IESE launches Sport Management Center with the support of Alan Pace, president of RCD Espanyol

On March 5, IESE Business School will present the IESE Sports Management Center, a new research center aimed at promoting leadership, professionalization and excellence in the global sports industry. 

The center, led by IESE professors Jan Simon and Albert Fernández-Terricabras, was born thanks to the support of prominent business and sports leaders. Among them, Alan Pace, MBA from IESE 1994 and current president of RCD Espanyol, who supports the project as a donor in a personal capacity. Entrepreneur and technologist Antoni Martín, Executive MBA of IESE 2011, also supports the initiative as a donor. 

RCD Espanyol de Barcelona will join the project as a strategic partner within the framework of a collaboration aimed at the exchange of knowledge, strategic reflection and the promotion of good practices in sports management. 

A new boost to the professionalization of sport 

The sports industry faces growing challenges in areas such as governance, financial sustainability, innovation, talent management and internationalization. The IESE Sports Management Center brings strategic thinking and rigorous research, reinforcing IESE’s commitment to developing responsible leaders capable of making an impact on their organizations and society. 

The Sports Management Center aspires to consolidate itself as an international hub of reference in management training, applied research and collaboration with the sports industry. Its mission will be to accompany leaders and organizations in the management of the major strategic challenges of the sector, promote innovation and generate a positive impact on organizations, communities and society.