Opening of the 2026/2027 Academic Year

Manuel Muñiz

Rector & Chair

IE University & IE New York College

https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuelmunizvilla/

Manuel Muñiz is the Rector of IE University in Madrid, Professor of Practice of International Relations, and Chair of the Board of Trustees of IE New York College. He previously served as Provost of IE University and Dean of IE’s School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs, and as Deputy Minister at the Spanish Foreign Ministry. He also served as President of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA). Dr. Muñiz is a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations and the Club of Madrid’s Advisory Committee, and has received recognitions such as Spain’s Grand Cross of the Order of Merit. He holds a DPhil in International Relations from Oxford and an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School

Philippe Aghion

Nobel Laureate in Economics Sciences (2025)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippe-aghion/?locale=en

Philippe Aghion is a Professor at the College de France, at INSEAD, and at the London School of Economics, and a fellow of the Econometric Society and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on the economics of innovation and growth. With Peter Howitt, he pioneered the so-called Schumpeterian Growth theory which became a leading paradigm to analyze the interplay between growth, innovation, market structure, and firm dynamics. Much of this work is summarized in their joint books Endogenous Growth Theory (MIT Press, 1998) and The Economics of Growth (MIT Press, 2009), in his book with Rachel Griffith on Competition and Growth (MIT Press, 2006), in his survey “What Do We Learn from Schumpeterian Growth Theory” (joint with U. Akcigit and P. Howitt), and more recently in The Power of Creative Destruction (joint with C. Antonin and S. Bunel). In 2001, Philippe Aghion received the Yrjo Jahnsson Award of the best European economist under age 45, in 2009 he received the John Von Neumann Award, and in March 2020 he shared the BBVA “Frontier of Knowledge Award” with Peter Howitt for “developing an economic growth theory based on the innovation that emerges from the process of creative destruction”. He has been awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in 2025 (jointly with Peter Howitt for their works on creative destruction, and with Joel Mokyr)

Fabrizio Salvador

Dean, IE Doctoral School

IE University

https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabsalv/

Fabrizio Salvador is Professor of Operations and Technology Management and Adjunct Vice-Rector for Applied Research at IE Business School, IE University. He holds a Ph.D. in Operations Management and a degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Padova. A former visiting professor at MIT and Shanghai University, he has also been an Adjunct Faculty Research Associate at Arizona State University and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar ranking. His research focuses on operations management, people analytics, organizational flexibility, human-centric operations, and sustainability. His work has been published in leading journals, including Organization Science, Harvard Business Review, and MIT Sloan Management Review. He has held editorial leadership roles in top academic journals and has collaborated with global organizations such as AstraZeneca, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Telefónica, Unilever, and DHL to improve operational performance through applied research and innovation.

Martina Pasquini

Director, Learning Innovation

IE University

https://www.linkedin.com/in/martina-pasquini-5358651a/

Martina Pasquini is Associate Professor of Strategy at IE University and holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration and Management from Bocconi University. Her research focuses on the intersection of strategy, innovation, and entrepreneurship, with an emphasis on shared value creation, identity-based strategies, sustainability, and purpose-driven businesses, including B Corporations. She has received competitive research funding from the European Union, the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, and FUNCAS. Her work has been published in leading journals such as Strategic Management Journal, Research Policy, and Journal of Business Venturing. She teaches strategy and innovation at undergraduate and graduate levels and serves in leadership roles within the Strategic Management Society, the Academy of Management, The Case Centre, and B Academics.

Isabela Del Alcázar Benjumea

Chief Purpose and Sustainability Officer

IE University

https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabelaalcazar/

Isabela del Alcázar holds a PhD in molecular biology  and a Master in Biotech Management from IE Business School. With more than 20 years dedicated to science, Isabela has helped scientists to set up start-ups and thus act as a bridge for scientific advances to revert to society. Active member of high-impact initiatives such as the Madrid-MIT consortium (funded by Madrid Government and executed through the MIT) and founding partner of several start-ups related to science and sustainability such as Polypeptide Therapeutic Solutions, and Biocapital Advisors. Today, Isabela holds the position of Global Head of Sustainability at IE University and her mission is to transform the university into a benchmark in sustainability. Achievements during her leadership include having IE Business School climb to first position worldwide for ESG Teaching in FT MBA Ranking or making IE University be one of the first Carbon Neutral Universities worldwide.  

Marco Giarratana

Vice Rector of Scientific Knowledge and Impact

IE University

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marco-giarratana-0319393/

Marco Giarratana holds a PhD in Economics and Management from the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy. He was assistant and associate professor at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (2003 – 2010), and associate and full professor at Bocconi University in Milan (2011 – 2016). His main research interests focus on the role of trademarks and patents, resource synergies and redeployment, and sustainability strategies. Prof. Giarratana has published in journals like Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science, and Management Science. He has up to date more than 1,000 citations in Scopus.

Juan Santaló

Vice Rector of Faculty and Research

IE University

https://www.linkedin.com/in/juan-santal%C3%B3-023804/

Juan Santaló is Vice-Rector of Faculty & Research and Full Professor of Strategic Management at IE University. He received his PhD in Economics from the University of Chicago and a Master’s in Economics from the Pompeu Fabra University. He has been a Visiting Professor at Bocconi University and the Booth Business School of the University of Chicago, director of the Strategy Department at IE University and director of the Observatory on Competition Policy. In the field of research, Prof. Santaló focuses on the fields of Corporate Strategy and Competitive Strategy in Platform Markets. His latest academic publications have been published in journals such as Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science or Management Science. He serves on the Executive Committee of the STR Division of the Academy of Management and on the editorial review board of the Strategic Management Journal.