In memorian. Professor Joan Ginebra Torra


On December 30th, Professor Joan Ginebra passed away in Mexico. Joan was a visiting professor for many years in San Telmo, where he taught Business Management and Business Policy. He generously transmitted his knowledge to many teachers in San Telmo, at that time, young teachers in training.

He was the second Director General of IESE from 1967 to 1970, years in which he took over from his Master, the founder and first Director General of IESE Antonio Valero y Vicente. He had been living in Mexico City for more than 30 years, where he was a professor at IPADE and from where he often traveled to many places around the world, including Andalusia each year.

A feature of Prof. Ginebra was his boundless energy. When he came to teach sessions to San Telmo, he was often asked to participate in activities of the territorial groups in Estremadura, Jaen, Algeciras, or any other, to which he never raised an eyebrow, offering himself enthusiastically wherever he was needed. The students of the new intake of courses on the San Telmo MBA awaited him every year with a mixture of expectation and dread. The practice of "Ginebrazo", in which he gave the leading role of the session to one of the students, who happened to lead the session from the stage, was one of his teaching methods that were transmitted by word of mouth between courses on the Master's Degree.

His bibliography is highly extensive, and includes works dealing with Commercial Management, Leadership, Family-run Businesses or Economic Policy, to mention but a few of the many fields of interest. He was a person who held deep-rooted Christian convictions. He became a widower some years ago after the passing of his wife, Ana María Serrabou, to whom he professed love and admiration. We are consoled by his death to know that they are united again in the presence of the Lord. May he rest in peace.