IE University and Santander Host Closing Event for ‘Santander X | Escala tu Pyme’ Program
Over 80 executives from Spanish small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) gathered at the IE Tower to celebrate the conclusion of the online training program 'Santander X | Escala tu Pyme,' which focuses on strategic growth.
In Spain, SMEs make up more than 99% of the business network and are crucial to the economy. In a globalized and ever-changing world, the ability to adapt and strategically grow is essential for their competitiveness. Because of this, Banco Santander, through Santander X, and IE University, through IE Foundation, launched the initiative “Santander X Training | Escala tu Pyme” which offered 1,000 scholarships for training in strategic growth, innovation, and sustainability to executives of Spanish SMEs.
The closing event brought together the finalist SMEs in an atmosphere of enthusiasm and recognition. It featured prominent industry leaders and representatives from IE University and Banco Santander.
Olga Abad, Director of Corporate and Institutional Banking at Santander Spain, and Gonzalo Garland, Executive Vice President of the IE Foundation, welcomed the attendees and emphasized the importance of supporting the development of SMEs, which not only generate wealth but also constantly innovate and open new markets, being fundamental to Spain’s business network.
Following this, a panel discussion on the challenges of business scalability took place, moderated by Joe Haslam, Academic Director of the Online Learning Journey for the program. The panel included Asier González, Director of Corporate and Institutional Business at Santander Spain; Jaime Uscola, Director of International Business and Corporate Products at Santander Spain; Pablo Penas, Associate Professor at IE Business School and Founder and CEO of Scale Up Partner; and Susana Rodríguez Urgel, Professor of Digital Transformation at IE Business School.
After the panel, Enrique Dans, Senior Advisor for Innovation and Digital Transformation at IE University, delivered a keynote speech highlighting the impact of technological evolution and the significant potential of digital transformation driven by advancements in artificial intelligence.
Later, Ángel Rivera, CEO of Santander, led a discussion with three participating SMEs, who shared their beginnings, challenges faced, and lessons learned, as well as various perspectives from their respective sectors.
During the event, five Executive Education scholarships were awarded to the top-performing SMEs, underscoring Santander and IE University’s commitment to business growth and development.
The event concluded with remarks from Diego del Alcázar Benjumea, CEO of IE University, and Ángel Rivera, who stressed the importance of continuous training and support for the growth of SMEs and the business network, based on IE’s strategic values such as innovation and entrepreneurship.
For IE University and IE Foundation, it is a privilege to work with Santander on initiatives that provide training opportunities to drive business development.