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Our School
History
 INALDE started academic activities in 1985, with its senior management program (PADE), the first of its kind in Colombia. The project was a response to a keenly-felt need in the area of social and economic activity for professional managers to be able to receive technical and scientific preparation, and through their knowledge of human problems, to promote genuine economic and social development.
The Chancellor of Universidad de la Sabana had several occasions suggested that it might be convenient to establish a center in Colombia, dedicated to scientific and technical preparation of entrepreneurs who, through their knowledge of human problems, as seen from a Christian view of man, would be professionally competent to promote genuine economic and social development in Colombia. In 1983 and 1984, the first attempts were made to form a group to promote this proposal, and to form management and academic groups for such an institution. The initial promotion group was directed by Octavio Arizmendi-Posada, and other members were former president of Colombia Carlos Lleras-Restrepo, Jorge Cardenas-Gutierrez, Carlos Upeguii, Jorge Carulla, Hernan Rincon, and other leading businessmen.
Colombia had no center based on this kind of philosophy. Among those which existed in the 1980s, there was IESE Business School in Spain, created by an initiative of San Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, who was its driving force, and IPADE, the Pan American senior management institute in Mexico City.
The Founders
The group of promoters need to know more about management and business schools, and the Vice-Chancellor of Universidad de la Sabana, Fr. Albertop Raventos asked IPADEin Mexico, which was part of the working apostolate of Opus Dei and which had already been functioning for several years, to provide advise and collaboration. The management of IPADE were quick to reply, and sent Carlos Rossell, a member of their staff and management, and an economist, philosopher and graduate of IESE, to direct and coordinate the consultancy which IPADE was to provide, free of charge.
After a number of lectures and talks, Rossell contacted a leading businessman Alfonso Davila-Ortiz, who was named as coordinator of the project. He went to Mexico, and attended the course for company presidents, but had difficulties in continuing to the project, and in due course Rossell had to return to Colombia in December 94. On this occasion, Russell selected members of the new academic center, which had acquired the name INALDE, and the first director was the lawyer and economist from Bogota, Guillermo Pardo-Koppel.
The founding group, from the outset, adopted the model and philosophy of the strategic focus followed by Harvard business School, IESE and IPADE. In the implementation of the model, there were contributions from Antonio Valero founder of the IESE, who was one of the advisers in the establishment of the School, together with Vicente Font and Sergio Raimond. Subsequently, visiting professors from Harvard Business School, Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Virginia, Western Business School of Canada, and IAE-Argentina and PAD-Peru helped to profile the model.
The first steps
On October 2, 1985, the first version of the senior business management Program PADE was opened, with 60 participants from companies in Bogota, Medellin, Manizales, Bucaramanga and Ibague. Among them were the CEOs of ACES, Cervunion, Fedearroz,. Carulla & Cia, Aires, Educar Editores, Compensar, Fedemetal. Leasing Bolivar, Corficaldas, Banco Santander, CAFAM, Almagres, Levapan, IBM, Didacol, The Bogota Chamber of Commerce and Nestle , and others. In 1986, the management development Program PDD started, addressed to company Vice-presidents.
The first administrative premises were located in the Los Rosales district of Bogota, and classes were given in the northern branch of the Gun Club. INALDE became immensely popular, due to its novel methods and approach, its discipline, and the cordial and pleasant environment in which participants were received.
Growth
 In 1990, the School set up an Advisory Committee, formed by teaching staff from the IPADE, IESE and Harvard Business School, with the mission of helping to provide constant improvement to Programs. In that year also, the Business Advisory Council was created, as a consultative function to keep Case contents up to date.
In 1991, the advanced Program in company management (MEDEX) was created, using the same methods as the management perfection Programs, but addressed to young professionals with at least five years experience.
In 1993, INALDE acquired permanent installations, at K21, outside Bogota, on the land of the former farm Finca El Rocal. Plans were drawn up by architect Mauricio Pardo-Koppel and Guillermo Franco-Arbelaez, with the advisory services of visiting professors, and construction was the responsibility of Hector Gutierrez.
The second director of the School was Dr Peter Montes-Swanson, a mechanical engineer who had taken graduate studies in MIT and had also graduated from the PADE program. He occupied the post between 1996 and 2002. At that time, the School was interested in starting to provide Programs in other cities around Colombia, and in 1987 the first PADE was opened in Medellin, with the participation of more than 40 businessmen.
Since 2002 Pedro Niño Rodriguez has been the Director of INALDE.
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International week
INALDE taught me that a business should be conceived to generate value "always" over time, and that we as managers have that mission, and that in order to succeed in that we should build a proper organizational structure with strategies, responsibilities, and above all long-term thinking. I sincerely believe that thanks to these lessons, the Parmalat crisis placed us - as it would in any other crisis that comes up - in a privileged situation to be able to deal with the problem and carry on with the business.
Luis Guilherme Ribeiro de Guzmao
General Manager
Parmalat Colombia
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