Speakers February 27, 2024
Eduardo Baeza Director of Government Affairs (Renewable Energy Sector) Eduardo is a lawyer, former politician, and is currently working in the renewable energy sector as the Director of Government Affairs. Eduardo is an outgoing, fun and dynamic professional with extensive experience in different fields of work, ranging from legal and corporate profiles, to more executive, political and institutional profiles. He is also an alumnus who is happy to be back at ASM! Students will hear about his professional journey, and will learn about choices that Eduardo has had to make throughout his career - choices that students make one day have to make themselves.
Christopher Bartos American Military Officer, Colonel Christopher has spent 25 years serving in the United States Army. He currently serves as the Deputy Director for NATO's only Center of Excellence in Spain, responsible for the training and support to Allied Nations during peace and wartime to counter Explosive Threats. Christopher earned his undergraduate degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and has two Masters, one in Policy and another in Strategic Studies. Students will learn how NATO brings together multiple Nations to create an Alliance focused on preserving peace and national sovereignty. NATO is made up of many types of mini organizations focused on areas from academia, research/development, peace keeping, and of course conflict resolution. Students will gain an understanding of what NATO is, and the knowledge that Alliances, such as NATO, serve the greater good by bringing nations together, creating strong, efficient partnerships focused on common goals/values.
Soma Das Founder of Health Coaching, Unlimited Soma is a speaker, published writer, and a lifelong health nut with unquenched curiosity for anything mind-body related. She graduated with a degree in Biology and Psychology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She has a certificate in Integrative Health Coaching and has worked in the healthcare space for over 22 years. She passed the US health coaching Board Certification exam in 2020. Soma has done research on alcoholism and is published in the field of alcohol addiction. Other research areas include Alzheimer’s disease and blood pressure. She has worked in business development promoting solutions to various diseases. She has had the privilege of working at prestigious multinational companies like Glaxo, Merck and Pfizer. Soma’s health philosophy is that while conventional (allopathic) medicine is critical to treat acute medical situations and sometimes help maintain proper balance of organ systems, there are many diseases that develop due to food imbalances and health weakening lifestyle choices. She believes that Individuals can heal when food, career, relationships, physical activity and spiritual practice are better aligned to their physical and mental needs. Soma believes in the healing and calming power of physical movement and loves everything from weightlifting to Tai Chi.
Miguel de Luna Gomez Data & AI Engineer working at Google Miguel is a computer engineer with a passion for technology. Miguel has built an international career spanning Germany, the US, Switzerland, Spain, and Ireland. His 20+ years of experience include engineering and product management roles at Microsoft, SAP, and currently Google within the data and AI field. In this workshop, students will learn about: the importance of Math to understand the world; abstraction as the path to understanding; how to become an engineer; and how to develop massive scale products. In his free time, Miguel enjoys outdoor activities like tennis and mountain biking and loves anything related to snow.
Stephan Deville Real Estate Developments for INKGA Centres Stephan leads the Real Estate developments for INKGA Centres ( IKEA ) in China and India, developing Shopping Centres, Hotels, Offices and IKEA stores. Students will learn about how an engineering background gives you the curiosity, open-mindedness, and soft skills necessary to work successfully in different countries and with different cultures. Stephan will also explain what the real estate role in a MNC is, as well as the responsibilities and roles involved.
Luis Felipe Díaz Galeano General Manager Atmósfera Literaria, SL Presently General Manager and Principal editor of Atmósfera Literaria, SL. As part of his general manager role, Luis Felipe deals mostly with public institutions (National Library, Real Academia de la Lengua, Depósito Legal/ ISBN Agency, etc.), authors, libraries, bookstores and distributors. He is also the main editor of several authors. Luis Felipe studied Business & Economics at Complutense University of Madrid, and earned a degree in Visual Arts at the Instituto Superior de Arte. Students will learn how to face reality with common sense taking full responsibility - and by applying values and ethics.
Eaman Rezvani Co-founder & COO TerraceLab Eaman is a real estate expert from Canada, with close to 10 years of experience working in the development industry for scale-up companies that thrived under lean and agile teams. As such, he has firsthand experience with growing business operations and implementing new strategies to manage scalability. Eaman has the track record to prove it, leading several complex projects through their full life cycle by utilizing a hands-on managerial approach. With a unique educational background that combines both business and design, Eaman is a jack-of-all trades professional who can navigate complexities to generate results. Eaman is passionate about sustainable projects that are community inspired, which motivated him to pursue TerraceLab as a solution to raise food awareness in urban spaces.
