EAE Business School Madrid celebrates the 2023 Graduation Ceremony

EAE Business School Madrid, which belongs to Planeta Formación y Universidades, has held the graduation ceremony for the more than 2,000 students who have completed their studies this year in the different Masters and MBAs taught by the Business School. The ceremony was attended by the CEO of Bankinter, María Dolores Dancausa, as godmother of the graduating class. The ceremony was presided over by the president of Grupo Planeta and Atresmedia, José Creuheras.

The Graduation Ceremony, which took place at the Palacio Vistalegre Arena Madrid, was attended by the CEO of Bankinter, María Dolores Dancausa, as godmother of the graduating class. During her speech, she shared some of the lessons learned from her more than 25 years of professional career in the financial sector: "I am one of those who believe that what really sticks in your mind is what you learn from your own experiences, successes and mistakes. In order to be successful in life, it is not enough to make an effort and work hard, but it is also important that opportunities appear and that you know how to take advantage of them. According to María Dolores Dancausa, "of all the definitions of the word luck, the one I like the most is when opportunity meets preparation. Which means that the more prepared you are, the more opportunities you will have."

Likewise, Dancausa acknowledged that she belongs to a generation of very prepared and responsible women: "we got fully into the working world without giving up being mothers. I feel part of and belong to a generation of free and independent women". In addition, the godmother of the graduating class also pointed out the importance of leadership: "society needs reliable and confident leaders who are able to solve problems and contribute to progress", learning continuously and "adapting to changes".

In her speech, the CEO of Bankinter encouraged the young graduates to follow four maxims: "work and personal self-demand; team building; having values and principles, being aware of the sacrifices that have to be made to achieve goals; and humility, since you have to be humble when you are at the top and a fighter when you are at the bottom in order to be able to climb".

Montserrat Civera, Academic Director of Planeta Formación y Universidades, an international network of higher education of which EAE Business School Madrid is a member, also participated in the event. In her speech, Montserrat Civera said: "Teamwork, critical thinking, knowing how to face complex challenges from an analytical but also human point of view are essential qualities for transformational leaders, which today's organizations demand".

In this sense, he insisted that: "It is a great satisfaction to have a new class of graduates, we hope that the knowledge and professional skills they have acquired during their time at EAE Business School Madrid will lead them to be professionals and business leaders for the long term, working from the values we have instilled in them, that is, from the responsibility to generate a positive social impact".

After the speeches, several awards were presented during the event. The Teaching Excellence Award went to two professors from EAE Business School Madrid, Eduardo Correa as the best Part-Time Program Professor and Javier Rivas as the best Full-Time Program Professor.

The best academic record was awarded to Juana Botero, student of the Master in Leadership in Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility.

Pace University was recognized with the Academic International Partner Award.

The Top Recruiter Award went to Beatriz Serrano, Head of Employer Branding and Talent Attraction at CEPSA. And the most important award of the night went to María Dolores Dancausa, CEO of Bankinter and godmother of the promotion. Mr. José Creuheras, President of Grupo Planeta and Atresmedia gave the award, but the three students of the graduating class presented the prize: Pedro Gabarrón, student of the Master in Stock Exchange and Financial Markets Full Time, Fernanda Hierro, student of the Master in Human Resource & Talent Development Full Time and Agustina Villareal, student of the Master in Project Management Weekend.

After the presentation of the awards, the three graduating students gave their speeches.

Once the speeches were finished, the presentation of bands to the more than 2,000 graduating students followed.

An emotional video, consisting of congratulations from different family members and friends of the students, especially those who were miles away during the graduation ceremony, moved the audience at the Palacio Vistalegre Arena Madrid.

The Graduation Ceremony was closed with a few words from Antonio Rodriguez, Dean of EAE Business School Madrid: "Throughout these months, in which I have had no qualms about interrupting classes to find out how you were doing and what we could do to make the academic experience the best, I have found a student body dedicated to the knowledge of the faculty".  In this way, he concluded: "Where you only saw classrooms, now you have your home. Learning continues with us. We had confidence in your potential, and you have proved us right". 

The event was presented by Helena Resano, presenter of LaSexta News and Carles Lamelo, journalist at Onda Cero.

MARÍA DOLORES DANCAUSA, MORE THAN TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

She is currently Chief Executive Officer of Bankinter, one of Spain's leading financial institutions, a position to which she was appointed in October 2010. In her years at the helm of this institution, she has successfully overcome two major economic crises, in addition to the exceptional situation of the 2020-2022 pandemic, leading the bank to its highest levels of profit, profitability and efficiency over the last decade, as well as appearing as one of the most solid and solvent institutions in Europe.

Previously, between 1995 and 2010, she developed her professional career in the insurance company Línea Directa, being part of its founding team as General Secretary and of the Board of Directors, until she became Chief Executive Officer and CEO of the company at the beginning of 2008. During this period, she positioned the company as the fifth largest automobile insurer operating in Spain.

Her academic background includes a degree in Law from Colegio Universitario San Pablo CEU, complemented by several Management Programs at Harvard Business School, an Advanced Management Programme at INSEAD Business School in Fontainebleu, and a Master in Human Resources and Business Strategy from Instituto Universitario Euroforum-INSEAD (Madrid).

Among her contribution to other Boards of Directors, her participation as an Independent Director of the British firm Esure, a major UK insurer, between 2013 and 2018 stands out. She is currently a trustee of the Princess of Girona Foundation, where she chairs its Audit Committee, and a trustee of the Bankinter Innovation Foundation. She has been an independent director of Acciona since 2021.

 María Dolores Dancausa has received numerous awards in recognition of her management career. These include the Forbes magazine award for Best CEO of the Year in 2021 and the Financial Excellence Award for Professional Career by the Institut d'Estudis Financers (IEF) in 2018. He currently occupies the sixth position on the MERCO list of the 100 business leaders with the best reputation in Spain, a list he entered more than ten years ago and on which she has been consolidating his position.

THE GRADUATES OF EAE BUSINESS SCHOOL MADRID

At the Graduation Ceremony, more than 2,000 students graduated from EAE Business School Madrid's MBA and Master's programs. 71% of EAE Madrid students are international and come from 61 different nationalities.