Aspen-Mentor Seminar «Leadership and Values»

Aspen Institute España y Fundación Mentor will hold, in collaboration with Fundació Banco Sabadell, the Aspen-Fundación Mentor Seminar «Leadership and Values», on Wednesday 28 February, on the campus of the University of Vigo.

The seminar «Leadership and Values» is a space to discuss the values that inspire our personal and professional decisions and the contributions we make to the common good. Through Socratic dialogue, the seminar starts with a reading of classic and contemporary texts in philosophy, politics and literature to discuss the fundamental values of an open society and the tensions inherent in the definition of what constitutes such a society. The seminar brings together a small group of participants from different disciplines at the university to provide a balanced and pluralistic forum for reflection and debate on the current state and future of our societies, analysed in terms of timeless human values. To ensure the exchange of ideas and mutual growth, the seminar is governed by the Chatham House Rule. In addition, it will be moderated by Miguel Herrero de Jáuregui, Professor of Greek Philology at the Complutense University of Madrid and Aspen Spain Fellow, and Alfonso Goizueta, PhD in International Relations at King’s College London and novelist, who will guide the conversation and help shed light on how the readings invite us to think about our role in society.

Miguel Herrero de Jáuregui

He is Professor of Greek Philology at the Complutense University of Madrid and Aspen España Fellow. He holds a degree in Law and Classics, a PhD in Classical Philology and History of Religions, and trained as a researcher at the Max Planck Institute, Harvard, Oxford (Christ Church), Zurich and Bologna (Royal College of Spain). He is the author of several studies on the philosophy, literature, politics and religion of ancient Greece, and on the reception of classical culture in early Christianity and modernity. His latest books are El pensamiento narrativo (Sílex, 2023, with Fernando Ariza) and Catábasis: el viaje infernal en la Antigüedad (Alianza, 2023). He has been a technical advisor at the Consejería de Educación de la Comunidad de Madrid (2012-2014). He is a Fellow of the Aspen lnstitute España, in whose seminars he collaborates as a participant and moderator.

Alfonso Goizueta Alfaro

He holds a PhD in International Relations from King’s College London and is a novelist. He was a finalist for the Planeta Novel Prize 2023, with his book La sangre del Padre about the life of Alexander the Great. In 2020 he graduated in History and International Relations, also from King’s College, with a first class honours degree. He has published essays on the history of international relations between the wars and the historical origins of Spanish unity, as well as several articles in academic journals and national newspapers. He is also co-founder and co-host of the Spotify podcast «La Torre del Faro».

Aspen Institute España

Aspen Institute España was established in 2010 to promote leadership inspired by civic values and to address critical issues for the future of society. Every year it organizes more than seventy debates, seminars and conferences on leadership and values, the digital future, sustainability, democracy, geopolitics and the economy. The President of Aspen Spain is Javier Solana and its Secretary General José M. de Areilza. The project is supported by fifteen Spanish companies and a large network of alumni. It is part of the international network of Aspen Institutes, present in more than twelve countries, and collaborates especially with The Aspen Institute in the United States. This philanthropic institution was founded in 1950, among others by José Ortega y Gasset, to train leaders in all sectors of society with a humanistic vision and a connection to civic and democratic values. Today it is recognised as one of the most influential think tanks in the world, with more than fifty ongoing programmes in the fields of public policy and leadership.

Fundación Mentor

The Mentor Foundation was created in 2017 at the initiative of a group of companies and university teachers who detected the need to train students whose next step will be the labour market, in skills that are highly valued in organisations and in society. To enhance the professional and human projection of students, the foundation organises courses in which students work on essential areas such as emotional intelligence, communication, conflict resolution and negotiation, teamwork, leadership and time management.