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Our most heartfelt farewell to Francesc Rafart (MBA 86/DD75)

  Esade Alumni is mourning the loss of Francesc Rafart, who passed away at the age of 84
Francesc Rafart

Francesc was a key figure in Esade Alumni and one of its founding members in 1989. We are extraordinarily grateful to him for so many years of dedication, advice, and wisdom. Esade Alumni is what it is today thanks to alumni like him. Francesc also regularly participated in Matins Esade sessions, and we will sorely miss his presence and company.

We would like to remember him through the words of his colleague and close friend, Pere-A. Fàbregas (Lic&MBA 67).

“The death of Francesc Rafart leaves a huge void among people who, like me, had a relationship with him that spanned more than 50 years. Francesc was a good person and a good professional who contributed his time, experience, and insight in projects like Esade Alumni.

I met him in 1970, when we were both among the group of professors who introduced computer science into the program for the first time, in the first year of Esade’s bachelor’s program. The class was called Introduction to Computer Science and FORTRAN IV Programming.

Francesc was a chemical engineer by profession (IQS) who had graduated from Esade’s MBA program (1968). His association with Esade started when he served as assistant dean (1969/70) and later as the director of the Calculation Center (1970-1975). He also taught in different classes and academic programs.

With the advent of democracy, he was in the group that founded the Centre Català (1976), a center-right liberal political party promoted by Juan Mas Canti and a group of members of the Cercle d’Economia. It merged with the Carles Güell de Sentmenat’s Unió de Centre de Catalunya (1978) and finally with Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya (1981).

Professionally, he worked at the Calitax Foundation, a chemistry company, and spent many years in the services companies of the Barcelona City Hall. His love of sailing led him to the boards of directors of the Club Nàutic Port de la Selva and the Federació Catalana de Vela.

I ran into Francesc again in 1984 when Esade decided that it wanted to have representatives of its alumni in its governing body (equivalent to the current board of the Esade Foundation). Assemblies of delegates from each graduating class elected their representatives: myself for bachelor’s degrees and for Francesc Rafart master’s degrees. We immediately joined the Esade Board of Governance, and thus began a long, intense relationship built through many years of hard work, esteem, and personal respect.

The evolution of the world around us and of the school itself led the Esade Board of Governance to ask Francesc and me in 1988 to create and develop the project of “setting up a stable, legally established Alumni Association.”

We submitted the project and it was unanimously approved by the Board of Governance. The Esade Alumni Association (currently Esade Alumni) was founded in 1989, and the first president and vice-president were myself and Francesc Rafart.

The actual launch was quick, and endless issues had to be resolved: internal organization, relationship agreements with Esade, programs to attract members, financial equilibrium, relations with professors, creating a story, etc. In all fields, the collaboration, assistance or initiative of Francesc Rafart was substantial. His vision and ideas brought added value to the project and made it possible for Esade Alumni in its early days to achieve an important presence internationally and prestige among European business schools.

After years of contributions, work, and service on the Esade Board of Governance (1984-1992) and the Esade Alumni Board of Directors (1989-1995), Francesc Rafart stepped back and joined the Esade Alumni Institutional Council, a non-executive consulting and advisory body, where he remained until recently. In these last few years, he has shown his engagement with his constant presence at Matins Esade and other events organized by Esade or Esade Alumni.

It is only fair to acknowledge that Francesc Rafart was always ready to help and to surprise his colleagues by always thinking up alternatives. The work, efforts, and results in building new realities together would have been impossible without him, in his constant contributions of the power and initiative needed from civil society to move society forward.”

Pere-A. Fàbregas

We will always hold you in our hearts, Francesc. Thank you for everything.

 

 

 

 

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