On Friday, April 5th, we organized an exclusive visit to Museo del Prado. Rosemary Blake, member and former President of the Club,  not only graciously offered tickets for a group of club members, but she also gave us a private tour, sharing her insights from her career in art conservation and as Amiga de la Fundación Museo del Prado.

Exhibit: El Greco. Santo Domingo el Antiguo

In the Central Gallery of Villanueva building, this exhibit puts together, since 1830, the paintings the artist did for the Santo Domingo Monastery in Toledo. This was indeed his first work in Spain. This exhibit, additionally, includes La Asunción, that has been more than a century outside Spain.

On Friday, April 5th, we hosted a social, together with the Spanish Public Policy Network, at La Cabezona, a traditional local restaurant in Madrid. We counted also on some Advantere students that are conducting international management studies. It was a magnificent moment to discuss about geopolitics, business and public policy, in company of great tapas and wine, in an incredible atmosphere. Great evening for the Hoya Community in Spain!!!

On April 22nd, the Georgetown Club of Spain held another meeting of the Leadership Series about Perspectives on Talent and Competitiveness in Spain. On this occasion, it was the time for media. We had the privilege to count on Pedro Piqueras in an exclusive breakfast. Mr. Pedro Piqueras is one of our most reputed journalists and newscasters, with a very long career in leading positions both at radio (Director at Radio Nacional de España) and television (director and newscaster at RTVE, Antena 3 and Telecinco).

Mr. Piqueras shared with us some of his best leadership and career advice on a lifetime of experiences, giving us invaluable insights on the past, current and media prospects at global, European and national level. Mr. Piqueras highlighted the relevance of objectivity in media, especially in the current times of uncertainty with different autocratic trends all over the world. He analyzed also how relevant it is to empower the role of journalists in a world where sensationalism, social influencers and political pressures grow day by day. Mr. Piqueras, in a positive note, also highlighted what has been achieved in the last decades in Europe, with high standards for quality of life, especially in Spain, encouraging us to keep fighting to preserve the value of truth even at difficult times.

It was a real privilege for all attendees to listen to Mr. Piqueras´ insights on important and complex issues in such a clear way. We also had the opportunity to share insights and ask questions in a very easy-going environment to one of the most prominent leaders we have ever had. We really enjoyed this special opportunity!!!

Thursday, April 24th, we hosted a genuine afterwork, together with Rotterdam School of Management, London Business School,  Columbia Business School and Columbia Alumni Spain, at Casa Julia, a traditional restaurant in Madrid located at the historical Barrio de las Letras.

We conducted a wine and cheese tasting from different parts of Spain combined with a flamenco show with dances from the same locations. The flamenco group, leaded by guitarrist Raúl Corredor, was composed of top level professionals who has performed in shows nominated to Grammy and MTV prizes and in top venues such as the Lincoln Center or the Joyce Center of New York.

The wines and cheese tasting was guided by Juan Carlos Henche, ex General Director of Grupo Osborne and currently entrepreneur and owner of 10+ restaurants in Madrid.

RSM, LBS, Columbia and Georgetown alumni enjoyed all together till very very late… What a break! What a wonderful night!!!

  On

Today, we were highly privileged to have with us Santiago Cabanas, one of the most relevant diplomats Spain has ever had. Mr. Cabanas, among other leadership positions in the government of Spain, has been a distinguished Ambassador of Spain to the Czech Republic, Jordan, Algeria and most importantly, to the United States from 2018 to 2024. His role has been of the highest relevance for our country.

We learned a lot and we were very lucky to count on Ambassador Cabanas’ personal point of view on top current topics you will never listen to in public press. Our time today went too fast. The atmosphere once again was amazing.

Thank you to our Ambassador and also to Juan Luis Manfredi, Hoya and ExCom member of the Club, who made it possible.

GEOPOLITICS Breakfast_Santiago Cabanas

Today, we were highly privileged to have with us Ángel Gil-Ordóñez, great Ambassador of the music national heritage and one of the most relevant conductors Spain has ever had.

Mr. Gil-Ordóñez, with a long career in North America, Europe and South America, is the co-founder (with Joseph Horowitz) and director of the PostClassical Ensemble, he is the director of the Georgetown University Orchestra and he is also guest director in some of the most reputed Orchestras in the world. His role has been of the highest relevance for our country – he was awarded the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic.

