Carlos Torres Vila: “Education is the driver of growth in society”

Carlos Torres Vila’s presence in this edition of 'Aprendemos Juntos' is a sign of BBVA's firm commitment to promote education in the 21st century as an enormous opportunity to improve people's lives. The bank’s executive chairman shared his vision of education, success, leadership and sustainability in today's society during an informal chat with students, parents and teachers.

Carlos Torres Vila spoke about the importance of education. Something that he became aware of at a very early age, having grown up in a "family of teachers on all sides." Education, in his opinion, is essential to individual development and to the development of society as a whole. "It is the driver of growth in society. The driver of opportunities,” and stands out as the “most important force to correct inequalities." He recalled that Spain has one of the highest dropout rates in Europe, a challenge he feels we should address as a society in order to reduce inequality and achieve more inclusive economic growth. This is why, he maintained, "investing in people and talent is the best investment.”

During the talk, he also discussed his vision of success: “It has more to do with the things you do and how you do them, and not so much with the result [...] What matters is not the result, but the effort, dedication, doing everything within your reach.” He also believes that success has to do with "being genuine," speaking one’s mind and acting according to convictions; having the courage to develop as a person and "learn new things every day"; and always thinking about having a "positive impact on others." Asked about leadership, he stressed that a leader is someone who "establishes the path to follow" through their actions, words and values, by building mutual trust through a shared purpose, rather than by just prescribing a team's behavior.

BBVA’s Group executive chairman recalled that: "When we launched  'Aprendemos Juntos' (We learn together), a little over two years ago, we wanted to involve society as a whole in 21st century education. Reaching the milestone of one billion views is the best proof that this is the project that society was demanding and needed. So now, looking to the future, we are going to keep learning together, developing content for a better life. Likewise, we are going to extend the project beyond Spain to all of Latin America.” Because 'We learn together' aims to be a global program. In fact, it already has a presence in Mexico, Argentina, Peru and Colombia, and will be launched in Uruguay shortly.

Finally, Carlos Torres Vila thanked the more than "200 speakers who have participated in the programs to share their life experiences, all those who have attended in person, the management and production team, as well as all those who have spread the word, helping us reach our billion views." “We have come a long way” – he concluded – “and, of course, we’re not going to stop here. We need to keep moving, we need to keep learning together."