For the fourth consecutive year, FGV’s Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration (EBAPE) received a class of Master’s candidates from ESADE Business School, in Barcelona (Spain), to attend the module “EMBA Study Tour ESADE 2018”, coordinated by professor Marisol Goia and EBAPE’s Department of International Relations.

The group of 38 students from 23 different nationalities took field trips to visit companies in Sao Paulo, such as Natura – where they learned more about the company’s facilities and product distribution center –, and Ernst & Young, where they attended a lecture on the Brazilian tax system. The students also attended lectures by corporate representatives, such as the CEO of pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb, Mr. Gaetano Crupi, and the President of Embratel, Mr. José Formoso Martínez, who shared their experience in Brazil and the singularities of building a business in the country.

In Rio de Janeiro, the students attended classes taught by EBAPE professors – Marisol Goia (Intangible Assets in Rio); Sam Fouad (Change Management); Paulo Motta (Organizational Transformation); and Carmen Migueles (Business Strategy in the Brazilian Context) – who shared insights into the national management scenario. The group also visited the eyewear brand Zerezes, during which the company’s founding partner, Hugo Galindo, presented the brand’s concept and sustainability model. The students also visited Coca-Cola’s main office in Sao Paulo, where the CFO, Alexandre Fernandes, spoke about the company’s strategy in Brazil and market trends. The Senior Manager of Matte Leão, Raoni Lotar, spoke about the brand’s operations and the historical relevance of mate in Rio de Janeiro.

A networking event was also held among participants to strengthen the partnership between institutions, where EBAPE’s professional Master’s students had the opportunity to meet students from the Spanish school, sharing experiences among professionals and expanding their contact network.

ESADE Business School is a graduate school based in Barcelona, with campuses in Madrid and Buenos Aires, and is regarded as one of the top business schools worldwide, according to different rankings. In Europe, the Financial Times ranked ESADE fifth in its ranking, and the school’s Masters in Finance (Pre-experience) was considered the second best in the 2015 ranking. ESADE is part of the select group of 57 business schools around the world that received the so-called “triple crown accreditation” in the business segment, granted by EFMD (Equix), AACSB and AMBA.