Aspen Seminar on “Sustainability and Geopolitics”
Aspen Institute España will hold the Aspen Seminar on “Sustainability and Geopolitics” from January 24 to 26, 2025. The Seminar will bring together participants from a wide range of sectors and ages with the aim of generating a highly enriching exchange of ideas and experiences through two-hour discussion sessions.
The Seminar, moderated through the Socratic method used in other Aspen España programs, does not aim to reach specific conclusions but rather to improve the quality of our questions and raise the level of the debate on the great challenges of today and the timeless matters surrounding human values. This new edition of the seminar will be moderated by María Sicilia Salvadores, State Economist, Strategy Director of ENAGÁS and Aspen España Fellow, and José M. de Areilza, Secretary eneral at Aspen Institute España.
The aim of this edition of the Aspen Seminar on Sustainability is to create a space for reflection, dialogue, and learning that will allow us to put the spotlight on and debate the world we are going to leave to the next generations.
The Seminar parts from the urgent debate on climate change and energy transition that rises the double question of what social, economic and political changes are needed to create a fairer and more sustainable society and how we achieve them. Sustainability is understood from this perspective as an early warning system and also as a guide, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which allows governments to agree on reforms, businesses to adopt new practices and citizens to mobilize, always with the aim of keeping the interests of future generations in mind. In this way, the Seminar is structured around five key aspects: technological innovation, climate change, finance and economy, energy transition and geopolitics, and the future of democracy.
María Sicilia
She is Director of the Enagás Investment Office and Co-Chair of the European Hydrogen Backbone initiative. She is also an independent director at Soltec and Tubos Reunidos. Previously, she was Deputy Director General of Energy Planning for the Spanish Government, Head of Foresight at Iberdrola, Senior Analyst for Electricity Markets at the International Energy Agency at the OECD and Regulatory Economist at Ofgem, the regulatory authority for electricity and gas markets in the UK. In addition, within the Spanish Administration she was Advisor for energy issues to the Secretary of State for Economy and Energy Advisor at the Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU. María is a member of the Scientific Committee of the Real Instituto Elcano, of the Editorial Committee of the journal Política Exterior and of the Spanish chapter of the European Council on International Relations.
European Council on International Relations. She holds a degree in Law with a specialisation in Business Law from the Universidad Complutense – C.E.U. San Pablo, an MPA in Economic Policy with a specialisation in Industrial Organisation from the London School of Economics, executive training from Harvard Business School and INSEAD, and is Aspen España Fellow.
José M. de Areilza
He is Secretary General of the Aspen Institute España and Professor in the Department of Law and the Department of General Management and Strategy at ESADE Business School. He also holds the Jean Monnet Chair at ESADE. He has been a Visiting Professor at INSEAD Business School, Fontainebleau, France, and has worked as a Senior Advisor for European and North American affairs in the Cabinet of the President of the Spanish Government. José M. de Areilza holds a Law Degree with Extraordinary Prize from the Complutense University, a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Harvard University, a Master of Arts (M.A.) in International Relations from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a Doctor of Laws (S.J.D.) from Harvard University.
