Daniel Traça, Esade's new Director General
The Fundació Esade Board of Trustees has announced the appointment of Daniel Traça to serve as the new Esade Director General. His tenure will begin this coming September 1st when Xavier Mendoza, the current Esade Director General, finalizes his term.
Daniel Traça holds a PhD in Economics from Columbia University (New York) and an undergraduate degree in the same field from the Nova School of Business and Economics (Lisbon), where he is currently Professor and previously served as Dean from 2015 to 2022.
His two terms in charge of Nova SBE were noteworthy for numerous achievements, including the construction of the institution’s new campus in Carcavelos, which led to an exponential growth in the number of students, especially foreign students (growing from 10% to 72%), and greater recognition and prestige for the school, notably improving its position in key rankings during that period.
Jaume Guardiola, President of the Fundació Esade Board of Trustees, commented: “Traça’s international experience, his knowledge, and his commitment to the impact that academic institutions have on transforming society and organizations will drive Esade forward in fulfilling our mission and educating tomorrow’s leaders, leaders who are recognized for their extraordinary professionalism, entrepreneurial spirit, and exceptional human quality.”
Traça joins Esade with a mission to strengthen the institution’s global position, standing out for the quality of the educational experience it provides based on sustainability and social impact and its commitment to innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit, all founded on rigorous research which is relevant for society. Traça underscored: “I accept this appointment with the resolve to work with every Esade community member and to strengthen the institution’s great legacy, helping reinforce the school’s current recognition for academic excellence, its firm wager on innovation, and its commitment to social impact, three intrinsic traits in Esade’s development since its founding.”
Vast experience in the higher-education field
Daniel Traça has vast experience in the higher-education field. He is Visiting Professor at INSEAD in France and Singapore, where he previously served as Assistant Professor. Prior to the latter, he held the Marie and Alain Philippson Chair in Managing for Sustainable Human Development at the Solvay Brussels School, in addition to serving as Vice President and Director of the MBA Program. He was also Visiting Professor at the KDI School of Public Policy and Management in Seoul and at the Geneva Graduate Institute. In the non-academic realm, he has worked as a consultant for both the World Bank and the European Commission.
His research focuses on the interface between corporate strategy and public policies, and he has published numerous articles in key international academic journals in the globalization and economic development fields.
Internationalization, diversity, and an innovative methodology
Daniel Traça will succeed Xavier Mendoza who has served as Esade Director General since 2022 and has longstanding connections with Esade dating back to 1982. Mendoza also served as the Dean of Business School from 2000 to 2008, a period in which the Executive Education Unit was incorporated within the Business School. He then served as Corporate Deputy Director General from 2008 to 2011.
In these years, Esade has achieved important milestones, positioning it as an international academic institution of reference. The latest achievement can be seen in the Financial Time’s annual ranking, with Esade’s Full-Time MBA climbing 13 positions to now be ranked the 17th best in the world. In addition, the global academic portal of reference, Poets&Quants, rated the Esade MBA for entrepreneurs as the third in the world. In terms of research, it’s worth noting that Esade is in the top 2% globally according to the Stanford University list, with four of the world’s most cited scholars working at Esade. And, in terms of educational innovation, worth highlighting is the award Esade received for its Racial (in)Justice class, an elective in the MBA program, which was voted the ‘Best Culture, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative’ as part of the Excellence Awards 2024 granted this February by the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and Business Graduates Association (BGA).
In this same vein, Esade remains firmly committed to new educational trends and aims to always be at the forefront on issues such as sustainability, technology, and Artificial Intelligence. To this end, it has recently launched new programs such as the Bachelor of Business Administration & Bachelor in Artificial Intelligence for Business, the Master in Sustainability, and the Bachelor in Transformational Leadership and Social Impact.
