The Young Annual Event revolved around exclusivity, because it featured the presence of prominent professionals and young leaders in their respective fields in an atmosphere designed for networking, the exchange of ideas, and evening fun, which enabled both experiences to be shared and professional opportunities to be explored. The event, which was held in Barcelona’s Torre dels Lleons with the patronage of Yamaha, the official sponsor of the Esade Alumni Young Commission, enabled participants to reconnect with old friends and make new contacts with graduates from other classes, thus experiencing what it means to belong to Esade Alumni.
As Patricia Valentí (MBA 02/ Promociona 17), director of Esade Alumni, stressed during the presentation of the event, “the network will prove to be essential for all of your careers and personal lives. We believe that it is crucial for you to remain connected and do things together, and we here at Esade Alumni want to support you. Connections with other alumni are very important because you share values, experiences, and part of your career. Plus, as professor Marcel Planellas outlined, you should bear in mind that there is a direct correlation between people who participate in associations, like alumni associations, and professional success, especially if you are entrepreneurs. So practice, because Esade Alumni is by and for you; it is yours. And we hope to hear your proposals.”
To facilitate connections and spend an unforgettable evening, the networking activities were conducted by Suricata Events, which designed a battery of fun games and original ideas that helped break the ice and develop the alumni’s social skills. Plus, thanks to the Digital Business Cards handed out at the event of the event by Esade Alumni + Bumpy, a startup that partnered in this meeting, all the participants were able to create an introductory profile that facilitated interactions and created networks of contacts. After the event, this card will allow the alumni to further pursue all the contacts they made.
But besides the games, the Suricata Events team also asked the young participants questions about the Esade community in order to test their knowledge. The questions included how much money Esade BAN had invested in startups in the past year, how many charitable hackathons have been held, where the contents of the events can be seen after the fact, where the last international annual meeting was held, and what Esade Alumni’s pro-bono consulting is called. The goal of this activity was to enhance the participants’ awareness of the Association.
And that is what Cláudia Gomes, Membership & Engagement Manager of Esade Alumni, stressed in the presentation: “The number of people we have today shows Esade’s young people’s commitment to keeping a participative voice within the community.”
Paula García (MMM 19), president of the Young Commission, emphasized the fact that the Young Commission (whose mission is to promote, encourage, and foster the community engagement of young alumni under the age of 30) has come to life thanks to this first annual meeting exclusively for Esade’s young people.
Along with her, Arnau Ferrer (BBA 22/ES Talent), vice-president of the Young Commission, explained that “we want to bring visibility to future leaders with all our talent, energy, and creativity, and bring visibility to the large group that we young people are within Esade Alumni and Esade.” And he reminded participants that the commission offers alumni Young Evenings, which allow them to talk with the founders of prominent startups, as well as events held jointly with the interest clubs. “We encourage you to follow us on Instagram so that you can attend events like this one and many more,” he said.
After the afternoon socialization and the networking activities, the evening ended with a cocktail-dinner and a party which lasted late into the night so participants could celebrate all the past and future successes together.
Jorge Alcover (Lic&MBA 98), managing director at Goldman Sachs
“We share the fact that we’re from Esade, and this is the hallmark that we have to protect and develop by giving it the value it deserves. My advice is not to think in the short term, not to be complacent, to push forward, to take charge of what you want to be and have, and not to be afraid to make mistakes because you’re very young and have a long life ahead of you.”
Andrea Lisbona (Lic&MBA 12), founder & CEO of Toucland
“First of all, find something that makes your heart beat faster and excites you every day because you’re going to face challenges, so it’s better to find a reason to help you overcome them. I’ve overcome so many challenges that there aren’t enough pages in my journal to write about them. The goal is to never give up and to fight in the wars you encounter along the way. And to enjoy the journey. Celebrate each small victory and never let a defeat get you down.”
José Marcilla (FT MBA 01), senior vice president at Novartis
“You’ve got the most talent in history; don’t squander it. Anything you think, ratchet it up by adding a zero to the right of it. The biggest risk companies are facing today is that you young folks don’t take enough risks. Behind each successful company there has always been someone who tried something that nobody had done before. And always be ethical. It’s what the society of companies and executives expects of you. And as Esade alumni, it’s what I expect of all of you.”
Ariadna Masó (Lic&MVA 11), founder & CEO of Sanno Health
“I really urge you to follow your entrepreneurial drive. Something I appreciate about Esade is its community, which allows you to surround yourself with the right teammates, advisors, and investors… I have found and discovered all of this in the Esade network, which is truly amazing.”
