CONFERENCE CYCLE: “EXPAND THE BUSINESS SECTOR IN ANDALUSIA. CONVERSATIONS ON ENTERPRISE”.

The Valentín de Madariaga-MP Foundation, sponsored by the Economic and Social Council of Andalusia and, in cooperation with the Confederation of Businessmen of Andalusia, is holding a conference cycle entitled “Expand the Business Sector in Andalusia. Conversations on Enterprise”.

The reflection forum facilitates an awareness raising of the circumstances leading to the creation and development of Andalusian enterprises, and can be seen as constituting the starting point for a deeper and wider study concerning the enterprising attitude in Andalusia.  This is not to be a mere historical analysis but a collection of testimonies of those entrepreneurs who have gone on to achieve a strong and permanent position in the market. Thus, this will be significantly insightful and pertinent for young people who are soon going to be on the labour market.

These testimonies of triumphant Andalusian businessmen highlight the impulses, methods and decisions which led them to successfully develop their projects.

A personal testimony is one of the most convincing and powerful educational tools. As a picture is worth a thousand words, these vivid invocations of the entrepreneur’s efforts to gain success are more effective than entire encyclopaedias.

The procedure for the events is a reputable businessman is invited to give a speech about his experience to an audience composed of young entrepreneurs, university students and members of the financial world, employers’ associations, trade unions organisations and Public Institutions responsible for regulation and promotion of economy. The speech is then followed by a debate.

4 of the 9 planned events have been carried out and have consisted of the following speeches:

• 25 September  2008: Mr. Santiago Herrero León (President of CEA).
• 16 October 2008: Mr. José Joly Martínez de Salazar (President of Joly Group).
• 20 November 2008: Mr. Fernando Franco Fernández (President of Alter Technology Group).
• 28 November 2008: Mr. Bertín Osborne (Businessman of Agro and Cattle Industry).