Mr. Gil-Ordóñez gave as a masterclass, illustrating different conductors’ leadership examples that are applicable for a variety of sectors (enterprise, sports, …), reflecting also about the positive connections that music brings to other areas in life and pointing out some clues about the Orchestra of the future and its challenges, highlighting that Spain is a country of musicians, full of  folklore and traditions.

We learned a lot and we were very lucky to count on conductor Gil-Ordóñez’ personal point of view on topics you will never listen to, extracting very powerful lessons with a very enriching audience at the table. Our time went too fast. The atmosphere once again was amazing and the venue, with the best views of Madrid, was phenomenal.

Thank you once again Mr. Gil-Ordóñez from the Hoya Community in Spain for this such a special night!

Cena de Liderazgo_ÁNGEL GIL-ORDÓÑEZ

On May 23, the Georgetown Club of Spain Barcelona hosted a warm and lively happy hour at the historic Círculo Ecuestre, a private institution founded in 1856 that has long stood as a symbol of civic and cultural life in the city. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Javier Marcet for making this special gathering possible at such a distinguished venue.

A warm thank you as well to William Mut for generously giving us a tour and sharing the rich history of the club and its stunning building.

We’re also grateful to Manuel García for his gracious welcome.

Though we come from diverse backgrounds, the evening was a reminder of the strong sense of community and shared Georgetown spirit that connects us.

We look forward to gathering again soon!

Hoya Saxa!

On May 30th- June 1st, we continued our Club’s «National Events» chapter with an unforgettable weekend at La Rioja.

In this trip, on Friday night, we visited Laguardia, one of the most beautiful villages in our country, and had dinner there at the traditional wine cellar «Entreviñas y Olivos«.

On Saturday morning, we visited the area, full of great wineries. We had the pleasure to visit Beronia, the most sustainable winery in the world. At Beronia, thanks to Rosemary Blake and Luis González-Sterling, we were given a private tour by the winery and we had lunch there with amazing views of the winery, whose conception and architecture design is also outstanding. In the evening, our member Clara Pang and her husband César, hosted a reception at their residence in Haro: we had an unforgetabble evening with Spanish food, wine and top single malts. Thank you Clara and César for such a wonderful night!!!

On Sunday morning, we headed to Elciego, where we visited Marqués de Riscal; there, we had some drinks at its well-known hotel, designed by Frank O. Gehry, before heading to Logroño, to experience the «tapas and wine» experience at the famous calle Laurel doing «la ronda» in different bars.

Once again, it was an honor to live such a great Hoya experience together!!!

On May 30th- June 1st, we continued our Club’s «National Events» chapter with an unforgettable weekend at La Rioja.

In this trip, on Friday night, we visited Laguardia, one of the most beautiful villages in our country, and had dinner there at the traditional wine cellar «Entreviñas y Olivos«.

On Saturday morning, we visited the area, full of great wineries. We had the pleasure to visit Beronia, the most sustainable winery in the world. At Beronia, thanks to Rosemary Blake and Luis González-Sterling, we were given a private tour by the winery and we had lunch there with amazing views of the winery, whose conception and architecture design is also outstanding. In the evening, our member Clara Pang and her husband César, hosted a reception at their residence in Haro: we had an unforgetabble evening with Spanish food, wine and top single malts. Thank you Clara and César for such a wonderful night!!!

On Sunday morning, we headed to Elciego, where we visited Marqués de Riscal; there, we had some drinks at its well-known hotel, designed by Frank O. Gehry, before heading to Logroño, to experience the «tapas and wine» experience at the famous calle Laurel doing «la ronda» in different bars.

Once again, it was an honor to live such a great Hoya experience together!!!

On June 13th, the Georgetown Club of Spain held another meeting of the Leadership Series about Perspectives on Talent and Competitiveness in Spain. On this occasion, the topic was Energy. We had the privilege to welcome José D. Bogas, CEO of Endesa, to a private exclusive breakfast.

Endesa is the leading company in the Spanish electricity sector and the second biggest operator in the electricity market in Portugal, with around 10 thousand employees and serving more than 10m customers. Endesa is one of Spain’s largest companies and is one of 35 publicly listed companies on Spain’s main Stock Exchange, the IBEX 35.

Mr. Bogas is one of the most relevant leaders of our country and a clear reference in the energy sector, with a very long career in leading positions. He has received multiple awards for his professional achievements.

Mr. Bogas shared with us some of his best leadership and career advice based on a lifetime of experience, and gave us invaluable insights on the past, current and future energy prospects at the global, European and national level.

