Hybrid Intelligence for Executive Development
10th Executive Coaching SymposiumMay 8, 2026
The Executive Coaching Symposium returns to IESE’s Barcelona Campus to celebrate its 10th edition. Organized by IESE’s Executive Coaching Unit, this flagship, in-person gathering brings together coaches, leaders, scholars, and practitioners to exchange ideas, share experiences, and generate practical insights that help shape the future of executive coaching.
This year’s theme is Hybrid Intelligence for Executive Development, which responds to the rapid advances in AI and a crucial question for leadership development: how can we use technology to amplify, rather than replace, Human Intelligence? The Symposium will explore how AI can strengthen executive development through data, patterns, and performance metrics, while human coaching remains essential for the “presence-based” work of trust, empathy, and complex behavioral change.
Join Dr. Terrence E. Maltbia for a keynote that brings Hybrid Intelligence to life with actionable frameworks for developing executives with “double literacy”, fluent in both data-driven insight and human connection. Dr. Maltbia is a Professor of Practice at Teachers College, Columbia University, and Faculty Director of the Columbia Coaching Certification Program (3CP), and has been recognized by Thinkers50 as #1 in Coach Education (2019).
As always, the Executive Coaching Symposium at IESE is an opportunity to exchange insights that can influence the direction of executive coaching and leadership development, and spark fresh thinking among top executives. We would be delighted to have you join fellow speakers, special guests, and business leaders, bringing the expertise and real-world experience that enrich the dialogue and help create a meaningful, lasting impact.
Friday, May 8, 2026
8:30-9:00 Registration
9:00-9:30 Welcome
- Prof. Franz Heukamp, Dean of IESE Business School. Professor of Managerial Decision Sciences
- Prof. Yih-Teen Lee, Academic Director, IESE Coaching Unit. Professor of Managing People in Organizations, IESE Business School
- Prof. Estíbalitz Ortiz, Executive Director Coaching Unit. Lecturer in Managing People in Organizations, IESE Business School
9:30-10:30 Keynote Session
- Prof. Evgeny Kaganer, Professor of Operations, Information and Technology, IESE Business School
10:30-11:00 Coffee Break
11:00-12:30 Keynote Session
How prioritizing human connection remains the ultimate competitive advantage in an AI-augmented landscape
- Dr. Terrence E. Maltbia, Professor of Practice, Department Organization and Leadership at Teachers College of Columbia University
12:30-12:45 Coffee Break
12:45-13:45 Panel with Senior Executives
13:45-15:00 Lunch
15:00-16:30 Plenary Workshop
Six thinking hats
- David Prior, Executive coach and core faculty member in the Coaching Program at Teachers College, Columbia University
16:30-17:00 Coffee Break
17:00-18:30 Parallel Workshops
18:30-18:45 Coffee Break
18:45-19:30 Red Thread Review
What do I Take Home?
- Prof. Yih-Teen Lee, Academic Director, IESE Coaching Unit. Professor of Managing People in Organizations, IESE Business School
19:30 Closure and walk to the restaurant (15min)
20:00 Dinner
You can find full information on IESE’s Executive Coaching Unit on our webpage. The activities of the unit are based on:
• Provision of executive coaching to strengthen and complement the learning of participants in IESE executive education programs.
• Research on the foundations and impact of executive coaching, the different assessment tools available, and the best methodologies in the context of management and leadership education.
• Workshops and meetings with other institutions. The coaching unit organizes a series of workshops and international meetings through close collaboration with other institutions.
• Leadership Coaching Program: over eighteen weeks program, delivered in a blended format, which aim is to help participants to acquire executive coaching fundamentals and grow in self-awareness via experiential coaching sessions and coaching supervision
• The publication of cases and technical notes. Over the last 10 years, IESE’s coaching unit has published more than 30 cases and technical notes related to executive coaching and assessment instruments.
The Coaching Unit relies on the collaboration of a team of more than 60 senior coaches that, besides their proven qualification and expertise in different methodologies of coaching, have a relevant professional experience working as executives in a variety of industries and corporations.
The Coaching Unit is led by Dr. Estibalitz Ortiz, Executive Director.