Aldo Olcese, the late President of the Fundación Independiente and the National Association Sociedad Civil Ahora, and a Full Member and Vice President of the Royal European Academy of Doctors (READ), who passed away last March at the age of 68, will be the central figure of the 5th National Congress of Civil Society, to be held at the headquarters of Fundación Abante in Madrid on 3 February. This event—the first to be held without his leadership—will pay him a more than deserved tribute. On this occasion, the Foundation itself will assume responsibility for organizing an edition entitled «Looking to the Future: Spain in the Next Decade». A few days earlier, in a more intimate setting, the Foundation will honor its beloved president and guiding spirit with a posthumous tribute dinner to be held in Madrid on 20 January.
«The program of the 5th Congress is born with the vocation of directly confronting the major challenges of our time. At a key moment for Spanish society, we propose a dynamic space for reflection and action that addresses, from different perspectives and on crucial issues, the institutional, demographic, economic, and geopolitical challenges, with the aim of generating concrete proposals that drive real change in Spanish society. Through the roundtable discussions, we seek specific proposals capable of generating tangible impact through critical thinking and a will to transform, thereby becoming tools for collective change in this magnificent country we share», the Organizing Committee announces. The Committee is chaired by former minister Rafael Catalá, also President of the Foundation, and includes Ignacio Buqueras, Honorary President of Fundación Independiente and Emeritus Academician of the READ; Antonio Pulido, President of Fundación Cajasol and Full Member and Senator of the READ; and José Ramón Calvo, Full Member and President of the READ’s Institute for International Cooperation. Calvo also serves on the Congress’s Executive Committee.
The sessions will be moderated by journalist Ana Samboal, and among the speakers who have confirmed their participation are prominent figures such as Santiago Satrústegui, President of Fundación Abante; Javier Gomá, Director of Fundación Juan March and of the Chair of Exemplarity at Cunef University; José Juan Ruiz, President of the Elcano Royal Institute; Elisa de la Nuez, Secretary General of Fundación Hay Derecho; Francesc de Carreras, Professor of Constitutional Law at the Autonomous University of Barcelona; Joaquín Leguina, Director of the Demographic Observatory at San Pablo CEU University; Alejandra Kindelán, President of the Spanish Banking Association; José María Lasalle, Director of the Technological Humanism Forum at ESADE Business School; José Manuel García-Margallo, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation; and Eduardo Serra, President of Fundación Transforma España and former Minister of Defense, among others.
Olcese brought together the potential of Fundación Independiente, the National Association Sociedad Civil Ahora, and the Royal Academy to make the National Congress of Civil Society a reality—a landmark event that, under his leadership, held its previous four editions under the themes «Rethinking Spain», «Relaunching Spain», «Regenerating Spain», and «The Spain That Leads». The 1st National Congress of Civil Society took place in February 2020 in Madrid, achieving significant media impact and featuring leading figures from Spanish politics and civil society. The 2nd Congress, held in Valencia in 2022 after the forced pause caused by the pandemic, adopted a hybrid in-person and online format and also brought together major figures from local, regional, and national politics, as well as experts across the various panels and topics. Former President of the European Commission Romano Prodi was the guest keynote speaker. The 3rd Congress returned to Madrid the following year, and the 4th Congress, held in 2024, took place at the headquarters of Fundación Cajasol in Seville. On that occasion, former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta presented to attendees the report «Much More Than a Market», which he prepared for the European Commission.
Born in Tetouan in 1957, during the years when the Moroccan city was the capital of the Spanish Protectorate, Olcese developed a successful professional and academic career, becoming one of Spain’s leading figures in corporate social responsibility and a pioneer of economic humanism. He also took part in major Spanish and European financial reforms through his roles as President of the Spanish Institute of Financial Analysts and the Foundation for Financial Studies between 2000 and 2006. His recognized expertise led him to advise several governments—both Socialist (PSOE) and Popular Party (PP)—on economic matters. He also chaired the first Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility Observatories of the Ibex 35. In the business sphere, he chaired his own investment and advisory firm, Fincorp Mediación, as well as Africa’s first energy efficiency fund, the Energy Efficiency Fund Africa. He served as a board member of Alantra Investment Banking, Álvarez & Marsal, McGraw-Hill, Eurona, and Attijari Wafa Bank, and as an independent advisor to several major Ibex 35 companies and banks. He was also a board member and founder of the World Public Diplomacy Organization and an economic and financial advisor to the Silk Road for the Mediterranean. His long professional career also included executive positions at AC Hoteles by Marriott, Société Générale in Spain, T-Systems, Ericsson, and Telepizza.
