The UPF Barcelona School of Management and the Ared Foundation sign a collaboration agreement to manage the restaurant of the school under the name Gastro Ared

• The Ared Foundation works towards social and employment integration of people in a situation of exclusion, mostly women
• With this agreement, the UPF-BSM reinforces its mission to promote social transformation
• The agreement has an initial duration of 5 years and will result in the creation of 4 new direct jobs

José M. Martínez-Sierra, Director General at UPF Barcelona School of Management(UPF-BSM), and Judit Mascó, President of the Ared Foundation, have signed a collaboration agreement for the management of the restaurant of the school, now Gastro Ared.

The Gastro Ared restaurant is the first managed by the foundation, which works to achieve the social and employment integration of excluded persons, mostly women who had been in prison or social services. Gastro Ared has allowed a new restoration service to be launched and will provide an essential economic boost to continue the Ared Foundation mission.

This collaboration agreement, with an initial duration of 5 years, involves the direct creation of 4 new jobs. Furthermore, it will allow the creation of more indirect jobs, as the Ared Foundation will become the preferred provider of catering for all events held at school.

Ared Foundation is the only social entity that offers high-quality catering and does so by providing decent work and conditions to people in a vulnerable position.

Martínez-Sierra:"At UPF-BSM we do what we do fundamentally to return to society what society gives us. And this agreement is a clear example"

In the signing of the convention have also participated Manuel Lecha and Pepa Morató, Vice-President and Director-General of the Ared Foundation; Marcos Eguiguren, Associate Provost for Strategic Projects at UPF-BSM; and Pilar Soldevila, managing director at UPF-BSM.

With this agreement, the school reinforces its mission to promote social transformation. According to the Director General of the school, José M. Martínez-Sierra, "UPF-BSM makes knowledge accessible to everyone, and is great not only for international rankings, but fundamentally for its mission, for planetary well-being and for its social impact. We do what we do fundamentally to return to society what society gives us. And this agreement is a clear example".

Mascó: "The collaboration provides a great opportunity to reactivate one of the key production lines of the inter-entity, the high-quality catering, which was stopped by the pandemic"

On her side, Judit Mascó, President at Ared Foundation, has stated that "the Ared Foundation and UPF-BSM collaboration provides a great opportunity to reactivate one of the key production lines of our entity, our high-quality catering, which was completely stopped as a result of the pandemic. That's why Gastro Ared contributes to continuing to guarantee new, fair and dignified employment opportunities to people in a vulnerable position that we care about Ared".