José Lopez, lifetime believer in Business as a Force for Good, passes away
News Stories · Communication

José Lopez, lifetime believer in Business as a Force for Good, passes away

March 2020

IMD is mourning the loss of much-valued IMD community member José Lopez, who passed away on Sunday 29th March. An IMD Executive in Residence for many years and former Member of the Executive Board Nestlé S.A., José had been fighting a brave battle against cancer.

A Spanish native, José Lopez was an extraordinary individual. He was an active member of IMD who was strongly appreciated as an IMD guest speaker and student mentor, also offering key insights for IMD research projects.

He energized all those around him and inspired the IMD community with his passion for quality and sustainability, as well as his commitment to society.

José enabled a number of client connections and provided testimonials for potential clients. Back in 1992 and 1998 he had completed the Managing Corporate Resources (predecessor of the Advanced Management Program) and the Seminar for Senior Executives (predecessor of the Breakthrough Program for Senior Executives Program).

President of IMD Jean-François Manzoni said, “José Lopez will be sorely missed. He was a great friend of the school, its faculty, its staff and students. He was very generous with his time, as well as kind and supportive.

“He contributed to several programs, always preparing very well and making sure that he tailored his remarks to the audience and to the session’s role in the program. He was also a regular attendee of our Community Meetings and over time, we came to see him as one of us. We were thrilled and, quite frankly, honoured that he chose to spend quite a bit of time at IMD.

“While in hospital, Jose contacted us to ask us to renew his Executive-in-Residence contract! We did so with great pleasure, hoping to see him again soon. We will miss him greatly and our heart goes out to his family, friends and the countless managers whom José mentored over the years.”

José served on various sustainability committees to provide his expertise to organizations such as the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. He had a long and distinguished career of 36 years in the Nestlé Group.

Letters of condolence may be sent to: 12, Chemin Jolimont, 1806 St-Légier-La Chiésaz, Switzerland. Donations can be made in José’s memory to Médecins Sans Frontières, details below.

We would like to express our heartfelt condolences to his wife Francisca, his children and his family.

 

Donations to Médecins Sans Frontières, Rue de Lausanne 78, 1202 Genève, Switzerland.

Account owner: CCP 12-100-2. Bank: UBS SA, CH – 1211 Genève 2. Name: Médecins Sans Frontières.

IBAN: CH18 0024 0240 3760 6600 Q. BIC: UBSWCHZH80A. Please specify ‘In memory of José Lopez’.

 

Latest
News Stories Leadership Finance Entrepreneurship
Absa and IMD celebrate powerful partnership linking the African banking giant’s purpose with performance
IMD’s Absa Alumni Forum gathered in Johannesburg to assess the impact of the partnership which has become the benchmark for corporate human capital development
Absa and IMD celebrate powerful partnership linking the African banking giant’s purpose with performance
News Stories Global Business Leadership Innovation
South Africa remains a beacon of hope, with business leaders inspired and motivated to build a prosperous, sustainable, and inclusive future
For all South Africa’s challenges and the crises currently threatening the country’s growth and development, the IMD Business Forum in Johannesburg was nevertheless a positive, upbeat forum, driven and motivated to turn the country’s challenges around.
South Africa remains a beacon of hope, with business leaders inspired and motivated to build a prosperous, sustainable, and inclusive future
News Stories Competitiveness Talent Management
Executives perceive remote working as hampering career development, but that's at odds with retaining talent, WCC ranking finds
For the 10th year running, Switzerland has topped a 64-strong list of economies spread over eight regions, in the IMD World Talent Ranking 2023 (WTR).
Executives perceive remote working as hampering career development, but that's at odds with retaining talent, WCC ranking finds