La Salle Campus Barcelona, a founding member of Universitat Ramon Llull, and the Latin American Council of Business Schools (CLADEA) are organizing the Second European Meeting of Business Schools, a conference to connect cultures and share best practices in business education management for the development of leaders with a global perspective. The opening ceremony was attended by the Minister of Business and Labor of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Miquel Sàmper; the President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, José Luis Bonet; the President of the Board of Trustees of Ramon Llull University (URL), Lluís Recoder; the President of the Board of Trustees of FUNITEC La Salle, Brother Josep Espuny; the Rector of the URL, Josep A. Rom; the President of the European University Association (EUA), Josep M. Garrell; the General Director of La Salle-URL, Josep M. Santos; and the President of CLADEA, Mónica López. Meanwhile, at the closing ceremony of the meeting, Ajuntament de Barcelona's Fourth Deputy Mayor, Jordi Valls, spoke on behalf of the council to outline some ideas on AI and bring the conference to a close.
The opening ceremony was opened by the Director General of La Salle-URL, Josep M. Santos, who emphasized the importance of collaboration to advance together in building a more just and sustainable society: "This conference is a learning opportunity and a space to design the future of business education with a transformative, inclusive, and responsible vision."
Representing the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Government), Minister Miquel Sàmper emphasized that "in this complex geopolitical framework, I want to explain where Catalonia is headed. We want to generate wealth and prosperity. We want to continue being an economic engine in Spain and Europe." He added: "No tariff will stop talent and innovation. We must be positive; behind every threat there is always an opportunity."
For his part, the president of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, José Luis Bonet, focused on the importance of collaboration between institutions: “The Spanish Chamber of Commerce and the INCYDE Foundation fully share the vision that brings us together today: the urgent need to strengthen the links between knowledge and business, between academic innovation and productive transformation, and its resulting impact on the impact of AI in higher education.”
The CLADEA meeting, entitled AI Shaping Innovation and Entrepreneurship: “Shaping Business Management Education for the Sustainable Transformation of Society” will be held on April 3 and 4 and brings together experts and representatives from leading academic and business institutions in Europe and Latin America.
Throughout the conference, experts from both academia and business will participate in a discussion aimed at analyzing how AI should be applied in business schools. Participants include Chris Kennett, Dean of the La Salle-URL International School of Business and Digital Economy; Gisela Veritier, president-elect of CLADEA; Josep M. Piqué, executive president of La Salle Technova, the innovation park of La Salle-URL; Xavier Vilasís, professor and AI researcher at La Salle-URL; and Isabel Bellot, director of Digital Transformation at Grant Thornton Spain and postgraduate professor at La Salle-URL.
Likewise, representatives from leading companies will discuss the ethical challenges of AI in a roundtable discussion, along with experts from the field of philosophy. The panel included Andreu Vilamitjana, general manager of Cisco Spain and Portugal; Antonio Alonso, president of the Spanish Association of Business Schools (AEEN); Alicia de Manuel Lozano, PhD in Philosophy, ethics expert in AI Strategy at NTT Data; and Francesc Torralba, professor at the Ramon Llull University and professor at the Faculty of Philosophy at La Salle-URL. The moderator is Jordi Basté, journalist and presenter of the program El Món on RAC1.
The holding of the Second European Meeting of Business Schools on the La Salle-URL campus consolidates the institution as an international benchmark in training and research on AI and its application to management and business, from a technological and humanistic perspective.
