The EFMD Global Annual Conference 2026 hosted by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) and organised by Santelmo Business School was held in Seville, Spain, from 7th to 9th June 2026. The event gathered over 600 representatives from universities and institutions worldwide. Dr. PENG Zeyu, Director of the International Office of the School, was invited to participate in the conference.

    The conference featured three keynote speeches and ten parallel sessions, focusing on trending topics including competency building in the AI era, internationalisation, transformation of business education, AI-enabled classroom teaching, integration of industry and education, and empowering executive education. Welcoming addresses were delivered by Antonio Garcia de Castro, President of Santelmo Business School, and Eric Cornuel, President of EFMD. Keynote presentations were given by Ana Callol, General Manager of Coca-Cola Iberia, Professor Carl Rhodes from the University of Technology Sydney, and deans of many world-renowned business schools.

Dr. PENG Zeyu takes a photo with Eric Cornuel, President of EFMD, at the conference venue.

    During the conference, our School’s representative held extensive discussions with official representatives of EFMD regarding the School’s preparations for EQUIS re-accreditation and received positive feedback and valuable suggestions. In addition, in-depth exchanges were carried out with counterparts from business schools at home and abroad covering AI teaching, business talent cultivation, pedagogical innovation and international cooperation.

    The EFMD Global Annual Conference offered our School a precious platform to gain insights into global shifts in business education. It also strengthened communication and mutual understanding between the School and EFMD, supporting the continuous improvement of educational quality, maintenance of the EQUIS accreditation status, and full preparation for the upcoming re-accreditation. Furthermore, dialogues with top global business schools laid a solid foundation for the School to further expand international partnerships.