Palacio Municipal de IFEMA, 17 & 18 November 2026
World Business Forum
Madrid 2026
World Business Forum
Since 2002, the World Business Forum Madrid has brought together thousands of senior executives from across the globe to learn directly from the world’s most influential business thinkers.
We focus on the most relevant topics for today’s leaders who face the challenge of leading their teams and organisations.
To thrive in 2026, resilience is no longer enough. Organizations must do more than endure: they must transcend. Transcend will be the central theme of the 2026 edition: how to build limitless organizations.
World Business Forum Madrid 2026 Speakers
Daniel Goleman
Emotional Intelligence
Renowned psychologist and leading authority on emotional intelligence
Rita McGrath
Growth Strategy
Leading strategy expert and professor at Columbia Business School
Carl Lewis
High Performance
One of the greatest Olympians of all time
Zack Kass
The OpenAI Case
Global AI advisor and former Head of Go-To-Market at OpenAI
Chris Barton
Innovation
Founder & Former CEO of Shazam
Erin Meyer
Organizational Transformation
Leading expert on organizational transformation, professor at INSEAD and bestselling author
Amy Gallo
Relationship Management
Coach and leading expert in conflict resolution and workplace dynamics
Marcus Collins
Brand Strategy
Award-winning marketer and expert on brand strategy
Sofía Osborne & Luis Huete
BUILDING LEGACIES: THE OSBORNE CASE
President of Grupo Osborne
Professor at IESE Business School and leading expert on strategy
World Business Forum Madrid 2026 Speakers
Daniel Goleman
Emotional Intelligence
Renowned psychologist and leading authority on emotional intelligence
Rita McGrath
Growth Strategy
Leading strategy expert and professor at Columbia Business School
Carl Lewis
High Performance
One of the greatest Olympians of all time
Zack Kass
The OpenAI Case
Global AI advisor and former Head of Go-To-Market at OpenAI
Chris Barton
Innovation
Founder & Former CEO of Shazam
Erin Meyer
Organizational Transformation
Leading expert on organizational transformation, professor at INSEAD and bestselling author
Amy Gallo
Relationship Management
Coach and leading expert in conflict resolution and workplace dynamics
Marcus Collins
Brand Strategy
Award-winning marketer and expert on brand strategy
Luis Huete & Sofía Osborne
BUILDING LEGACIES: THE OSBORNE CASE
President of Grupo Osborne
Professor at IESE Business School and leading expert on strategy
Two Days. Limitless Growth. A Real Impact.
The World Business Forum Madrid 2026 is not just an event. It is a strategic offsite for leaders who want to keep up with the times and face the challenge of constant change.
We curate the world’s most disruptive thinkers to cover every critical angle of the business: from AI and innovation to talent, leadership, and culture.
You’ll return home with ideas and tools to develop strategies and guide your organization through uncertainty.
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1. World Business Forum On Demand
✓ Included in your WOBI Membership
The Madrid program is world-class, but it represents only one stage of your learning journey this year. Your subscription includes 30-day on-demand access to all World Business Forums held globally.
If you are interested in exploring any topics more in depth, you’ll find them in the 2026 global program.
2. Access to the WOBI app throughout the year
WOBI empowers you all year. Receive a 12-month access to our learning hub, a curated library of 300+ hours of the world’s best management content.
You aren’t just attending a forum; you are joining a continuous learning program, all year round.
3. Exclusive in-person events
Real business is built on relationships. Your ticket grants you the opportunity to meet the Global Business Community.
During the Forum: Connect with other peers in our networking area.
During the Year: Attend exclusive WOBI Member events focused on learning and networking.
Always: Connect with other leaders throughout our WOBI Platform.
Join Thousands of Leaders Who Are Already Ahead of the Curve
“Simply food for the soul. An event that shifts your mindset, inspires, and creates a new way of thinking.”