Francisco Gómez Bravo Medical Doctor, PhD Francisco is a physician who graduated from Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona, with specialized postgraduate training from Complutense University of Madrid and New York University. He performs plastic surgery procedures, both reconstructive and aesthetic and is actively involved in education as well as research of new techniques in order to improve the lives of patients who require this type of surgery. Students will learn about the key elements of what being a physician entails, not only in terms of patient care, but also in the lifelong commitment to improve patients’ lives all over the world, both present and future, by educating peers and by continuously innovating and working to improve the field of medicine.
Angela Gómez Montoya Entrepreneur: Education & Travel Angela is Colombian/Austrian entrepreneur who combines her two passions: education and travel. Her Massachusetts-based company, Envoys, specializes in Global Education for independent schools in the US. Envoys works with over 50 schools, whose high school students travel to more than 45 countries. Before establishing Envoys, Angela founded the largest educational travel company in Colombia. Students will learn what it means to be an entrepreneur, the necessary skills to become one, and how decisions made today can impact their future in various ways. Angela holds a Master's in Education from Harvard University and is an Endeavor entrepreneur. Her passions include traveling, food, cycling, and photography. Angela is a firm believer that one must work hard every day to make the world a better place.
Daniel González de Vega Founder and CEO at Smartick Daniel is the founder and CEO of Smartick, a successful EdTech scaleup in the K-12 space with customers in more than 100 countries. Daniel has a MSc in Industrial Engineering from Universidad de Málaga and an MBA from INSEAD. He is also an Endeavor Entrepreneur. Daniel started his career in engineering, then moved to strategic consulting at Accenture. After his MBA, he worked in Private Equity as investment director and partner in Madrid (Nazca Capital) and Dubai (Dubai International Capital). For the last 14 years, his efforts have been fundamentally devoted to Smartick. He also invests and acts as an advisor in various internet projects. Daniel is a keen runner, table tennis player, golfer, and skier.
Jose Luis Gonzalez Junco Europe Operations Manager (Amazon) Jose Luis supports Amazon’s Design and Construction Team to deliver Sortation Centers across Europe. He is an Industrial Engineer, who studied at UPM, Ecole Centrale de Lyon and received an MBA from IESE Business School. Jose Luis has worked and lived in 14 countries. Students will learn how to work hard, have fun, and make history!
Jorge González-Iglesias Baeza Entrepreneur / CEO & Founder of Gibobs Allbanks Jorge is an ASM alumnus (Class of 2002) who majored in Business and Finance from CUNEF in 2007. After university, Jorge worked for Morgan Stanley, in London & Madrid, in the Investment Banking Division. In 2010, Jorge co-founded his first startup, Bluemove (today known as Ubeeqo), pioneering the introduction of carsharing in Spain. Since selling it to Europcar Mobility Group in 2016, he has been involved in multiple entrepreneurial projects as an investor, advisor or co-founder, including Tarkuslab.com, Cabify.com, VendiApp.com, Phexia.com, Prospera.hn, and Shaadow.io. He is now mainly focused (as CEO & co-founder) on Gibobs Allbanks, a technological platform focused on real estate financing for B2C users (mortgages) and B2B users (developer loans and other RE financing). He has also co-founded an environmental non-profit called Epsilon Ecología and co-owns the iconic Café Central in Madrid. Students will learn about the Intricacies, mindset, and lifestyle of entrepreneurship as a life path.
Nils Eric Hallberg, Jr. International, Wide-body Pilot for Delta Air Lines Nills graduated in 1997 with a B.S. in Psychology/Pre-Medical studies from Campbell University (North Carolina). He also has an M.B.A. in International Relations from Touro University, and a Masters in Military Science from Air University. Students will learn about the work involved to become a commercial airline pilot. Nils is an avid traveler, enjoys cycling and classic cars, and reads frequently on subjects ranging from current events to world history.
