president, Sanofi
• Maria Jesus Perez Fernandez, Director of Investigation and Social Innovation department, CODESPA
• Tommaso Ramus, Post Doctoral Candidate, IESE Business School / Università degli Studi di Trento
• Pepa Rodriguez, Corporate Communications and CSR Manager, BAT

Panel Leader(s): Devyani Pershad, Enrique Fernandez

Panel Description

Discussion revolving around the past, present and future of social investing to fully understand its value from a quantitative and qualitative perspective, especially in the Corporate world.

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• Enrique Aznar, Chief Integrity Officer, Millicom International Cellular
• Dr. Lisa Hehenberger, Research Director, European Venture Philanthropy Association
• Pepa Rodriguez, Corporate Communications and CSR Manager, BAT
• Dr. Antonino Vaccaro, Associate Professor, IESE Business School

Panel Leader(s): Esther Olale

Panel Description

The recent economic crisis which has unveiled its roots as a crisis of ethical values and responsible leadership has reopened the debate on the importance of ethics and leadership.

While for some time, it has been thought that a solution has been found in the form of CSR, there remains to be many concerns. With millions of dollars spent on CSR initiatives each year, the more that it is thought to be just another marketing tool. In addition, some continue to believe that it is a waste of company resources and conflicts with the ultimate goal of value creation.

This panel aims to seek how to effectively build a business model integrating CSR with the broader concept of Responsible Leadership by analyzing how business schools and corporations can empower business leaders with tools to make an impact in society.

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• Laureano Berasategui Rodríguez, Professor of Organizational Behaviour and Management Information Systems (MIS), IESE Business School
• Mr. Ricard Casas Bedós, General Director, ISS Facility Services
• Alejandro Castro Alfaro, Founding Member & President, MBA Oath Club, INCAE Business School
• Maria Sotomayor Ruiz, Responsible for CSR Initiatives, Novartis Farmaceutica S.A.
• Dr. Antonino Vaccaro, Assistant Professor, IESE Business School
• Debra Wheat, Executive Director, The Oath Project

Panel Leader(s): Cesca De Leon, Marie Noelle Nguessan

Panel Description

Sustainability and Fashion? Does sustainability create value for fashion companies? The idea of sustainable fashion has been getting more attention during the last few years. No matter fast-fashion or luxury fashion companies, they are starting to focus their attention on this subject and it’s no longer enough to use it only as a marketing tool. A socially conscious, more demanding fashion consumer is appearing to which companies are reacting by embracing different sustainability techniques. We are still missing a common understanding at industry level about this issue, which makes it even more interesting. In this panel you will hear from different companies and entrepreneurs about what sustainability means for them, how they reach socially conscious consumers and at the same time make a positive impact on society. The panel will also discuss how sustainability changes their business model, affects their different stakeholders, and how scaleable their business can be.

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• Fionn Dobbin, Founder and Creative Director, Mammu
• Paulo Feferbaum, Founder, Clarity
• Elodie Guillerm, CEO, NODOVA
• Alicia Malumbres, Co-founder, IOWEYOU
• Carmen Tous, Co-founder Ecoology, Ecoology

Panel Leader(s): Nina Seghatoleslami, Manuela Meltl

Panel Description

Certain approaches to infrastructure development facilitate a place or region’s progress towards the goal of sustainable living. The purpose of designing urban infrastructure in a sustainable manner, in particular, is to reduce individual’s ecological footprint according to the principles of sustainable development in areas with a high population density. Drawing on such roles of infrastructure in achieving sustainability in society, this panel seeks to bring together perspectives of key actors on the past and current states of urban infrastructure development, as well as on what still needs to be done. Comparisons between developed and emerging cities, and the collaboration between various actors involved in the process will guide the discussion.

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• Miquel Carrillo, Coordinator NGO, Engineering Without Borders Catalonia
• Professor Francesc Magrinyà, Professor in Urban Planning, Technical University of Catalonia. Barcelona Tech
• Jordi Monjo, Founder and consultant, Eco Intelligent Growth
• Manuel Torres Núñez, Senior Executive, Accenture
• David Ubals Picanyol, General Director, Deisa Algerie

Panel Leader(s): Funda Sezgi, Josep Casas

Panel Description

Many of us think that if we really want to make a difference in the world we have to work for an NGO. At the same time, many of us still have the ambition to become managers in industry, consultants or bankers. These are all demanding jobs, leaving little time for other things. We want to create awareness that, with help of your company, it is still possible to contribute to social projects while working in the private sector. We want to discuss how to build an intersection between the supply of willingness and talent and the demand for help. How can we engage companies to allow employees to free up time for this purpose? How can we build a bridge between people’s willingness to contribute, their skills and expertise on the one side and the organizations and projects where they are needed on the other side?