— Kim Boyle – Marketing Director, SAP d’Oro
“Two unforgettable days with world-class leaders who inspired us with transformative ideas and practical strategies.”
— Jesús A. Lacoste – CEO – Soy Digital Network
“This conference is a great source of inspiration, featuring top-tier speakers. Two days to absorb the messages of a more human-centred approach to management.”
— David Ventura – National Accounts Director at Frit Ravich
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Access decision makers from across all industries
Questions from Leaders Like You
Do I need to provide attendee names at the time of purchase?
No, you can purchase a group package now and provide the names of the attendees later. You can also update attendee names up to 5 days before the event, allowing you to adapt to any team changes throughout the year.
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If you are unable to attend the World Business Forum, you may transfer your ticket to another person within your organization up to 5 days before the event. You can review our full terms and conditions here.
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Customers can pay by credit or debit card (Mastercard, Visa, Amex) or via bank transfer. For more information, please contact info.es@wobi.com
Is World Business Forum only for C-level executives?
No, World Business Forum Madrid is open to professionals across different levels of seniority.
By covering a wide range of management topics, the event helps participants strengthen their leadership skills and develop their potential for future executive roles.
I don’t work at a large company — is the content still relevant?
Absolutely. More than 38% of attendees come from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), meaning a significant portion of participants face similar organizational structures, resource environments, and growth challenges.
The insights shared at the event are designed to be practical, scalable, and adaptable to organizations of all sizes.
I work in a specialized industry. Is the event still relevant?
Yes, the attendees are from all industries.
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We wanted to transform your 2-day World Business Forum experience into a 365-day experience.
That’s why, when you purchase your World Business Forum ticket, you automatically become a WOBI Member at no additional cost, with year-round access to resources, inspiring content, and exclusive networking opportunities.
What does WOBI Membership include?
- In-person access to World Business Forum Madrid 2026
- On-demand access to all World Business Forums worldwide
- Year-round access to top management content
- Networking opportunities and access to the executive community
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Explore the speakers, themes, and leadership ideas featured at
World Business Forum Madrid.
Daniel Goleman
Renowned psychologist and leading authority on emotional intelligence
Daniel Goleman is an internationally known psychologist and the bestselling author of the paradigm-shifting Emotional Intelligence. Ranked as one of the most influential business thinkers by Financial Times and Wall Street Journal, Goleman has transformed the way the world thinks about intelligence, relationships, leadership, and high performance in business and beyond. In his presentations, he rejects IQ as the sole measure of one’s abilities and explains that by teaching people to tune in to their emotions with intelligence and expand their circles of caring, we can transform societies and organizations from the inside out and make a positive difference in our world.
Leading with Emotional Intelligence: Unlocking Human Potential
- Understanding emotional intelligence as a key driver of effective leadership and high-performing teams
- Developing self-awareness, self-regulation, and resilience to thrive in complex business environments
- Leveraging empathy and social skills to build strong and meaningful relationships and achieve impactful results
- Aligning personal purpose with organizational goals to maximize impact, motivation, and results
Sofía Osborne & Luis Huete
BUILDING LEGACIES: THE OSBORNE CASE
President of Grupo Osborne, Sofía Osborne is one of the most influential business leaders of our time. She is the first woman to serve as president in the more than 250-year history of Grupo Osborne, one of Spain’s 10 longest-standing organizations. After beginning her career in the financial sector, she joined the family business, holding various executive roles before assuming her current position, where she has driven the Group’s modernization, balancing the preservation of the brand’s legacy with a strong commitment to international expansion and innovation.
Luis Huete has been a professor at IESE Business School since 1982 and has lectured in the Achieving Breakthrough Service and Advanced Management programs at Harvard Business School, as well as other Business Schools over the world. A recipient of the 2025 National Management Award, he has worked as a consultant with top management teams in over 800 companies in more than 70 countries, and is also a member of the Board or Advisory Boards of more than 10 companies and institutions. He is the author of several milestone management books including Servicios y Beneficios, Dirigir y Gobernar, Clienting, and Construye tu sueño 2.0. His latest works, Sensatez and Talento de líder, will be published in April 2026.
