Some 2,000 executives and entrepreneurs gathered at IESE Barcelona's new campus to celebrate the 46th Global Alumni Reunion and mark the beginning of the school's 50th anniversary celebrations.

The title of this year's reunion was "Economic, Corporate and Sustainable Growth" where key topics centered around the future growth of companies in a globalized and competitive world. The closing presentation was delivered by 2006 Nobel laureate Edmund S. Phelps of Columbia University.

Providing welcome speeches were IESE's Dean Jordi Canals, Antonio Argandoña and the President of the Alumni Association, Antonio González-Adalid. In his opening remarks, Dean Canals described the founding of IESE, key moments in the school's history, its international expansion, and how IESE seeks to impact people around the world. He also addressed four key areas of emphasis for the future: faculty, research, innovation and managing global activities. Dean Canals pointed to the strengthening of IESE's global presence, particularly in the United States and Germany, over the next 50 years.

The first speaker at the event was Joaquín Almunia, Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs for the European Union. In his presentation, "Growth and Sustainability: Opportunities for Europe," he spoke about the advantages and risks of globalization, as well as today's historic opportunity to reach universal values.

He also congratulated IESE on its 50th anniversary which, he noted, coincides with the Treaty of Rome that established the European Union.

The talk "How Companies Achieve Sustainable Growth?" was presented by Ermenegildo Zegna, CEO of Ermenegildo Zegna Group. Zegna spoke about the importance of reacting quickly to market needs and remaining customer focused as a means of sustainable growth. He went on to describe the company's "Roots and Wings" concept,  a model for consistency in sustainable growth.

Next was a panel session on macroeconomic growth led by IESE Prof. Juan José Toribio, which included three prominent experts.

Kenneth S. Rogoff of Harvard University provided a look at the U.S. economy. Although there are more countries in the world following stable economic policies, he said, there are still major weaknesses in the global economy. Roberto F. de Ocampo, Chairman of the Board of Advisors of RFO, addressed the rise of the Asian economy since the crisis of 1997. And finally, Domenico Siniscalco, vice chairman and managing director of Morgan Stanley International, stressed that climate change will be a critical issue in terms of future growth and sustainability for firms.

In the final presentation of the morning, "Foundations for a Decent and Dynamic Society," Prof. Robert George of Princeton University said the two main pillars for creating dynamism in society are higher education institutions and businesses. It is in the interest of business, he said, to help nurture a healthy society and this can be carried out through ethical conduct.

During the afternoon's parallel sessions, IESE Prof. Johanna Mair presented "Social Entrepreneurs as Partners in Global Markets," highlighting the differences between profit motives and social motives in entrepreneurial activity. She presented case studies exemplifying how entrepreneurs shifted their corporations' focus to social market needs.

In the session "Speeding Up Africa's Development," IESE Prof. Javier Santomá provided an outline of the broad range of problems faced by the African continent. Luis Borrallo, Director of External Relations at Strathmore University, went on to stress the importance of fostering continued development in Kenya. Guest speaker Lucy Gikonyo, professor at Strathmore University, discussed the school¿s plans to help set up a Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Kibodeni College.

Other sessions touched upon themes such as the social dimension of private equity, integration of disabled people, growth potential in our society and globalization today and tomorrow.

Other prominent speakers included Carlos Añaños, Miguel Ferré, Alberto Durán, Francisco Belil, Francisco Martín Frías, Ulrich Grabenwarter and Stephan Lobmey.

Other IESE professors participating in the reunion were Antonio Argandoña, Carlos Cavallé, Heinrich Liechtenstein, Pankaj Ghemawat, Paddy Miller, Alfredo Pastor, Julia Prats, José Antonio Segarra, Juan José Toribio and Pedro Videla.

After the parallel sessions, alumni heard from Niall Ferguson of Harvard University on the topic of globalization, followed by Prof. Phelps' presentation titled, "How to Spark Growth Potential in our Society."

The annual Global Alumni Reunion has been held every year since 1961.  There are currently some 30,000 IESE graduates living in 95 countries around the world.