IE and Popular invest in the well-being of firms and directors

The initiative is based on transmitting gastronomic experiences and the benefits they bring on both a personal and professional level to IE’s students and 50,000 alumni, as well as to collaborating firms. An integral knowledge of gastronomy constitutes a differential value and the healthful experience it brings serves to round off the learning process offered by IE.

IE Gastronomy and its gastronomic community headed by Yolanda Regodón continues to grow and present program modules in addition to other new content in the form of “Minuto gastronómico” and “The Expert’s voice”. “Minuto Gastronómico” comprises a series of podcasts in which Rafael Anson talks about aspects of gastronomy that include the history of an extensive range of gourmet terms, the advantages of knowing how to eat the right products, and good gastronomic combinations, all aimed at providing complete gastronomic updates in two minutes. “The Expert’s Voice” is a series of short interviews that offer insights from experts on gastronomy, health, and sports. Speakers in the presentation event included María Marte, chef at Club Allard and recipient of the 2014 National Prize for Gastronomy, who talked about her experience at Club Allard, and led a workshop on one of her dishes that participants had to copy, but adding their own innovation.

“We need to show future managers to invest time in their well-being,” said Rafael Ansón, Director of the Center for Management, Nutrition and Welfare at IE. “Gastronomy also plays a key role in economy and in sustainability. It is proven that bad nutrition generates huge costs in national health. A high percentage of these are due to illnesses derived from eating badly. There is also a study that shows that changing the way people eat can reduce absenteeism at work. And we must remember that gastronomy accounts for some 20% of GDP.”

“Gastronomy embodies innovation in Spain” said Carlos Balado, Adjunct General Director of Communication, Brand and Corporate Relations at Popular. “Innovation is a challenge for Spanish SMEs working in this sector and our bank aims to join forces with companies to help them achieve their goals.”

The program modules enjoyed the collaboration of renowned experts, including leading cardiologist Valentín Fuster, internationally famous chefs Ferran Adriá, and nutritionists Gregorio Varela and José María Ordovás, all of whom are set to promote healthy life styles among the IE community through workshops.  The modules are based on topics that include a global vision of gastronomy, gastronomy and health, the impact of gastronomy on the economic and tourism sector, sociology and culture, the importance of education in gastronomy, and gastronomy in the digital age. The challenge is to incorporate into the education system knowledge of nutrition and to educate in terms of taste.

The objective is quite simply to improve the quality of life of students and alumni, as well as members of collaborating firms. “We are not going to show people how to eat, but rather to know that they have to spend time on learning to do it and to develop a gastronomic culture,” said Rafael Anson. “Little by little, people in management are learning that they also have to think about personal needs, not just work requirements. It also brings improved bottom-line results, because a person who feels good is more efficient.”