The Past, Present, and Future of a Legacy
- The origins of a legacy: How values, purpose, and brand ideology laid the foundations of a company built to endure for more than two centuries
- Leading through change: Key principles for making decisions that honor the legacy without becoming anchored in the past
- The evolution of leadership: How to build a culture that enables the company to evolve and move forward with each generational transition
- Building the future: How to balance tradition and innovation to turn the company’s history into a competitive advantage
Erin Meyer
Leading expert on organizational transformation, professor at INSEAD and bestselling author
A professor at INSEAD and a leading expert on creating cultures of high performance, Erin Meyer is a bestselling author who helps companies develop organizational cultures that foster both flexibility and innovation. She has worked with organizations such as the World Bank, the United Nations, Google, Johnson & Johnson, Toshiba, KPMG, and L’Oréal, among others. A frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, Meyer is the author of The Culture Map, and co-author, alongside Netflix’s co-founder, Reed Hastings, of the New York Times bestseller No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention.
Culture as the Driver of Business Transformation
- The Culture Map: A framework for decoding cross-cultural differences to lead diverse teams with greater awareness, empathy, and effectiveness
- The core principles of a corporate culture that balances freedom and responsibility to achieve lasting results
- Identifying and adapting leadership styles across cultures to strengthen collaboration and communication in global contexts
- No Rules Rules: Lessons from Netflix on building high-performing, flexible, and innovative teams
Rita McGrath
Leading strategy expert and professor at Columbia Business School
Rita McGrath, professor at Columbia Business School, is widely recognized as a global authority on leading innovation and growth during times of uncertainty. As a consultant to CEOs, her work has had a lasting impact on the strategy and growth programs of Fortune 500 companies worldwide. She is the author of best-selling books like The End of Competitive Advantage and Discovery Driven Growth, cited by Clayton Christensen as creating “one of the most important management ideas ever developed”. She is currently writing her next book on how companies can become more adaptive by pushing decision-making closer to the information—and has announced it is scheduled for release in October 2026. McGrath is also the founder of Valize, an innovation platform whose mission is to help organizations build lasting innovation capability as the basis for long-term shared prosperity.
The New Strategy Playbook for Competing in a Tech-Shift Era
- Tech shifts, new rules: Rethink how you organize, build business models, and compete for the next wave of growth
- Breaking barriers: align teams, foster collaboration, and accelerate execution
- Empower growth at scale: Enable teams across the organization, not just decisions at the top
- Get ahead of technological disruption: Recognize repeat patterns of change—and act earlier
Carl Lewis
One of the greatest Olympians of all time
Recognized as one of the most successful athletes in history, Carl Lewis is a track and field legend, world-record breaker, and ten-time Olympic medalist (with nine golds and one silver). Named Sportsman of the Century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999, Lewis redefined consistency and longevity by sustaining peak performance over many years, competing in five Olympic Games. An eight-time world champion, beyond his sports career, he founded The Carl Lewis Foundation in 1984 to support disadvantaged youth and continues to dedicate his influence to business, education and social impact initiatives.
The “I Can Do That” Mindset
- Talent is just the start: What it takes to develop a champion mindset, overcome the odds and sustain success over the long term
- The “I Can Do That” Mindset: Developing the mental strength to give you the edge when the pressure is on
- Staying motivated: How to maintain the desire to keep setting the bar higher year after year
- Don’t focus on being at the top, but on being better: Lessons from an Olympic champion in driving continuous improvement
Zack Kass
Global AI advisor and former Head of Go-To-Market at OpenAI
Zack Kass has over a decade in AI leadership, most recently as Head of Go-To-Market at OpenAI where he spearheaded sales and partnerships, turning research into deployable business solutions. An expert in the transformative possibilities that Artificial Intelligence brings, Zack Kass is a futuristic leader who helps organizations including Coca-Cola, Morgan Stanley, and Samsung, navigate the evolving landscape of this technology in the business world. He has also served as an advisor and VP of Revenue at Lilt, as well as VP of Sales and Customer Success at Figure Eight.
