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3 new events coming up in October & November 2011: Gastronomia in Torrelodones, Exec. Search & Richard Ellis @ Torre Picasso

Thanks to everyone who made it to the Penthouse terrace yesterday!

We had a beautiful time.  I think  it would be accurate to say that all “first timers” to the terrace all had the same basic reaction, “this place is beautiful”, “spectacular”, “exceptional”, “one of a kind”.  Of course, the second and third timers say the same thing.

But the best part of it all, was the nice mix of alumni from both schools, friends and even friends of friends who were able to relax in a reserved zone on the terrace, not too far from the bar.  A courtesy glass of champagne got everyone in a festive but relaxed mood from the beginning.

We have to give a special word of thanks to our alumni counterparts at Yale for being so fantastic to work with on what were the pre-party details and logistics.  And we are not too upset with them for hanging a large blue banner of their school colors near the entrance to the terrace bar.

Thanks to everyone and stay tuned for more evening cocktail events!

Cal Family Updates May 09:

New Berkeley Hass MBA in Town – give him a huge welcome!  Santiago Rodriguez de Miguel, MBA 09.  Well, he will be in town after he graduates in May.

I think we all know how difficult it is to re-incorporate oneself into the Spanish job market.  Add a layer of economic crisis to the picture and it’s, well, complicated to say the least.

For this reason I would like to upload his CV to the web on the right (see the BOX widget), and send everyone this notice.

If you have a minute, send Santiago an email of support and welcome.  (santiago.rdm@gmail.com).  And of course, if you have recommendations regarding the job market that would be even better.

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Santiago has been added to the CAL Family page set-up for personal alumni news.  If you have personal news to share, new job, promotion, getting marred, having children, whatever, please send us a note.  And we will add it.

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And don’t forget the party on the 21st at The Penthouse SOL MELIA.

Berkeley Alumni Spain News Flash:

** New Officers **

1) Amanda Gigler (Social Awareness Club & Hd. Berkeley Alumni Barcelona)

2) Santiago Rodriguez de Miguel (Technology Club).

If you would like to be an officer of the Berkeley Alumni Spain club, take a look at http://berkeleyalumnimadrid.wordpress.com/new-projects/

However, having had the pleasure and honor of sitting to the left of Mr.Gustavo de Aristegui at the joint Univ of Chicago / U.C. Berkeley event this past 13th of March (many thanks to Francisco Trullenque for the invitation and for taking care of all the details in the most elegant of ways), I can tell you that listening to what Mr. Aristegui had to say that day was as much a reality check as it was an intellectual pleasure.

One cannot forget that Mr. Aristegui was met that day by 30+ ex almuni from the world’s best universities who were respectfully interested and curious about what the speaker had to say on topics ranging from the role of the United States and Obama in today’s complex geopolitical framework to what additional financial market risks might be waiting in the wings given Mr. Aristegui’s view on today’s challenges that stem from organized terrorism and nuclear proliferation.

Overall, an elegant, intellectually stimulating and pleasant opportunity to mingle, collect business cards and in general have a good time.

Stay tuned for more U.C. Berkeley Spain and Ryder events like this one! sm

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Bio:  Gustavo de Arístegui, Portavoz de Exteriores del Grupo Parlamentario Popular – only a small except:

He studied Law and Political Science at ICADE and  has been a professional dipolmat since 1989, fullfilling diplomatic posts all over the world including the embassies of Tripoli, Lybia and Jordan.  He has served as director within the Ministry of the Interior 1996, 2003.  He has been professor of Diplomatic Law at ICADE and is currently professor of International Relations at the University San Pablo CEU.  Gustavo has been recognized as an expert on the topic of Islam.  Also, Gustavo has written for numerous newspapers including the Washington Post, Washington Times, Miami Herald, El Mundo, ABC, El Pais, appeared regularly on the radio and is the author of 3 books including, ““El Islamismo contra el Islam”, “La Yihad en España” y “Contra Occidente”.

