The IESE is an international school that began as a risky venture: offering a long-term programme aimed at businessmen and top executives, something unheard of in 1958. Six years later it began the first two-year MBA cour¬se in Europe, designed in cooperation with the Harvard Business School, with which it still has close ties. Today the IESE carries out activities in four continents. The book was written to mark fifty years of the IESE, but it is not a his¬tory of the IESE. It includes the history in so far as it serves to help better understand the Institution as it is today. Written by hundreds of different contributors, the book shows how members develop leadership abilities and gain practical knowledge. The process is complemented by research and connections with businesses, always encouraging prudent decision making. IESE programs (inspired by Christian ideas of the individual, the company and society) show that a key part of high management is the creation of working environments that respect and promote the dignity of each indi¬vidual.