The Instituto business y Humanismo held an academic event today to commemorate its 25th Anniversary. The event, presided over by the President, Ángel J. Gómez-Montoro, began with a tribute to Enrique de Sendagorta, president of the Institute since 1996. Professor Alejandro Llano and businessman Tomás Calleja, founding members of the Institute, as well as Rafael Alvira, its current director, also participated.

The President affirmed that the Institute, from its beginnings, "set out to contribute -through research and teaching to solving the problems posed by the growing complexity of our society, especially those related to how to integrate business and economic activity into civil society. And it did so, moreover, with a marked and pioneering interdisciplinary character".

Its purpose, he said, is to help perfect an economic, business and political Philosophy internship , through an ongoing dialogue between entrepreneurs and academics, so as to generate new attitudes and new operational ideas. In this sense, he urged the members of the Institute to continue to be "the necessary stimulus to rebuild a society that, as the present economic crisis has shown, is in such great need of ethical principles".

25 years at the service of business and society

The business and Humanism Institute began in 1986, when a group of businessmen (Tomás Calleja and José María Zalbidea, from Iberdrola; Felipe Gómez Pallete, from IBM; Manuel Herrán, from Compañía Sevillana de Electricidad; and Luis María de Ybarra y Oriol, from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya) came to the University, convinced of the need to redesign society, in search of humanists who shared their concerns. Alejandro Llano, Leonardo Polo, Rafael Alvira and Jaime Benguría joined this initiative on behalf of the University.

The Instituto business y Humanismo is 25 years old.

Photo: Manuel Castells

Since then, the Institute has been at the service of the academic and business community, stimulating a permanent interdisciplinary dialogue about business and society. To this end, it organizes an annual research seminar , forums, conference, colloquiums and courses; it offers an official Master's Degree and doctorate program in Governance and Organizational Culture; and it publishes several publications.

Rafael Alvira, director of the Institute, pointed out that the work carried out by business and Humanism "can be framed within the scope of what has classically been called great politics, Politics with a capital P, which observes society in its Structures and in its living with sufficient distance to be able to know it truly and without political or economic partisanship. His goal was to contribute to the flourishing of a new civil society, in which the University would fertilize the institutions with its spirit and in turn enrich itself through dialogue with them".

Words of tribute

On the occasion of his tribute, Enrique de Sendagorta thanked the Institute's collaborators, its associated companies and the rectors of the University "who have reciprocated the work of this center". He also spoke about "the improvement of men in business , which is as important as their Economics" and highlighted the role of the Institute in this regard. "I think it could green, with entrepreneurs, the important struggle of all for human improvement and show intelligent ways to achieve it to the greatest extent possible."   

For his part, President Ángel J. Gómez-Montoro highlighted his work, in which he has never been satisfied with theories or suggestions: "His involvement in this university project has been absolute and unquestionable," he said.

Enrique de Sendagorta, born in Plencia (Vizcaya) in 1924, is a naval engineer and founder of the SENER business , leader in engineering projects, of which he is currently Chairman. He founded and managed the Construnaves shipyards association and was General director of Foreign Trade and General director of Commercial Expansion at the Ministry of Trade (1960-1963).

He chaired the association of Naval Engineers from 1963 to 1969 and was general director of the Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval. Likewise, from its foundation in 1968 until 1976 he was executive chairman of Petronor. He is currently honorary chairman and director of this company, as well as director of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya and Marítima del Norte. Since 1996 he has chaired the Instituto business y Humanismo.