AI Strategy Simplified
- AI Strategy Simplified: Demystifying AI’s complexity with an actionable roadmap for its implementation
- Redefining Intelligence: Preparing for a world where intelligence is unmetered–and rethinking what it means to be human in the process
- Beyond the hype: Turning AI’s ethical and societal dilemmas into strategic value
- A world of opportunities: A pragmatic guide to future-proofing your business by fostering resilience, adaptability, and innovation
Marcus Collins
Award-winning marketer and expert on brand strategy
As the Chief Strategy Officer at Wieden+Kennedy New York, and a marketing Professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Marcus Collins bridges the academic-practitioner gap for blue-chip brands and startups alike. His acclaimed book For The Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, and Who We Want to Be examines the influence of culture on consumption and unpacks how everyone from marketers to activists can leverage culture to get people to take action. He is a recipient of Advertising Age’s 40 Under 40 award, and a recent inductee into the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Achievement. In addition, he led iTunes + Nike sports music initiatives at Apple, the McDonald’s cultural resurgence and Google’s “Real Tone” technology launch, plus he served as Head of Digital Strategy for Beyoncé.
The Future of Brands
- Why culture is the most powerful vehicle for influencing behavior and what this means for brands
- The six levels of brand power, from simple awareness to ideology, and how brands evolve through them
- How empathy enables leaders to understand customers beyond data and influence behavior authentically
- From Beyonce to the Fortune 500: Practical lessons from the field on why the strongest brands don’t just follow culture – they lead it
Amy Gallo
Coach and leading expert in conflict resolution and workplace dynamics
An authority on relationship management, healthy disagreements, and gender dynamics, Amy Gallo’s work is focused on teaching leaders evidence-based frameworks that improve high performance and drive excellence at work. A Contributing Editor at the Harvard Business Review, where she has written hundreds of articles, she is also the author of Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People). Gallo also co-hosted HBR’s popular Women at Work podcast, and has taught at Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania.
Managing Difficult Workplace Relationships
- How to manage conflict and change in ways that spark innovation, collaboration, trust, and engagement
- Why healthy disagreements are essential for high-performing teams – and how to foster them effectively
- A four-step framework for conflict resolution: key strategies to turn friction into fuel for growth
- How to build psychological safety through care, consistency, and candor, creating a space where everyone feels safe to speak up and learn
Chris Barton
Founder & Former CEO of Shazam
Chris Barton is the founder of Shazam, the groundbreaking music recognition app that changed how people discover music, and was acquired by Apple in 2018 for around $400 million. A passionate innovator who believes technology can achieve the impossible, Barton spent eight years at Google, where he was the first employee focused on mobile, creating from scratch the carrier partnership framework for Search and Android. He then joined Dropbox as one of its first employees, helping to build their mobile business and expand the platform globally. Barton is also an active investor and adviser in various startups, holding 12 patents for inventions developed at Shazam, Google, and Dropbox. He is now the founder of Guard, a venture using AI to make digital experiences safer and smarter.
Starting from Zero: How to Transform Ideas into Innovation
- The Start from Zero framework: Discover four unconventional ways of thinking used by history’s greatest innovators like Steve Jobs, Henry Ford, and Leonardo da Vinci – to systematically disrupt industries and challenge the status quo
- Bring “impossible” ideas to life: Harness technology to imagine the future, challenge conventional limits, and turn bold, ahead-of-its-time ideas into reality
- Turning obstacles into breakthroughs: Eliminating friction and prioritizing effectively to drive bold innovations that impact billions and enhance customer interactions
- The mindset to create the next great companies: How to convert bold visions into game-changing products that redefine industries, inspired by Shazam
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