Jesús Argumedo Castañeda, the first blind PhD in his field in Spain and an Executive MBA graduate, shares what his journey has taught him about leadership and inclusion
When you walk into a business school classroom, you expect to find a mix of nationalities, sectors, and career backgrounds. But what does inclusion look like when it extends to disability and accessibility?A case in point is Jesús Argumedo Castañeda. Having lost his sight at the age of six, Jesús had already broken significant barriers at 31, becoming the first visually impaired PhD in Audiovisual Communication, Advertising and PR in Spain.
To fulfill a long-held ambition to study an Executive MBA (EMBA) and open doors to senior leadership, Jesús enrolled at Esade Business School.
“Since I was a child, I liked the world of business. My dream was to work in the companies that produce the products and brands I admired. Studying an EMBA was my dream, and now it’s been my reality,” he says.
Now a graduate working for a renewables company and specializing in diversity, Jesús feels lessons from his business school experience can help teach future leaders about diversity and accessibility in business education.
Breaking barriers in education
Long before enrolling in business school, Jesús had learned to navigate obstacles most students never encounter.
To qualify for an international PhD, he was required to write his dissertation in English and complete a research stay abroad—in his case, in Stockholm.
“It’s more complicated to learn another language when you cannot see,” he explains. “But I decided to accept the challenge and write my PhD in English. I even wanted to write it in British English because I love it.”
The obstacles he faced echo a wider reality. Across the EU, nearly one in four adults (23.9%) reports a disability. Yet disabled students remain underrepresented in higher education, which makes Jesús’s presence in an EMBA classroom all the more significant.
For many of his peers, it was the first time they had studied alongside a blind classmate. His presence, he says, gave them an added value in how they now understand leadership and inclusion.
“I am aware that my classmates now take into account new ideas—different ideas—about how to work with people with disabilities or other kinds of profiles in their teams and organizations,” he explains.
It was also a learning experience for the school’s faculty and administrators. Xavier Ferrás, associate dean of the Esade EMBA, says the experience encouraged professors to innovate their teaching methods.
“For the teachers, the interaction with Jesús has provided a unique opportunity to improve and diversify their teaching methods, fostering more accessible, flexible, and inclusive teaching.
“The experience has shown that inclusion is not just a question of accessibility, but an opportunity to innovate in teaching, reinforce values of collaboration and empathy, and prepare all members of the educational community for a world where equity and diversity are fundamental pillars.”
What inclusive leadership means
When Jesús talks about leadership, he frames inclusion as central to how businesses succeed. Leaders have to start by recognizing the diversity already present in society and in markets, he says.
“A leader with an inclusion vision must understand the world is diverse, and that markets are diverse. There are business opportunities in society and cultures, but they must be approached with ethics and responsible business vision,” he says.
In his view, diversity adds real business value. Companies that make it part of their strategy, Jesús argues, gain not only ethically but also in terms of performance and reputation.
He believes the real implementation of diverse leadership comes after hiring. Leaders should ensure that diverse talent is not only brought into an organization but also developed and supported over time—that is how inclusion becomes part of everyday leadership.
“If you are a leader with an inclusion vision, you have to work to keep this talent and your diverse consumers, and develop your vision, resources, and strategy every day to show real inclusive leadership.”
He applies the same thinking to his own ambitions.
“My main goal is to reach senior positions in large companies and become a manager who can contribute with a vision of responsible capitalism, and of inclusion of profiles like mine,” says Jesús.
The EMBA experience
For Jesús, studying an Executive MBA marked what he calls a “before and after” moment in both his professional and personal outlook.
“I learned not only academic and professional concepts, but I also grew personally in many aspects. Although I have finished my EMBA, I’m still applying this personal knowledge in my day to day,” he says.
One of his core lessons was learning how to manage people while thinking of them not only as collections of skills, but as individuals with different goals, ideas, and perspectives.
“It’s very important to understand the personal perspectives of colleagues in your teams, and not just their professional skills,” he says.
A residency in London with Warwick Business School stands out as one of the more significant experiences of the EMBA. The trip was not without obstacles—navigating the city and the airport brought accessibility challenges that at times felt overwhelming, he says, but still it was a profound experience.
“I understood that sometimes there are barriers I cannot overcome in the moment, but I shouldn’t punish myself. Nevertheless, that trip was one of the best experiences of my life. It taught me a lot,” he says.
Today, Jesús works as a diversity specialist at Acciona, a Spanish multinational in renewable energy and infrastructure, where he focuses on data analytics, communication and reporting around equality and inclusion.
Looking ahead, he is determined to progress into senior leadership, believing the EMBA has equipped him with the tools to get there.
“All that I have studied has been with the future in mind. One of the most important learnings of the EMBA is to understand the present. Everything that I build now is the basis for my future,” he says.
