Building a Transformative Higher Education Ecosystem: The Pivotal Role of Partnerships with Industry, Multilateral Organizations, and Civil Society

Soledad Atienza

Dean - IE Law School

IE University

Soledad Atienza is the Dean of IE Law School and has an extensive academic experience and a global vision of legal education.  She earned her Ph.D. in Social Sciences from IE University and is currently a law professor. Her expertise includes the areas of comparative law and legal teaching methods. Soledad has an Executive MBA degree from IE Business School and a Certificate in European Studies from the European Institute of the University of Saarland in Germany. She was a visiting student at Cornell University in New York and holds a law degree from the CEU San Pablo University in Spain. She is Co-President of the Law Schools Global League (LSGL); Co-Vice president of the Commission for the Future of Legal Services of the IBA (International Bar Association); and has co-directed the “Blueprint on global legal education”. She is also Co-Director of the Pérez-Llorca / IE Chair of Business Law. 

David Barros

Head of Global Health Medicines R&D

GSK

David Barros is the Vice President and Head of the Global Health Pharma Research Unit at GSK. He leads a team based in Tres Cantos, Madrid, focused on the discovery and development of novel treatments for Global Health diseases, including Malaria, Kinetoplastid diseases, and Tuberculosis. David is committed to advancing research in these areas and has been instrumental in the development of innovative regimens to combat these diseases. His work is pivotal in GSK's mission to improve global health outcomes through cutting-edge pharmaceutical research. 

María-Eugenia Marín

Vice Provost for Global Academic Partnerships & Alliances

IE University

María-Eugenia Marin is the Vice Provost for Global Academic Partnerships and Alliances at IE University, having joined the External Relations team in 2002. She holds a B.A. in Government from Harvard University and an MSc in Politics of the World Economy from LSE, with additional business studies in Oxford and the US. Previously, she was Senior Research Associate and Director of External Relations at IRELA, an EU-funded think tank, and collaborated with Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and the US Senate on education policy. She has also worked in banking and real estate investment.

Miguel Panadero

UNSSC Acting Director

United Nations System Staff College

Miguel Panadero brings over 25 years of experience in leadership, management and learning in the international public sector. He has a proven track record in fostering knowledge networks and helping organizations drive change, innovation and digital transformation in pursuit of agility, operational excellence, and sustainable results in line with the values for which the UN stands. A Spanish national, Miguel holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha and is an alumnus of doctoral studies in Regional Analysis at the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, the University of Plymouth and the Université Catholique de Louvain.