Manifesto

GATE is a door open to dialogue and cooperation

GATE is a door open to knowledge, science, culture, and the cultures.
GATE is an open door to overcoming prejudices, to understanding the differences.
GATE is an open door to know the changes that shape the future.
GATE is an open door to promoting social advances.
GATE is an open door to defend peaceful coexistence.
GATE is an open door to promote a more perfect international Political Community.
GATE is an open door to defend the UNITY of the Nations and the United Nations system.
GATE is an open door to contribute to the SDGs.
GATE is respect, coexistence and PEACE.

"It is easier to disintegrate an atom than a prejudice."

Albert Einstein

"Momentum that fails to materialize becomes lack of courage."

Vivian Gornick

Who we are

GATE Center is a project of three Spanish entrepreneurs that aims to analyze the most relevant global changes that will determine the 21st century. Daniel Romero-Abreu, Tomas Ferradas and Eduardo Fernández promote this thinktank in order to contribute to understanding the global trends and of the emerging countries in the economy, in social changes, technology and their impact on the international political order. The three founders wish that this entity is constituted in an open meeting space for dialogue, and thus favour the values of cooperation, peace and progress.

GATE Center is organized in three global research areas: economic and technological, social and institutional geopolitics.

At the head of them is Miguel Sebastián, economist and minister of Industry, Tourism and Commerce of the government of Spain 2008-2011, as academic coordinator.

The entity disseminates its analysis in Spanish, English and Chinese. GATE Center is managed by Thinking Heads, a company specializing in knowledge platforms and has an Advisory Council chaired by José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, President of the Spanish Government 2004- 2011.

Organization chart

Board of Directors

Daniel Romero-Abreu Kaup

President of GATE Center

President of Thinking Heads. He founded the company in 2003 coordinating conferences of great personalities, then managed its literary rights and digital content. He has driven an intelligence unit to provide his clients with the best analysis and cutting-edge thinking. Recognized with the ICADE Award and Andalusian Talentía Award 2014, Romero-Abreu is the first non-Anglo-Saxon and the youngest president of the IASB.

Eduardo Fernández González

Vice-President of GATE Center

Eduardo is the founder of ShuttleCloud, a holding company and incubator focused on software and Internet projects. Eduardo studied electrical and communications engineering in Madrid and Chicago.

Tomás Joaquín Ferradas Pérez

Treasurer

Tomás is the founder of the Exeira project, a virtual reality project with applications in biotechnology, training and communication. Tomás studied economics in Madrid.

Academic Council

Miguel Sebastián

Academic Coordinator

He holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration from the Complutense University of Madrid and a PhD in Economics from the University of Minnesota (USA). He is the author of La Falsa Bonanza (Península, 2015) and El Virus Interminable (Penguin 2022).

He has been Minister of Industry, Tourism and Trade in the IX Spanish legislature and Director of the Economic Oficina of the President of the Government in 2004. He was chief economist and deputy general manager of the BBV and BBVA.

Currently, he is full professor of Economic Analysis at the Complutense University of Madrid and researcher at the Complutense Institute of Economic Analysis (ICAE).

Rafael Galán del Río, 'Perpe'

Director, Economic Area

Rafael Galán del Río 'Perpe' is an economist, expert in China and emerging countries. Telecommunications engineer from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. Degree in Business Administration and Management from the UNED. He has lived in China for a decade and previously several years in Brazil and Portugal. He has developed projects in Japan, Korea and the Philippines, among other countries. He has been recognized as one of the most influential economists on social networks by Credit and Caution. He gives conferences and regularly participates in several radio and talk programs about the Chinese economy.

Érika Rodríguez Pinzón

Director of the Multilateralism Area

Sociologist and PhD in international relations. She is currently Associate Researcher at the Complutense Institute of International Studies and Professor at the same university. She is also Special Advisor to the High Representative of the European Union; Non Resident Senior Fellow of the Atlantic Council and Vice President of the Board of Trustees of Alianza por la Solidaridad. 

She is an expert in International Relations, Inequality, Development and Security, specializing in Latin America. She has been a consultant for various international organizations, analyst for think tanks and professor at universities in several countries. Author of numerous articles and books, and writes a monthly opinion column in the newspaper El Español.