Student Reviews
Transformative Journey at ESADE Business School
My time at ESADE Business School has been beyond remarkable. From the moment of the application process, the staff has been super helpful and responsive on every single email! The faculty are highly engaging, the peers collaborative and the curriculum cutting-edge, encouraging me to push my own boundaries and broaden my understanding of business. With practical learning at its core, ESADE has provided me with crucial skills for success in the real world. Not only is this school an ideal place to develop yourself; it's also home to so many fantastic opportunities, friendships and growth. If you're ready for change and want to thrive in the business world then this is definitely the university for you!
Esade review
As I am just starting off in September, I do not have any hands-on information about the education or the university itself. However, I can tell you about the experience I have had with the admin staff, which was always extremely positive. As I am a scholarship student, I had some hardships with reserving my place as I needed to wait for the result of my scholarship application, otherwise, I would not have been able to attend the university. They kindly offered me to hold my place without paying which was a big help for me. Additionally, any time I had problems with the IT system or any administrative task they would always help me in a day or two.
Bachelor Business administration
ESADE University stands as a beacon of academic excellence and innovation. With its dynamic programs, world-class faculty, and vibrant campus culture, ESADE offers a transformative educational experience. From cutting-edge business education to a commitment to societal impact, ESADE surpasses expectations. It's a remarkable institution that nurtures tomorrow's leaders.
Excellent education.
ESADE is a quality university, the professors are the best in the area and this is evident in the student's academic progress. Additionally, the university is responsible for providing opportunities to access the world of work. It is a university internationally recognized for its quality and excellence. It is located in the best neighborhood of Barcelona.
Excellent teachers and classes and a superb international experience
If you are looking for a law specialization master's degree (LLM) in the non so traditional areas of law, and you are seeking for an international fully enriching experience, ESADE is your best choice.
ESADE started as a business school so the MBA and other business degrees are their core. Nonetheless, law education and in particular the specialisation master's (international business law and intellectual property and ICT law) are also on the top Europe's LLM of their fields. They combine an excellent program, with the best teachers available in Barcelona and with a more than enough amount of resources to study and help the student to get initiated in their career field. Also, this is the best international experience out there; personally, I got to share a classroom with other 25 students, where only 6 of them were Spanish, the other 19 including myself were a mixture of different nationalities, especially from Latin American countries.
What an enriching experience!
The program was super complete and touched on all the key points I considered important in a Master of Law, Intellectual Property and Technology. In addition, I was able to take advantage of business, communication, leadership and other disciplines, so important in the training of a complete and multifaceted professional. It is also great that all teachers are lawyers, so they can practice the knowledge they teach us on a daily basis. In this way, they are able to transmit theoretical knowledge to us with a much more practical approach, super useful for our future. In this way, we are able to penetrate the network of contacts in our areas, which can be extremely beneficial for our career.
I also believe that the University is really concerned with the students, in helping them in everything they need, which can be demonstrated, for example, in the current pandemic situation, since it has always tried to act in such a way as to harm the students as little as possible, providing the support and compensation that they considered fair.
In conclusion, I would like to thank ESADE for providing me with one of the best experiences of my life, in which I have made friends for life, and from which I leave with excellent academic preparation, ready to face the challenges of a professional career.
The online platform and the involvment of students and teachers
The online platform is very agile to work and gives you great flexibility to follow the program. Secondly, I was surprised by the involvement of students and teachers. This has made the program very interesting with links to extensions of the agenda. Quite a good surprise. I would clearly recommend it.
Great class cohesion, superb study location, super professors
I loved the class cohesion with plenty of international students from all over the world. Great to have that mix during a practical business project to do with the local economy of the Costa Brava.
Studying in Barcelona is simply amazing, and even though the university is not directly in the center, it is in a really nice part of the city with great views over the old town and the sea. I always enjoyed my walk from the metro station to the school.
The professors were nice and motivated, and as classes were small, it allowed a very good learning atmosphere.
Amazing experience!
The professors are qualified, passionate, and dive deeply into the topics while always making class engaging. Hands-on experience with companies to solve real issues - offering a great opportunity to apply the learnings and gain more relevant experience. The study tours and minor class trips are also adding value to the course, along with many career and social events, which help create a good environment. Would highly recommend!
ESADE Business School allows me to build amazing and long-lasting friendships.
ESADE Business School has successfully created an environment where engaged, open-minded, passionate and problem-solving individuals can proliferate both academically and professionally as they establish friendships with students/professionals from all over the world.
Career Pivot
I decided to pursue the executive MBA at ESADE after speaking with several alumni about their backgrounds and reasons for choosing this program. Coming from tech, I wanted to learn about other aspects of a company and get assistance in creating my own business plan. The open day was well planned and informative complete with a sample class and case studies. If you’re in doubt, I recommend you attend one of these events.
Good business exposure
I really enjoyed my experience at Esade. The program gave us the freedom to explore the business aspects of problems in our projects and assignments, which made the learning process more engaging and practical. Most of the lecturers brought real-world business experience to the classroom, offering valuable insights and advice grounded in practice.