Mike Hewitt Founder/CEO of One-Haus
Mike has over 30 years of experience in all aspects of the hospitality industry. He brings a deep understanding of operator needs from operations, brand development, human resources, consulting, recruiting, building, and scaling small companies. His extensive insight ranges from fine dining to fast casual, large restaurant groups to single mom & pop operations. Mike’s approach to building his team at US-based One Haus has focused on their unique personality traits, deep understanding of hospitality operations, fierce drive, and resourcefulness. Mike has a Political Science and Business Management degree from Lehigh University and a postgraduate degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management from the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne.
Mario Menendez General Counsel for Infrastructure Company Mario was born in Spain and moved to Texas aged 10. He graduated cum laude from the University of Texas in Austin with a Bachelor of Arts. He then studied International Law at the University of Houston Law Center, earning a Juris Doctorate. He is licensed to practice law before numerous courts and by the State Bars of Texas and Georgia. Mario joined Ferrovial in June 2006 and headed the North America Legal Department until 2019, when he became the International Legal Director for Ferrovial’s Construction Division. In 2022, he assumed his current role as General Counsel of the division. He oversees a legal department of more than 50 attorneys worldwide. Mario sits on numerous boards, including the Supervisory Board of Budimex, SA, the largest construction company in Poland. Prior to Ferrovial, he worked in private practice in the Houston area, where he represented clients in complex, multi-party commercial litigation.
Matt Mittino Vice President for a US multinational company Matt runs businesses in/around the healthcare industry. His career has allowed him to build skills and experiences that he applies across many business types, including small start-ups and large business divisions inside multinational companies. Currently, he is Vice President for a US multinational company responsible for Europe, Middle East and Africa - and was most recently CEO of a private equity-backed genetic testing company. Students will learn what a "Squiggly Career" is and how a non-linear approach to a professional life can have benefits. They will also learn how international / multicultural graduates can think about their career beyond borders and how to position themselves. And, he hopes that students will come away thinking that 9-5 jobs aren't terrible!
José Ramón Núñez Medical Doctor, Surgeon, Professor of Surgery at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid José Ramón is currently the director of the Donation-Transplantation Process at the Hospital Clínico San Carlos, the oldest university hospital in Madrid (200 years). Prior to this position, he was the Transplant Director of the World Health Organization’s transplant unit in Geneva for 8 years. While working for the WHO, in 2010, he traveled to Haiti to help the victims immediately after the earthquake. José Ramón did his training in surgery at the Hospital Clínico San Carlos and at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He has given more than 200 lectures and conferences around the world and has written more than 150 essays and articles. Students will learn why and how to study medicine, the reasons for being a surgeon, how the donation-transplantation process takes place, and how transplants impact society.
Francisco Javier San Juan Martin Director L'Oréal Group Javier is currently engaged in advisory and investment activities after more than 35 years of corporate operational responsibilities. He was President of L’Oréal Latin America for 8 years, and before this he was the President and CEO of L’Oréal Canada, and CEO for Argentina, Uruguay and Romania. Javier started his career working for the Sandoz Pharmaceutical Group (now part of Novartis) as a financial executive. A few years later he became the Finance Manager of one of the company’s subsidiaries in the Philippines. Later on, he moved on to on to work at L’Oréal, in the sales & marketing department. Soon after, he was promoted to Finance & Operations Director of L’Oréal Russia. Javier earned his Bachelor’s degree in Law & Business from ICADE in Spain, and his post-graduate diploma is from HEC in Paris. Javier serves and has served on several boards in the USA and Canada, including Cadillac Fairview, Belcorp, JP Global Digital, Pharmascience, and David's Tea. He speaks French, Spanish, English and Romanian. His interests include art and reading, rugby, chess, tennis/padel.
Olga Yanovskaya Filipova Life-Science Entrepreneur Olga is an economist/financier turned life-science entrepreneur. She ran several ventures with different degrees of involvement: a Biotech startup in the US, an M&A advisory specialized in life-science consulting companies, a MedTech talent marketplace platform, a SaaS educational platform for children with Diabetes Type 1, and a localization of neurology/bioelectronics technologies in China. Raised in Ukraine and Russia, she has lived and worked in Spain, the UK, Brazil, and China, and has covered the following regions: Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, Western Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, Greater China, India, and the broader APAC region. Her educational background includes Economics, Health Economics, and an MBA. Students will learn about the dynamic and challenging world of the Life Science Industry. The workshop will cover various academic paths and career opportunities within the Life Science Industry. It will also identify key global hubs for Life Science Industry.