Valencia, November 6. On November 5 and 6, the MBA Acelera Valencia Meeting brought together representatives from public institutions, companies, foundations, and organizations from Guatemala, El Salvador, Colombia, Kenya, and Spain to reflect on humanistic leadership and its role in building sustainable and purpose-driven companies.
The event, held at Banco Sabadell’s Hub Empresa and organized by Fundación del Valle and ACTEC, with funding from the General Directorate of International Development Cooperation of the Generalitat Valenciana, featured the participation of partner organizations such as FUNDAP (Guatemala), FUSAI (El Salvador), Interactuar, Fundación Carvajal and Fundación Grupo Social (Colombia).
Purpose-driven cooperation and social leadership
The opening was led by Belén Valenzuela, Director of Cooperation at Fundación del Valle, and Silvia López, Director of Hub Empresa Banco Sabadell, who highlighted the importance of working from a standpoint of co-responsibility:
“This meeting is a way of giving back to Valencian society what it does for thousands of people in other countries. Behind every project there are faces we do not see, but who move forward thanks to the solidarity of those who are here.”
Daniel Turiel, director of ACTEC and founder of the MBA Acelera model, stressed the need to reclaim a European leadership based on dignity and not on resignation:
“We cannot accept that some are destined to stay small. Our work consists of discovering the seed of greatness that every entrepreneur has and providing the conditions for it to grow.”
The company as a space for humanization
In the “Business and Sustainability” panel, lawyer Miguel Linares, founding partner of Linares Abogados, reflected on the role of the company as an agent of transformation:
“The lawyer is a trusted advisor. From that position, we can promote not only legal compliance, but ethical decisions. Sustainability begins with how we treat people.”
Next, entrepreneurs Vicente Ruiz (RNB Cosméticos), Juan Manuel Baixauli (Consultia Business Travel) and Marlon Baena (an MBA Acelera graduate from Colombia), shared their personal leadership experiences:
“The best social impact a company can generate is decent work. When an organization recognizes the essential equality between all people, the culture changes,” noted Vicente Ruiz.
“To lead is to help others believe in their own path. Success is not imposed, it is shared,” stated Juan Manuel Baixauli.
Marlon Baena summarized his transformation as follows:
“I went from surviving to building. MBA Acelera helped me understand that I wasn’t a failure: I was a leader in the process of growing.”
Humanistic leadership: training to transform
The second day focused on academic reflection. Rita Jácome (IECO Institute) presented the humanistic leadership model, based on dignity, integral development, and the meaning of work:
“Authentic leadership is not measured only by results, but by the ability to cultivate humanity and help others grow.”
Santiago Martínez, leader of business ethics and the case method at MBA Acelera, highlighted the ethical dimension as a path toward happiness:
“Ethics is not about choosing between good and evil, but between something good and something better. To lead is to inspire others to want to aspire.”
The Business School for Micro-enterprises
In the round table “Business Schools: forging conscious leaders,” representatives from Interactuar, Fundación Carvajal, FUNDAP, FUSAI and Fundación Grupo Social shared how MBA Acelera has become a driver of transformation in vulnerable territories:
“Many entrepreneurs did not know they were already leaders. The support helps them discover that they can transform not only their business, but their community,” stated Carolina Ibarra, from Fundación Carvajal.
Keynote speech
The meeting closed with a lecture by Professor Albert Ribera (IESE), who emphasized that:
“Leadership is the ability to influence in order to move forward together toward a common goal. Today we rediscover that leadership is, in essence, a matter of love: seeking the good of others.”
Institutional closing
The closing was led by Pedro Carceller, Director General for Inclusion and Development Cooperation of the Generalitat Valenciana, who reaffirmed the Valencian government’s commitment to transformative and sustained long-term cooperation.
MBA Acelera is part of the Business Schools for Micro-enterprises Strategy, which since 2010 has strengthened the business skills of more than 17,000 small business owners in Latin America and Africa, generating decent work and economic sustainability.
📍 Location: Sabadell Hub, Valencia
🔗 More information: https://aceleramba.com/acelera-lab/
Press contact:
Miguel Albarrán
miguelalbarran@fundaciondelvalle.org
913 57 95 14
