Concepción Galdón

Concepción Galdón is IE University’s Social Innovation Director/Academic Lead. At IE she has the mandate to promote Social Innovation academic content across Schools and Programs, encourage more research in Social Innovation and reach out to organizations and partners interested in Social Innovation. Concepción is professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at IE. Concepción is also President of the social Venture Puentes Global, which she co-founded in 2009. She´s a member of Ashoka Spain’s Venture Board and of investment committees of several impact funds.

Concepción is an Economist by Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. She holds a Master in Public Administration and International Development by Harvard Kennedy School. Concepción holds a PhD in International Economy and Development by Universidad Complutense de Madrid, who granted her and Outstanding Award for her Doctoral Dissertation. Her PhD research focuses on the use of technology in social entrepreneurship. She has published papers in peer reviewed journals and chapters in books. She writes contributions for mass media regularly and is a speaker at international conferences.

Her past professional experience includes the foundation of an NGO, UN’s Procurement Service, Santander Bank’s Latin America Division and Liberia’s Government under Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Nobel Peace Prize 2011.

CORPORATE EXPERIENCE

• Social Innovation Director/Academic Lead, IE, Spain, 2017-present
• Venture Board, Ahoka Spain, Spain, 2015-present
• President & cofounder, Puentes Global, Spain, 2010-present
• Director of Área 31, IE, Spain, 2012-2017
• Deputy Director, Center for Diversity, IE, Spain, 2010-2012
• Fellow, Finance Ministry of Liberia, Liberia, 2008
• Economic Analyst for Latin America, Santander Bank, Spain, 2006-2007
• Fellow, United Nations, New York, 2005

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

• Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, IE Business School, 2016-present
• Adjunct Professor of Social Innovation and technology, IE University, 2019-present
• Corporate Innovation tutor, HeadSpring, 2015-present
• Adjunct Professor of Corporate Entrepreneurship and corporate innovation, Executive Education IE, 2017-present
• Author: Migrant Entrepreneurship for Europe’s Economic Growth: Reshaping a Collective Conception, Council on Business and Society, 2019
• Author: Scaling up Social Innovation: Role of Government in the global provision of innovative solutions, Council on Business and Society, 2019

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

• PhD in International Economics and Development, Outstanding Dissertation Award, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 2016
• Fundación Rafael del Pino & Harvard Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Workshop in Global Leadership, 2015
• Master in Public Administration/International Development, Harvard Kennedy School, 2009
• Economics Graduate, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 2005