This unique event will examine the reasons for the prosperous development of the Biscay province during an era of economic challenges in Europe.

The audience will get a unique insight about Biscay and its main economic drivers. Mr Rementeria, President of the Goverment of Biscay, will give a public lecture and Dr Grous will present his report, Industrial Strategy in Practice: Innovation and Management Best Practices in the Automobile, Energy and Aerospace Clusters in Bizkaia. 

Alexander Grous has been engaged at the LSE since 2005, and works across the Department of Management and the Department of Media and Communications in a combined teaching and research role in Productivity, Socioeconomics, Innovation, Management, Digital, and other areas. Dr Grous is also a Director of Research in LSE Enterprise, engaged across multiple projects. He brings considerable commercial experience to the LSE from previous roles internationally at CxO level in Aerospace, Technology, FMCG, Communications, Digital & e-commerce, and Banking and Finance for global organisations such as Lockheed Martin, BBC, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, and others. Dr Grous has both professional and research experience in clusters in Complex Product Systems (CoPS) in aerospace, automotive and energy including quantifying the value that clusters generate in the economy and the criteria for success in firm management in both SMEs and large firms alike. Dr Grous has also managed vertical sectors of leading research by the LSE in collaboration with consultancy McKinsey & Co quantifying the quality of management practices in firms as part of a 10 year-to-date ongoing programme of research spanning 20,000 firms interviews in 35 countries, including Spain. Dr Grous’ extensive work in these areas has resulted in high profile reports and media coverage including the socioeconomic impact of mission critical broadband to the UK and the EU; the productivity-enhancing impact of communications in the UK and the EU, and recent extensive socio-economic work for FTSE 100 firms in the EU, APAC and the US, that are not public domain including Microsoft, Kingfisher, Warner Brothers, Amadeus, GB Group, and others. Recent work with major investment and retail banks has also included reviewing ‘Brexit’ and implications for operations, technology and funding across banking and for SMEs alike. 

Unai Rementeria is the President of the Government of Biscay. He began his professional career in 1999, as Secretary-Comptroller of Nabarniz Town Council. He also has experience in the private sector. He worked as a lawyer in Administrative Law at the law firm Sanz & Saiz Abogados (1999-2002) and then at the law firm Ibarrondo & Lamikiz, also as a lawyer specialising in Administrative Law (2002-2007). Between 1999 and 2007 he advised several municipalities in the fields of Urban Planning, Environmental and Administrative Law. From 2007 to 2008 he acted as counsel for the Legal Department of the public company Euskal Trenbide Sarea (ETS) and in 2008 for the public company Bizkailur, currently Azpiegiturak. He holds a Degree in Law and Diploma in Economics from the University of Deusto and a Diploma in Administrative and Urban Planning Law. He also holds a Master in Legal Practice from the Biscay Bar Association, another in Urban Planning Law from the IVAP, and has strong knowledge of public and private accounting practices.

Iain Begg is a Professorial Research Fellow at the European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science. His main research work is on the political economy of European integration and EU economic governance. He has directed and participated in a series of research projects on different facets of EU policy and his current projects include studies on the governance of EU economic and social policy, the EU's Europe 2020 strategy, evaluation of EU cohesion policy and reform of the EU budget. Other recent research projects include work on policy co-ordination under EMU and the social impact of globalisation. He has published extensively in academic journals and served as co-editor of the Journal of Common Market Studies, the leading academic journal focusing on the study of European integration, from 1998 to 2003. He has undertaken a number of advisory roles, including being a member of a groupe de prospective on the future of cohesion policy, serving as the rapporteur of the high-level group that carried out the interim evaluation of the EU' 7th Framework Programme for Research and acting as an expert witness or specialist adviser on EU issues for the House of Commons Treasury Committee, the House of Lords European Communities Committee and the European Parliament. He is a frequent contributor to international conferences on EU economic policy issues and is regularly solicited for interviews by journalists.

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