IENew BBVA Lecture Room

BBVA and IESE: Partners in Learning

IESE Business School and BBVA banking group have strengthened their collaboration. On November 16, José Ignacio Goirigolzarri, CEO of BBVA, and IESE Dean Jordi Canals participated in the inauguration of a new hall on the recently-expanded IESE Madrid campus, the BBVA Lecture Room.

The long-running partnership between the BBVA banking group and IESE Business School took another step forward in November with the inauguration of the BBVA lecture room in the new wing of IESE’s Madrid campus.

Occupying 220 square meters, the BBVA lecture room can seat up to 84 people and features state-of-the-art technology, including powerful LCD video projectors, ultra-flat motorized screens and multiple video cameras, all controlled by computer from a remote central production and management station.

The new BBVA lecture room forms part of a major project to expand and upgrade IESE’s Madrid campus, which has been in operation for 30 years. The technologically advanced facilities put IESE ahead of most other business schools, and similar refurbishments are planned for the Barcelona-based campus.

IESE’s relationship with BBVA goes back to 1992, when the school first began providing management training programs specially adapted to the needs of BBVA’s 1,700-strong, high-level management team. In 2002, IESE worked closely together with BBVA on an ambitious project aimed at initiating a change of culture within the company. They designed a special course that focused on the three key areas of people management, strategy and client relations. More than 30 courses have been offered to BBVA since the first one was launched at the BBVA School of Management in October 2002.

“The success of the School of Management would not have been possible without the contribution of IESE,” said Goirigolzarri at the inauguration.
IESE’s expertise in the areas of globalization and new technology, as well as its flexibility, have been credited for the success of the BBVA programs. In addition, as BBVA has sought to establish a relevant position in Latin America, the banking group has appreciated and benefited from IESE’s knowledge of the financial context in Latin America, where IESE has helped to start nine leading business schools.

IESE has been offering customized executive education programs since its founding in 1958. Having pioneered the concept of joint-venture programs tailored to the needs of companies, IESE remains consistently ranked among the world’s top five schools for executive education.