Categories: Celebrity Speakers | CEOs | HR & Organizational Culture | Leadership | Motivation | Soccer | Sports | Strategy, Execution & Planning | Teamwork
Jorge Valdano is an Argentine coach with Spanish nationality and a former soccer player for Newell’s Old Boys (Argentina), Alavés, Zaragoza and Real Madrid. He also has successfully managed to transfer his sports and team management experience to the corporate sector.
Although born in Argentina, Jorge Valdano has become Spanish by adoption. A key football player on two continents, he played in South America and Europe’s First and Second Divisions. Besides playing for Argentina’s national side, he has gone on to coach various teams and held several different managerial positions. His experience has given him a global perspective on the game.
As Director at Real Madrid, Jorge Valdano played an important role with regards to creating a new organizational model within Spanish football. This model was used as a reference for other clubs and is still in use till this day. Valdano also developed and directed the Real Madrid School of Studies. The institution was founded in collaboration with the European University of Madrid in an attempt to link the club with society by means of an academic project that transcends only the sports field.
Jorge Valdano has successfully managed to transfer his sports and team management experience to the corporate sector. Not only has he collaborated with various institutions and businesses but has undertaken several of his own business ventures as well. An example is his 1999 collaboration with Ernst & Young that gave light to Spain: Make a Team. The company soon gained traction and has become a pioneer with regards to the research and development of equipment.
Jorge Valdano is also involved in Sports Innovation, a consulting company that carries out strategic sports projects for both national and provincial governments in countries the world over. He also holds a position on the Advisory Board of Axialent, a company leader with regards to the conscious transformation of people, teams, and organisations. The company was founded in 2002 with the aim of helping companies adapt to change by means of the development of conscious leaders, aligned teams, and a culture of excellence.
Jorge Valdano has been in the news not only for his sports and business prowess, however. He is the successful author of numerous books and is often featured in various media such as El País, Telemadrid, Televisión Azteca, La Sexta, and Cadena SER, amongst various others.
