Innovation Council

Innovation Council of recognised senior experts and mentors engaged in ecosystem projects.The council members engage in their personal capacity in our activities.

Gonzalo Figuera (ES)

Gonzalo Figuera Díez-Picazo, SM in Technology and Policy (MIT), Engineer École Centrale Paris, Industrial Engineer UPM (Madrid), is an experienced business leader, consultant and entrepreneur, specialized in innovation-based organizations and digital transformation.

Currently, he works as Innovation Director at Innogate to Europe, a company specialised in managing international projects. He has over 20 years of previous experience working for large corporations and engineering companies (Telefonica R&D, INECO), large academic institutions (MIT, UPM), consulting companies (Cluster Consulting, now Oliver Wyman), and technology-based start-ups (N2S-GAMESA Group).

His fields of specialty include ICT (information and communication technologies), software, IoT (internet of things), automation, infrastructures, smart cities, energy and energy efficiency, renewables, bioenergy, cleantech, sustainable transport, electric vehicle, infrastructures and sustainability. He teaches courses on technology and innovation management, entrepreneurship, energy and energy efficiency, and acts as editor and contributor to publications, lectures and seminars related to his work.

Carlos Herreros (ES)

Carlos Herreros has more than 30 years of experience consulting to businesses in different industries and sizes. He has been working in coaching with top level executives to help them in their thinking of strategy and to develop their level of consciousness to cope with the growing complexity of their jobs.

His understanding of strategy is evolutionary in the sense that what it ultimately should pursue is the survival of the organization. Therefore it is probably the most important task of leaders and executives.

He is also interested in learning and teaching the history of management.

He considers himself an expert on neuroscience applied to management and to creative and innovative processes that require grit, self-awareness, flow and resilience; neuroscience provides us with resources and tools for improvement in all the four areas.

Luis Delgado (ES)

Luis Delgado has a Ph.D. in Physics (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) and a Diploma in Planning and Administration of Business (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid). He is Executive Advisor at the General Secretariat of Universities in the Spanish Ministry of Education. He has a long experience working in Higher Education, Research and Innovation as well as in Planning and Management and on policy making at national and international level, for more than 30 years as:

Materials’ Researcher (CIEMAT, Spain),
Managing Director of Technological Centre (Madrid Institute of Technology)
Director of Planning and Management of Public Research Organization (IGME, 1993- 2002))
Deputy Director General of International Organisms and Programmes (2002 – 2007)
Coordinator of the Unit Universities and Researchers. DG Research and Technological Development. European Commission (2007 – 2009) in charge of the Modernisation Agenda for European Universities.
Deputy Director General of Modernization and Internationalization of Universities (Ministry of Education, 2009 – 2011).

He has represented Spain in in different international research and HE committees, programmes and organisms: BFUG, OECD – IMHE, Council of Europe; European Commission, the European University Institute, etc.

He is author or co-author of more than 150 papers on scientific journals, conferences, seminars and workshops on higher education, research, innovation, technology transfer, employability, management, international cooperation, etc.

David Gago (ES)

Dr Gago-Saldaña is an expert in services innovation and ICT/innovation policy advisor. Currently, David is lecturer at San Pablo – CEU University.

David Gago-Saldaña received a PhD in Economics from the University of Alcalá (European Mention) and was awarded the XI Victor Mendoza Prize for the Best Thesis by the Institute of Economic Studies in 2010. He holds an MsC in Economics from the University of Warwick (UK) and a degree in Economics from the University of Alcalá (Spain, Prize of Excellence).

Formerly he worked for the World Bank on projects on innovation and competitiveness in services promotion for Latin America (2014-2015). He was Director of Analysis and Outlook at Fundación Centro Superior para la Enseñanza Virtual (CSEV) (2011-2014) and Advisor for the State Secretary for Telecommunications and the Information Society (SSTIS) in Spain (2008-2010). During 2002-2008 he worked in strategic/economic consultancy firms.

He holds a strong publication/research background in the fields of economic analysis, innovation in services (particularly the education sector) and Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) and their impacts.

Manuel Roque Muñoz (ES)

Manager with extensive multisectorial experience, from an integral vision of the company and a deep knowledge of the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem, to the business fabric and the public and institutional sectors.

Executive MBA by IE Business School, Master’s Degree in Economic and Financial Management by Centro de Estudios Financieros, Master’s Degree in Business Tax Consulting by IE Law School and Bachelor’s Degree in Economic and Business Sciences by CEU San Pablo.

Expert in entrepreneurship, innovation, private and public business and R&D financing and in the impact of emerging technologies on new business models and organizations, with great experience in the design of public policies and support programs aimed at entrepreneurs, at the creation of startups, spin-offs and innovative technology-based companies, the promotion of innovation and ICTs, the improvement of business competitiveness and the development of business financing instruments and R&D.

Currently Associate Director of Twice Consulting (strategic consulting, growth and business development and organizations) and Modelandum (consultancy and training in financial modeling).

Previously, Expansion Director of the Industrial Development Society (SODICAMAN, SA), Instituto de Finanzas y Sociedad de Aval de Castilla-La Mancha (raising of investments and financing of companies through venture capital, loans and Guarantees); Director of the Legal-Economic Cabinet of the Ministry of Finance of Castilla-La Mancha; Director of the European Business and Innovation Center (creation and development of companies, training, financing and business innovation); Counselor and founder of the Business Angels Network, GOBAN.

Mentor of startups, technology spin-off and companies (Global Mobile Challenge, TechHub, South Summit, IE, Area 31, Youth Business Spain, EOI, Yuzz) and associate professor in business schools (IE Business School and EOI) imparting various subjects (digital transformation of organizations and new business models, open innovation, design thinking, lean startup, business plan, finance and business financing and R&D) and business management in the ETS Of Industrial Engineers of the University of Castilla-La Mancha.