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• Ariel Kestens, Head of Learning and Organizational Development, International Federation of Red Cross
• Sophie Langer Hansel, Journalist, ICEP, the Austrian Institute of Development Cooperation
• Ramon Marmolejos, Executive Director & Co-founder, Emzingo Group
• Macarena Morales, Research and Social Innovation Department Consultant, CODESPA

Panel Leader(s): Marjorie Camporini

Panel Description

From improving farm effectiveness in Latin America, to building downstream capacity to serve the "Bottom of the Pyramid" market in Africa, to assisting middle-size companies in CEE/CIS by incentivizing infrastructure improvements, development banks and the private sector are locked in a complex waltz in multiple diverse areas around the globe. Our panel will focus on unraveling some of the structures and tensions behind this dance in Europe, Africa and Latin America. How effective are the financial tools currently being deployed by development banks in increasing economic activity and improving the business climate of countries at various stages of development? What are the major trends with regard to the kind of tools development banks are deploying (loan guarantees, working capital financing, investment in outside PE/VC/Social impact funds)? Which sectors are at the heart of the most dynamic innovations (micro/small business finance, agribusiness, cleantech, infrastructure)? How are non-financial impacts being measured when designing and releasing these projects? Are development banks accidentally detrimental to economic improvement in some areas? Is the private sector unable to profitably enter some spaces without the intervention?

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• Douglas Barnett, Lead Results Officer for Private Sector Development, African Development Bank
• Yann Brenner, Senior Operations Associate, Inter-American Development Bank
• Robert Graffam, Senior Managing Director, Darby Overseas Investments
• André Laude, Chief Investment Officer, International Finance Corporation
• Tony Myron, Senior Banker / Small Business Finance, Financial Institutions Team, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Panel Leader(s): Anna Syryca, Ignacio Rodriguez

Panel Description

Being an ethical or socially responsible company isn’t enough anymore. With an increased focus on transparency, companies are now having to look at ensuring that each part of their value chain upholds risk evaluations and commits to stakeholder responsibilities as well. It seems that the ethics problem in supply chains and is that consumers blame the purchasers for ethical lapses or even for practices that may be less clear cut and therefore suspicious. This transcends to the mass media, further damaging the reputation of supposedly socially responsible companies. How can companies ensure the management of handling their suppliers and vendors processes responsibly? Where does accountability begin and end? What measures and evaluation techniques should be used?

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• Peyton Bowman, Senior Consultant, Axia Value Chain NA
• Susana Guitar Jiménez, Regional Public Policy Manager, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Spain
• Antonio Piñas, Ethics and Compliance, Airbus Military

Panel Leader(s): Cedric Masson, Christina Shin

Panel Description

In recent times sustainability had become a trend across most industry verticals and businesses have begun to invest considerably in related initiatives. With Tourism contributing over 5% of world GDP, sustainability in this space is fast becoming a hot topic. This panel will look to discuss the three pillars of Responsible Tourism: environmental integrity, social justice and maximizing local economic benefit , with a focus on various challenges and the future of this space. Discussions will span topics ranging from political challenges to scalability related to For-Profit vs. Non-Profit approaches.

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• David Clemmons, Founder, VolunTourism.org
• Jérémie Fosse, Co-founder and President, eco-union
• Professor Alejandro Lago, Associate Professor, IESE Business School
• Gopinath Parayil, Founder, The Blue Yonder, Niiti Consulting
• Elena Rodriguez Blanco, Co-Founder, Bloom Microventures

Panel Leader(s): Uday Balaji, Daniel Ramirez

Panel Description

This panel will take the different sustainability models across large organizations and dive into examples of how their efforts have impacted their internal organizational structure, consumers and partners. What kind of reporting and evaluation is used in how the impact of these sustainable "changes" are made? What are the main drivers of these changes?

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• Jo Confino, Executive Editor, Guardian, and Chairman and ED of Guardian Sustainable Business
• James Farrar, VP Sustainability, SAP
• Murray Grainger, Head of Ethics & Compliance Programme Office, Airbus
• Simon Mingay, Managing VP, Gartner
• Marc Pfitzer, Geneva Managing Director, FSG Consultants
• Mei Li Tan, Managing Director, Global Franchise Initiatives, Global Transaction Services, Citi

Panel Leader(s): Christina Shin

Panel Description

In the face of globalization, how can corporations promote sustainability practices across different countries, cultures and needs? How are these practices affecting the economic recovery? Are there externalities and deterring factors that these corporations must take into consideration, and how does this differ across geographies? This panel will focus on the priorities of international corporations and how they see the application of “glocal = global + local” sustainability practices as a conduit to a better world.

Panel Speakers and Moderators

• Jo Confino, Executive Editor, Guardian, and Chairman and ED of Guardian Sustainable Business
• Jérémie Fosse, Co-founder and President, eco-union
• Susana Guitar Jiménez, Regional Public Policy Manager, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Spain
• Ana Palencia, Communications Director, Unilever Spain
• Esther Sarsa, Sustainable Development Manager, Danone

Panel Leader(s): Maria Francisca Ortega