Mr. Bogas highlighted the importance of decarbonization and competitiveness for European firms, while considering the low energy costs in the United States in comparison with Europe, and at the same time emphasizing Spain’s successes in developing this sector in the last decades, going from a country with high energy prices to currently being very close to France’s prices and even cheaper than Germany. Mr. Bogas also stressed the need for greater alignment between the public administration and the private sector in order to generate additional incentives for new business investments in Spain.

In the current context, where Europe is technologically behind the United States and China in certain key areas, Mr. Bogas supports Europe’s sustainability and green energy goals. Some of these include the promotion of renewable energy, digitalization, electrification of demand and energy efficiency, while also assuring reliability in the energy networks and keeping existing nuclear facilities while reaching full decarbonization.

The former is a very simplistic extract. Mr. Bogas led a comprehensive analysis of the energy sector, combining strategic, technical, regulatory and political elements. Last but not least, Mr. Bogas was amazing and very entertaining. Time flew by.

It was a real privilege for all attendees to listen to Mr. Bogas´ insights on important and complex issues in such a clear and concise manner. We also had the opportunity to share ideas and to ask questions in a casual and open atmosphere to one of the most prominent leaders we have ever had. It was indeed an unforgettable morning.

Thank you, Mr. Bogas, and the ENDESA team, for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!!!

Welcome to the Neighbourhood (WTN) is a worldwide event promoted by the Georgetown University Alumni Association. All Clubs open their doors to all Hoyas visiting their respective cities. It was a pleasure for us in the Georgetown Club of Spain to host all Hoyas stepping by Madrid on September 4th in Club Molotov. We enjoyed together of a great evening accompanied of a great cocktail in one of the most advantgarde venues in Madrid. Additionally, we welcomed all GU exchange students that will be studying in Madrid this year.

Vivimos tiempos de cambio, pero ¿hacia dónde? En nuestro desayuno de liderazgo con Cecilia Yuste (Directora Corporativa de Asuntos Institucionales del Grupo Santander), una de las profesionales más completas por su conocimiento económico, diplomático, geopolítico y empresarial, hemos disfrutado de una conversación sobre cómo reinventarse y adaptarse a un nuevo entorno en el que no conocemos bien los límites, lleno de incertidumbres y, en continuo desafío. Ésta es la clave principal y lo que nos une como Hoyas: entender y aprender para trabajar en algo que -seguro- no está previsto, preservando nuestros valores.

Aquí radica uno de los activos que podemos trabajar desde el Club: aprender a interpretar el mundo con una mirada plural, combinar disciplinas y afrontar la nueva realidad de los problemas complejos; algo que Cecilia Yuste ha experimentado durante toda su carrera profesional y en lo que constituye un modelo ejemplar para las generaciones venideras. Hablamos, pues, de nuestro valor como profesionales generalistas, listos para trabajar en viejas y nuevas industrias.

Una lección importante es que el cambio no ha hecho más que empezar. Esta disciplina, esa mezcla agitada de geopolítica, asuntos internacionales y cuenta de resultados, es sobre lo que hoy hemos conversado. Riesgos, política pública, relaciones institucionales, seguridad física o digital, modelos de negocios y mucho más. Ha sido, sin duda, una conversación enriquecedora, con una profesional de extraordinario valor, una diplomática de carrera en uno de los grupos empresariales más importantes del mundo.

Pensemos cómo aprovechar nuestro conocimiento y experiencia para crear valor estratégico. No se trata de escuchar y quedarse sentado lamentando un tiempo pasado que, probablemente, fue más tranquilo y previsible. Hay que afrontar el desafío: actuar en nuestras instituciones y empresas, con responsabilidad y convencimiento, y contribuir a crear un camino nuevo.

¡Os esperamos en la próxima!

***

Algunas recomendaciones culturales a colación de lo comentado en el desayuno:

• David Epstein: “Range: Why generalists triumph in a specialized world”
• Masha Gessen: https://www.machadolibros.com/libro/el-hombre-sin-rostro_285758
• Corporate diplomacy en The Hilltop: https://global.georgetown.edu/georgetown_units/landegger-program-in-international-business-diplomacy
• José María Vera, Ángel Bonet: Multilateralismo. https://blogs.elconfidencial.com/mundo/las-fronteras-de-la-desigualdad/2025-06-20/economia-proposito-alianzas-impacto-1hms_4154470/

Desayuno de Liderazgo_CECILIA YUSTE