28 July 2026
Bilbao
In an uncertain, ever-changing and fast-paced world, where critical thinking is increasingly essential, Deusto Business School has launched a forum for reflection and debate designed to tackle major business and social challenges through the lens of humanistic leadership.
In university classrooms, learning is often structured around academic programmes and case studies. However, Deusto Business School, with the support of the Vizcaína Aguirre Foundation, has sought to go one step further and engage directly with the most prominent international thinkers and researchers through the forum known as Deusto Business Agora.
The term ‘agora’ comes from Greek and means ‘open meeting place’ or ‘assembly’. Historically, it referred to the public square in the city-states (polis) of ancient Greece, serving as the nerve centre where citizens gathered to discuss political, religious, commercial and social matters. Similarly, Deusto Business Agora is a place for people to meet and develop ideas. An initiative aimed at attracting leading international speakers to share their insights and engage in discussion with students about the trends that are reshaping our economic and social landscape.
As Macarena Cuenca, Dean of Deusto Business School, emphasises, Deusto Business Agora was established to institutionalise and promote a high-level forum for debate within our Faculty. «In recent years, thanks to our close collaboration with Fair Saturday and Deusto Business Alumni, we have had the privilege of hearing from and engaging in conversations with leading global thinkers such as Nobel laureates in Economics Joseph Stiglitz and Abhijit Banerjee, Finnish Ambassador Sari Rautio and international adviser Juan Verde, as well as welcoming leading international academics to our classrooms».
From a strategic perspective, «Deusto Business Agora is not an isolated initiative, but rather a cross-cutting driver of our new plan,’ Cuenca adds. This initiative directly supports Deusto Business School’s three main strategic priorities for the coming period: accelerating our internationalisation, increasing our positive social impact through knowledge transfer, and strengthening our links with the business community, consolidating the School as a vibrant space for reflection, debate and shared learning».
Deusto Business Agora co-creates from the ground up, actively consulting the academic staff, student associations and Deusto Business Alumni in search of proposals and topics. «From there, we design a tailored programme for each guest’s visit, which typically lasts a week to maximise its impact and broaden engagement across our entire community. During their time here, the speakers meet with undergraduate and postgraduate students and Executive Education professionals, engage with alumni and the business community, and take part in closed-door meetings with the School’s leadership team to exchange views on shared challenges and perspectives», the Dean explains.
The vital support of the Vizcaína Aguirre Foundation
Through Deusto Business Agora, both Deusto Business School and the Vizcaína Aguirre Foundation are building on their shared history with the aim of connecting new generations with the leaders who are transforming businesses, institutions and society.
