Former president of Switzerland Adolf Ogi Delivers Keynote Address At EU Business School Barcelona’s 2018 Commencement Ceremony

MBA Blog / 5th July 2018

Last month, EU Business School Barcelona’s 2018 Commencement Ceremony took place at the prestigious Palau de Congressos de Catalunya in Barcelona. Over 200 undergraduate and graduate students, representing more than 60 different nationalities, received their degrees in front of family, friends, classmates and faculty from all corners of the world.

In front of a packed auditorium, the former president of Switzerland and founder of the “Freude herrscht” Foundation, Adolf Ogi, delivered an uplifting and optimistic keynote address to EU Barcelona’s class of 2018.

From 1988 to 2000, Mr. Ogi was a member of the Swiss government and, having been elected president
of Switzerland in 1993 and 2000, he was subsequently appointed as special advisor on Sport for Development and Peace to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Mr. Ogi currently focuses on humanitarian and charitable organizations such as the “Freude herrscht”
Foundation, which he founded in 2010 in honor of his late son, Mathias Adolf Ogi. Through his foundation, Mr. Ogi aims to communicate his son Mathias’s virtues of joie de vivre, performance, perseverance and helpfulness by empowering young people to be active, experience nature, take part in sports, meet with friends and build camaraderie.

In a stirring speech, Mr. Ogi encouraged EU Barcelona’s graduates to be selfless and to use their knowledge, passion and expertise to tackle the world’s problems head on. He had great faith in them, he said, to create a safer, fairer and more prosperous world for future generations to enjoy.

Every year at commencement, EU Business School also presents awards to those who have made a difference in their organizations, communities, and beyond. These awards recognize the substantial efforts made by businesses and individuals who strive to change the world for the better.

Michel Jordi, Founder and CEO of Swiss Icon, MJL, Michel Jordi SA and LE CLIP SA, was honored to receive the prestigious Leadership Award. In his commencement address, he regaled the class of 2018 with personal stories of perseverance, courage and determination in business, encouraging the next generation of creative visionaries to develop their entrepreneurial skills and build their own companies.

The other distinguished award winners in Barcelona were footwear giant Camper, who won the Family Business Award; local development organization Barcelona Global, who won the Entrepreneurship Award; global energy management specialist Schneider Electric, who won the Sustainability Award; multinational pharmaceutical company Chiesi España, who won the Corporate Responsibility Award; and food waste prevention app weSAVEeat, who won the Social Responsibility Award.

EU Barcelona’s 2018 Commencement Ceremony saw undergraduate and graduate students receive degrees in traditional subject areas such as business administration, international business, marketing, communication and finance, as well as in cutting-edge areas of modern business such as entrepreneurship, sports management, leadership and design management.

At the year’s most highly anticipated event, family, friends, special guests and faculty had the opportunity to congratulate one another on their achievements and look forward to bright and successful careers as the business leaders of the future.