"The ethics of any organisation is that of its leaders"

Ethics is something you study at university, but then, as everything, you have to apply it in practice. That is what our three guests talked about at the round table “Dialogues for Ethics III: Reflections from Senior Management”, organised by the Iberdrola Chair in Economic and Business Ethics at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Comillas Pontifical University.

These three independent guests from listed and unlisted companies: Schindler, Telefónica, Indra, Banco Santander, Línea Directa, Globalvía… They analysed, before an auditorium full of students, key questions like the economic development, sustainability and ESGs as elements in the development of an ethical culture.

“Ethics as an independent adviser translates in loyalty towards the company and diligence, dedicating the time it deserves, as decisions have a great impact on stakeholders”, assured Ana Plaza, a guest adviser. She admitted that the independent adviser, whose responsibility is very high, is becoming increasingly important and that the long-term sustainability of the company must be sought without conflicts of interest.

For another of the guests, Alberto Terol, “the ethics of any organisation is that of its leaders”. On this matter, Germán de la Fuente, the last guest, assured that “there are no ethical or unethical companies, but ethical people or people who does not make decisions”. The three guests agreed that ethics is about making choices between two right alternatives and should exist in business and in life.