Three of the Global EMBA '10 monthly participants, Koert Grever, Mikhail Ivanov and Antoine Prager took part in a sailing race, "Ruta de la Sal" to Ibiza, with more than 300 participating yachts, in April. Koert skippered a team of nine on a 14-meter sailing yacht, and had a total of six nationalities on board.

“Luckily, I can sail in Dutch, English and Spanish, but with 50% novice sailors, there was still enough room for confusion. After two days of practicing, everybody had at least some idea on what to expect, and we also had plenty of time to build a strong team spirit during the pre-start parties. The race started in Denia, Alicante, on a Thursday afternoon, and when we finally hit the shores of Ibiza during the early hours of Saturday morning, we had become a great performing team and felt really accomplished. During these 35 hours of continued sailing/racing, we experienced close competition with other yachts, frequent sail changes, off-shore and coastal navigation and amazing wildlife such as a 10-meter whale (!), dolphins, giant sea turtles and sun fishes. We were most impacted by the changing weather conditions – from sunny to hail storms – and during the final 20 miles, a heavy thunderstorm left us soaked and cold, and turned the final miles into a heavy battle against the elements. Once in Ibiza we had a nice chill out on the beach and the old town before joining the closing party with around 3000 fellow sailors. The next day we had a relaxed cruise back to Denia, where we delivered the yacht and celebrated our safe return and position on the top third of the leader board. If the Global EMBA program allows, we are already looking forward to participating next year,” he said.

To get more people interested in “competitive” sailing, Koert has started to organize a weekend of friendly Global EMBA "regatas", for the weekend of September 12-13 with a training day on September 11, in or around Barcelona. If you are interested in participating with your class or team, or have sailing plans, then please drop him an email at koert.grever@iese.net.

Miguel Rescalvo (Global EMBA '10, monthly) has been appointed Director for Climate Change Services, North America, for Det Norske Veritas (DNV), a global provider of services for managing risk. With this career move, Miguel will relocate from Oslo to Silicon Valley. The company aims to build on the combined strengths of DNV and of the individuals in its existing Climate Change organization in the United States. The team in the U.S. is very senior, consisting of circa 200 employees with extended experience in the industry, but a short time in DNV and limited internal networks. Therefore, Miguel’s new role will be to help build the connections with the wider DNV world. Miguel joined DNV in 2000, initially as an external consultant, then as lead Auditor, Area Manager and Sales Manager for Iberia. In 2006, he moved to Norway to join the Climate Change group, first as part of the climate change Global Support Team and later as Director of Competence and Training. His new position will be effective on the first of August. 
 
“I’m thankful for the opportunity of leading the North American Climate Change team.
With the Obama administration in place, we are seeing a shift in the U.S. approach to climate change and the interaction among the international community in critical climate change aspects. It is very exciting to lead the North American team in these times. I’m sure DNV will have a relevant role in the climate change community in the U.S. and Canada,” says Miguel.

Paulo Feferbaum’s (Global EMBA '04) company Clarity, which aims to deliver innovative branding and marketing solutions to fulfill client needs, has received a worthy mention in two major publications. The Financial Times (29/04) featured Clarity in an article called Doing Business in Barcelona, which focused on the rich fashion scene in Barcelona. La VanGuardia (13/05) also featured the company throughout its article The Pop-Up Universe, published in the Trends section of the newspaper, where Clarity was named as a clear example of a forerunner to this new temporary, short-life span retail experiences.

Paulo commented on his company’s recent success: “Clarity has pioneered on Retail and Distribution fields - where we believe that all the efforts and actions should be concentrated - implementing and creating new concepts of retail, like Pop Up (temporary) shops for clients like Nike, Maremagnum, Sonae Sierra and Chupa Chups. Seeing the current crisis, we have anticipated it, opening an office in São Paulo, Brazil (and the BRICS), where we believe the most opportunities are right now.”

Aneta Velevska (Global EMBA '08) was featured in a press release on the USAID website, where she was identified as an “agent of change” who took part in an initiative that provided five young up-and-coming Macedonian mid-level private sector managers with the opportunity to attend MBA programs at top-ranked European universities. In this article, Aneta spoke of her positive experience at IESE and said that the Global EMBA helped her to become a more effective, inspiring and responsible leader. Aneta, who is Manager of the Cash Management Department in Komercijalna Banka, was also interviewed in TEA, one of the most popular magazines in Macedonia. Here, she praised the Global EMBA program, saying that the possibility of sharing experiences on a day-to-day basis with managers from 27 countries from, without exception, all continents in the world; 16 industries; different sectors and cultures was an experience with invaluable importance. Aneta also cited the possibility to compare the business environments and the entrepreneurship cultures among Europe, the U.S. and Asia, and the residential sessions as the most interesting aspects of the program.

Marc Martínez Selma (Global EMBA '09) has been named the new Head of Brokers and Partners for Distribution Channels and member of the Executive Team at Zurich Spain. Marc’s new position will help Zurich to reinforce distribution channels and fulfill the company's goal to become a leader in the field in Spain. Marc began his career with Zurich in 2000. Previous to his new position, he was head of Business Development for the Central and Eastern Europe.

Mathias Illius (Global EMBA '05) and his wife, Betty Torres, welcomed a baby boy into the family. Mathias Antonio was born on April 30, in Barcelona.

Tomasz Troniewski (Global EMBA '08), and his wife, Magdalena, had their third daughter, Antonina, on May 7, in Warsaw.

Andreas Schroeter (Global EMBA '08) and his wife, Nina Marie, announced the birth of their son, Maximilian Johannes, on June 18 at 15:30, in Hannover, Germany. Maximilian weighed 3540 grams and was 54 cm long.

Three members of Team Lagartos from the Global EMBA '09 class, Frank Höving, Ramon Lladós and Pepe Hanzé, have one more thing in common: they have all welcomed babies into their families!

Frank Höving (Global EMBA '09) and his wife Sandra had a baby girl, Carla, on May 12, 2009 at 1:30 am, in Barcelona. Carla weighed 3,280 grams and measured 48 cm. Frank and Sandra have a son, Mark, who is excited to be a big brother.

Ramon Lladós (Global EMBA '09) and his wife Merce are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter, Maria, on May 26, in Encamp (Andorra). Maria has an older brother, Ramon, who is 16 months old.

Pepe Hanzé (Global EMBA '09) and his wife Isabella are very happy with the arrival of Isabella, who was born on June 8, in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The baby Global EMBA T-shirt is on its way to her!
 

Lope Hoces (Global EMBA '08) wed his fiancée Gloria on May 23, in Barcelona. Some of his classmates who were present described the event as “beautiful”! Best wishes for Lope and Gloria!