Fundación Valenciaport Master’s Degree in Port Management concludes its 34th intake, highlighting human talent as a key competitive factor

The postgraduate programme has reached the 1,000-graduate mark, establishing itself as the international benchmark for maritime and logistics training in Spanish.
The event was presided over by Mar Chao, president of APV; Esther Gómez, regional secretary for Universities at the Regional Ministry of Education, Culture, Universities and Employment; Aurelio Acedo, director-general of the Valencia Port Authority; José Aguilar, professor of Port Planning and Operations at the UPV; and Antonio Torregrosa, director-general of the Fundación Valenciaport
The ceremony featured a keynote address by Jaime de Jaraíz, Chairman and CEO of LG Spain, who highlighted human talent as the key to competitiveness

Valencia, 3 July 2026. – Yesterday afternoon, the Fundación Valenciaport held the closing ceremony for the 34th edition of its Master’s Degree in Port Management and Intermodal Transport (MGPT). The event, which included the presentation of degrees to the new graduates and students from previous years, was presided over by Mar Chao, chair of the Port Authority of Valencia (APV); Esther Gómez, Regional Secretary for Universities of the Valencian Regional Government; Aurelio Acedo, Director-General of the APV; José Aguilar, Academic Director of the programme and Professor at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV); and Antonio Torregrosa, Director-General of the Fundación Valenciaport.

With the addition of these new graduates, the postgraduate programme has surpassed the historic milestone of 1,000 professionals and young university students trained in its classrooms.

Mar Chao opened the ceremony, highlighting training and innovation as strategic pillars for business leadership: “We need to make the right decisions in ever less time and, to do so, we must be properly trained and rely on tools such as innovation and digitalisation”. Likewise, the president of the APV described the Master’s programme as “a collective success story” and as “a tool that also unites us, in line with the slogan of our Strategic Plan: Further Together”.

The patron of the graduating class, Jaime de Jaraíz, president and CEO of LG Spain, delivered the keynote speech entitled “The true competitive advantage: people”. De Jaraíz emphasised that major infrastructure projects such as the Port of Valencia operate thanks to talent. “We need well-trained professionals with an international outlook and the ability to adapt,” he noted, highlighting values such as motivation, passion and humility as keys to professional success.

For his part, the Director General of the APV, Aurelio Acedo, urged the graduates to continue developing themselves in order to “contribute to the development of a sector that is fundamental to the economy and society”.

Business partnerships and international reach

During the academic review, José Aguilar recalled that this is the eighth edition run under the auspices of the UPV, a period during which 166 students have been trained. Aguilar highlighted the degree’s international reach – with 17 per cent of students coming from abroad – and its close links with the business community: “Companies in the sector provide lecturers, organise visits, take on students for work placements and, in many cases, go on to employ them”.

In this vein, Antonio Torregrosa congratulated a “particularly committed” cohort and emphasised the distinctive value of the qualification they had obtained: “You are taking with you the know-how of a leading and visionary port, of the UPV as Spain’s top university of technology and a benchmark in Europe, and the expertise of the Fundación Valenciaport”.

Recognition of academic excellence

The diplomas were presented by Ana Rumbeu, Director of Training at the Fundación Valenciaport. During the awards ceremony, the team comprising Rolando Abarca, Manuel Alcalá, Paula Cloquell, Mariana Granados and Andrea Vázquez was recognised as the best team of the 34th intake.

Furthermore, the award for the best academic record went to Álvaro García-Pozuelo. The students were represented by Paula Cloquell and Arnau Campos, who delivered a moving speech of thanks.

The event was brought to a close by Esther Gómez, Regional Secretary for Universities at the Regional Ministry of Education, Culture, Universities and Employment. Gómez emphasised the need for applied, dual-track training, citing this Master’s programme as an example due to its ability to actively integrate the entire port community.

The Master’s Programme (MGPT)

The Master’s in Port Management and Intermodal Transport is owned by the APV, run by the Fundación Valenciaport and constitutes a degree awarded by the UPV. The programme comprises 60 ECTS credits (600 teaching hours). Backed by an employability rate of around 100 per cent, it has established itself as the most internationally prestigious specialised programme in ports and transport taught in Spanish. The next intake, the 35th, will begin on 15 October.