Between 2016 and 2019 she was a councilor of the Madrid City Council as spokesperson for economy and finance, vice-president of the Social Affairs Committee and president of the Accounts Committee.

She has been recognized in 2019 by the Embassy of Colombia with the '10 Colombians' award and in 2018 with the Medal of Merit of the City Council of Bogota.

Contributor

María Paula Ballesteros

Associate Collaborator of the Area of Institutional Geopolitics

María Paula Ballesteros is from Rosario, Argentina. She has a degree in Political Science, specialized in management and public planning from the National University of Rosario (UNR) and a master's degree from the same university. She has an advanced diploma in education in virtual environments and teaches in various undergraduate and graduate courses at the UNR and the Universidad del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires.

He has held several strategic management positions in the Executive Branch in local and provincial governmental areas and has advised local, provincial and national legislators. He also participated in a presidential campaign and other campaigns for governor, mayor and legislative positions. Additionally, he has worked as PM in different projects for CONICET, IDB, IT companies, among others.

He is currently serving as Executive Director of the Foundation 'La Usina Social' and advising several legislators in his country.

Analysts

Rui Niu (牛睿)

Economic Area Analyst

Until 2010 he studied his primary education in China, where he comes from. In 2015, he obtained a degree in Economics and International Business at the University of Alcalá de Henares and, subsequently, he completed a Master's Degree in Economics at the Complutense University of Madrid. He currently works as an economics analyst at GATE Center, in the Economic Area. Previously, he has collaborated with the university center IUNIT, a center attached to the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, teaching in the Master in Analysis of International Economic Relations.

Advisory Council

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero

President of the Advisory Council

President of the Government of Spain (2004-2011), Deputy in the Congress of Deputies of Spain (1986-2011), Secretary General of the PSOE (2000-2012). He is currently president of the Socially Responsible Contracting Forum.

In addition, he is a member of:

  • Real Patronal sobre Discapacidad (Royal Board on Disability)
  • Patronato de CERMI Mujeres (Board of CERMI Women)
  • Club de Madrid
  • Board of the World Sustainable Development Forum
  • Honorary Member of the International Commission Against the Death Penalty

He has a degree in law from the University of León. He has three Honoris Causa doctorates: Toulouse University 1 Capitole of France (2015), Universidad Mayor de San Andrés de Bolivia (2015) and the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo of Dominican Republic (2017).

Finally, he is the author of The dilemma. 600 days of vertigo (Planeta, 2013) and of the essay I am not going to betray Borges (Huse, 2021).

Rebeca Grynspan

Member of the Advisory Council

Özlem Kumrular

Member of the Advisory Council

Jeffrey Sachs

Member of the Advisory Council

El Khalil Binebine

Member of the Advisory Council

Elena Pisonero

Member of the Advisory Council

She holds a degree in Economics, specializing in applied economics from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Her training has been reinforced by a broad and extensive executive education at centers such as the Saïd Business School of the University of Oxford, the School of Industrial Organization and the Harvard Business School, among others. She has been Spain's Secretary of State for Economy, Energy and Small and Medium Enterprises (1998-2000) and has worked as President of Hispasat, partner at KPMG and in various positions in the Spanish public sector.

She is the founder of Relathia, a knowledge platform designed to share ideas on the challenges of the 21st century and Taldig, a strategic transformation advisory firm aimed at leaders. Both platforms collaborate with ACENTO Public Affairs. She is currently a member of the advisory boards of UNICEF Spain and the Real Instituto Elcano and of the Editorial Board of Ethic. In addition, she is an Independent Director at Solaria, an IBEX 35 company, Chairman of the Sustainability Committee at Avio and at Bruegel.

Paulo Portas

Member of the Advisory Council

Technical Secretariat

Thinking Heads

Management

Thinking Heads is a consultant specializing in the creation of knowledge platforms. Founded in 2003 as a agency for speakers and representatives of worldwide  figures, it has evolved to become a reputation and leadership management consultancy. It operates from Madrid, Miami and Seoul.

Values

Dialogue, commitment to promote communication and cooperation between regions. 

Diversity of thought and social inclusion. 

Sustainability, we promote the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda. 

Respect for and defense of international peace, coexistence and tolerance.