On May 17, Zurich became the epicenter of the Esade community by hosting the 4th Esade Alumni Europe Annual Meeting 2025. More than 100 alumni, along with future students, met at an event that transcended borders by welcoming residents of Switzerland, Germany, and Barcelona. The leitmotiv of this gathering was leadership, which was explored from complementary perspectives: personal development for more effective leadership, and the long-term strategic vision in companies and leaders.
Iñaki Ocaña (Lic&MBA 06 / DARH 12), Esade Alumni Global Relations Director, led the event and stressed the importance of Esade’s global network. With more than 80,000 alumni all over the world and 74 international chapters, Esade Alumni is a powerful platform for connection. Ocaña underscored this network’s importance for alumni living outside Spain to keep their sense of belonging and connect with each other, since “when people connect, things happen.”
According to Ocaña, Esade Alumni’s mission is clear: “to support you, take care of you, and always try to offer you a value proposition” based on three essential cornerstones: professional development, lifelong learning, and networking opportunities. The gathering in Zurich was a clear example of this commitment by providing a space for learning from exceptional speakers and making new connections.
Andrea Sala (Lic&MBA 94), president of the Esade Alumni Zurich Chapter, shared a poignant personal perspective on her connection with Esade, a tradition that spans from her parents to her siblings, herself, and now her children. To Sala and the Esade Alumni Zurich board, Esade is synonymous with “community, purpose, passion, and love. Esade still leaves this mark and the spirit of caring for each other,” she added.
José Marcilla (MBA 01), Senior Vice President for SERCE (Southern, Eastern, Russia, & Central Europe) at Novartis, offered an inspiring talk on how to evolve towards more effective leadership. In Marcilla’s opinion, leadership is not a science but “an art,” a discipline that has to adapt to the new realities. He pointed out the challenge of leading a “new generation of people who have different values but are extremely talented,” along with the need to guide them so “they become more, so they learn more.”
Marcilla introduced the concept of the “second mountain” in a leader’s life. Unlike the “first mountain,” which focuses on personal growth and individual achievements, the “second mountain” is a journey to become “the best for the world.” In this stage, the true satisfaction comes not from achieving goals but from “seeing your people grow, learn, and develop,” and seeing “your values reflected in your agenda and your purpose.”
Marcilla proposed three crucial dimensions of integral leadership: IT, WE, and I. The IT dimension refers to business management (strategy, competitive advantage, customer needs). The WE dimension focuses on the team (how to build a high-performing team, how to surround yourself with the best, and how to help them grow). And the I dimension focuses on self-leadership (strengths, areas to develop, lifelong learning). Marcilla highlighted the fact that even though the majority of leaders focus on the “IT,” it is imperative to work on all three simultaneously to be a twenty-first century leader: “you can’t forget that you need to lead the business but also lead the team and yourself.” In a powerful message of interconnection, he stated that, “If you grow, your team will grow. And if your team grows, the company will grow.”
Finally, Marcilla discussed the four “C’s” of leadership: culture, confidence/trust, change, and coaching. The company culture is an amalgam of behaviors, systems, and symbols, that is, what is said and what is done when nobody is looking. Confidence/trust is essential for successful teams, and change has to be embraced from the heart before the mind to be effective. Finally, coaching fosters active listening and an understanding of other viewpoints, thus facilitating consensus. Marcilla concluded with a call to action: “Think less, dream more, and lead other people to build a better world, because it is possible. And as Esade alumni, we can do it, we ought to do it, and we have to do it.”
Professor Luis Vives, Director of Corporate Relations and Engagement and Assistant Dean of MBA Programs, started his talk by stressing the value of the Esade alumni network: “One of the things that we should say, and that we should continue to communicate, is that our alumni base is our biggest asset. We want to take advantage of you and connect you.”
Professor Vives introduced the fascinating concept of “cathedral thinking” by highlighting “just how important it is to have a long-term perspective and the ability to build things that go beyond ourselves.” In a global context marked by the rise in AI, crises, and economic challenges, Vives warned about the risk of excessive attachment to the short term, where planning never extends beyond two or three years.
According to Vives, “the problem with this type of thinking is that if we only think in the short term, we cannot build large projects.” Drawing inspiration from cathedrals, which take centuries to build, he described them as “collective projects that will help people build something that actually isn’t for them but for the community.” His message was an invitation to reflect: “You need to think about what you’re doing today and how you would like to contribute to building something that goes beyond you, that lasts beyond your time here.”
As a strategy expert, Vives urged the audience to “dream of the future,” saying that “the larger the time lapse, the bigger the dream you can potentially have.” Complementing this vision, he stressed the need for a team, for sharing this vision, and for acting intelligently to make dreams come true. “The idea is big dreams and small steps,” he stated.
In Vives’s opinion, annual planning is still essential, but it’s crucial not to lose sight of the “cathedral,” that project with a major social impact. He warned that companies’ increasing complexity often diverts the focus away from goals and dreams. Finally, he advocated fostering a culture of innovation where mistakes are allowed, because without that people will not venture to take risks.
“We can no longer manage the way we managed twenty years ago, the way we were managed. The new generations are growing up more freely, and we have to give them room for creativity, and we especially have to give them that psychological security that José Marcilla mentioned in his talk.
“Attending events like this one means reconnecting with your roots, like feeling at home in a country that isn’t yours, and it’s really comforting. It is essential to have this type of bond. Networking should always be on our agendas; it’s crucial.”
“When we decide to pursue a master’s or an MBA, or to go to the university, obviously its academic record is really important, but so are the connections and relations that this organization has with the business world. But a key factor is networking.
“It is absolutely vital to maintain these events and this networking updated globally, even away from the place where this organization is. It is important for people, for alumni, for the school, and for the young people to come. I feel lucky that I can be a part of this network. It has had a really positive impact on my life. I’m simultaneously proud, fortunate, and grateful.”
“Our calendars are all very busy, and being able to have these spaces to get in touch with alumni, to network, and to attend inspiring, thought-provoking talks is wonderful.
“The most important thing that led me to Esade was precisely the purpose, the reason we do things. Business management is a tool to make a social impact and a bigger impact in the world. And I think that part of the purpose is fantastic, and Esade has it and communicates it really well".