Our guests that day were from many parts of the capital’s financial fabric and included: Jose Vivanco, Dir. General at IDM (Wharton) and Yago Ruiz-Morales, Ex Spanish Consul to Uzbekistan (Chicago GSB), Gil Carbajal (Assoc. Spanish Fullbright & Democrats Abroad), the dynamic duo of Pablo Camacho and Beltran Patiño (Stifel), and Juan Vila (Berkeley Haas MBA) to name a few.

While Mr. Narciso Vega, hedgefund manager and founder of Accurate Global (part of the hedgefund platform at BBVA Proxima Alfa) instructed on the intricacies of the hedgefund industry and how his hedgefund operated, the “students” fired off questions one after another while our waiter quietly offered hors d’oeuvres and champagne.

The clearest sign that all were thoroughly engrossed in the moment was the fact that I had to litterally point to my watch to cut-off the speaker and say that in principle we had used up our alloted time. The guest and speaker could have raged on for more.

Clearly there is more to say and ask on the topic of hedgefunds and we will have more events related to the topic in the future. If you would be interested in participating, please shoot me an email.

Here you will find: some university history, demographics of alumni in Spain, the club objectives and a theme based structure for event planning called – CAL Tube Spain.

Below, a copy of the handout we provided at the last event to all those who attended.

We will take a poll on this web page to tally up our “opinion”.

Go to the “Premio liderazgo” page for documentation and the voting “machine”.

From the Associación de becarios de la Fundación Rafael del Pino web page:

• The Associación de becarios de la Fundación Rafael del Pino is composed by all those people who – since 2001- have obtained a grant by the Foundation Rafael del Pino for studying abroad a masters or postgraduate degree.

Rafael del Pino y Moreno was one of Spain’s leading entrepreneurs of the 20th century. He held a PhD in Civil Engineering and in 1952, he founded Ferrovial, one of the world’s leading infrastructure companies, with operations in 43 countries in a range of sectors including construction, airport, toll road, and car park management and maintenance, and municipal services.

We met at Mr. Trullenque’s offices, located in a beautiful and very classic building on Almagro street, so that he could give me more details about the Ryder Club network.

And the Ryder Club is just that, a network of the more important university alumni clubs in Spain, whose goal is to “share experience and knowledge.” Interestingly, the Spanish Fullbright Alumni Association is also a member the Ryder Club of Spain (RCE).

Frankly, the list of university alumni clubsis impressive, but more impressive is the number of interesting events that are organized each month, many times in a “joint” format.

For example:

• 21 January – Chicago Alumni and Columbia Business School sponsored: D. Francisco Román, Pres. Consejero Delegado, Vodafone ESPAÑA.

• 29 January – (Barcelona) Chicago Alumni sponsors this event: “El Interim Management en épocas de crisis”, Oscar Perreau de Pinninck – Socio Director EIM Interim Management.

All Ryder events will be posted on the Event Calendar as they are announced.

We look forward to the Ryder Club partnership as beneficiaries and as contributors.

** If you would like to assist one of the Ryder events, please let me know, and I will sign you up and send you a proper invitation.

All the best,

Steven Morales, Pres. Berkeley Alumni in Madrid

A list of some of the members of the Ryder Club:

1. Bocconi ALUB, Boston College
2. Boston University
3. Carnegie Mellon
4. Chicago GSB
5. Columbia
6. Cornell
7. Darmouth – Tuck
8. Duke – Fuqua
9. ESCP-EAP
10. Georgetown
11. Harvard – HBS
12. HEC
13. IMD
14. Insead
15. London Business School
16. MIT – Sloan
17. Kellogg GSB, Notre Dame
18. NYU – Stern
19. Stanford – GSB
20. UCLA – Anderson School
21. University of Pennsylvania
22. Wharton Club

In the short run here are the choices. Later on there will be a web design brainstorming event so that the aesthetics of the page meet the interests of members.