The Youth Economic Circle (YEC), a business association that brings together young people linked to family businesses and sagas in the world of law, turns eleven years old with 600 members, three headquarters – Barcelona, where it was born, Madrid and Lisbon – and a leap in its international expansion with the opening in Latin America, with a new YEC branch in Sao Paulo (Brazil).
Arturo Hernández Orpinell, one of the members of the association's board of directors, points out that training and networking were the objectives that moved Johnny Rosell Trallero, Fernando Conde Targa and another twenty young people to found the YEC, more than a year ago. decade.
In 2015, the same format was replicated in Madrid and in 2022 its international expansion began with the opening of YEC Portugal, “although the Barcelona delegation is still the largest,” he acknowledges, since it has more than 300 members.
Since then, the initiative has been consolidated and the YEC has managed to organize more than 250 events with businessmen, managers, politicians and journalists, mostly in the dinner-conference format, as well as informal meetings, such as 'afterworks'. Among the speakers who have met with the young people of the YEC, businessmen such as Francisco Reynés (Naturgy), Borja Prado (Mediaset España), Eloi Planes (Fluidra), María Dolores Dancausa (Bankinter), Fuencisla Clemares (Google), Marc Puig ( Puig) or Jordi Gallés (Europastry).
YEC, which is now chaired by Ariadna Vallverdú, wants to “become the reference association that brings together the best young talent at a national and international level.” The Circle brings together young people of different profiles and professional careers, 60% men, with ages ranging between 20 and 30 years, so many are still studying. However, Hernández points out, “we are united by ambition, the desire to learn and concern for our society.”
Of the first generation of YEC founders, a good number have already entered the business world as entrepreneurs or managers. Among the first, Miquel Dosta (Visionario), Alberto Espídos (Tropicfeel), Sergi Bastardas (Colvin), Javi Fondevila (Holded) and Fernando Conde (GoodNews Coffe) stand out. Among the directors, for their part, Lara Llach and Max Hernández, investment directors at Suma Capital and Renta Corporación, respectively, stand out.
The Circle, established as a non-profit association, is thus going to open a new YEC 30 division, “to maintain the association's contact with former members when they are just beginning to emerge in their professional careers,” says Hernández.
