Wharton School Vice Dean of the MBA Program for Executives Mauro Guillén was recently knighted by the king of Spain.
Guillén was named a Commander of the Royal Order of Civil Merit by King Felipe VI of Spain in June 2025. The recognition's associated knighting ceremony was hosted at the Spanish consulate in New York, and Guillén will later attend a reception in Spain with the king.
The award, one of Spain’s “highest distinctions,” is meant to reward the “extraordinary services of Spanish and foreign citizens to the benefit of the Nation.” Guillén, who was raised in Spain and attended college there, has worked with several organizations that aim to bolster United States and Spanish relations.
Guillén’s work has focused on “understanding how countries, institutions, and businesses interact across borders.” He wrote that the King’s recognition is “very special” to him in a Wharton release.
“It’s a meaningful honor, especially because it recognizes contributions to strengthening connections between Spain and the broader global community,” Guillén added.
He has worked with the Spain-United States Chamber of Commerce and served as a trustee for the Princess of Asturias Foundation — a Spanish non-profit organization “aimed at rewarding the scientific, technical, cultural, social and humanitarian work carried out at an international level.”
Since joining the Penn community in 1996, Guillén has held many roles. He is a professor of international management and served as director of the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies from 2007 to 2019.
WEMBA launched a Global Cohort in May 2023 under Guillén’s leadership, marking Wharton's first hybrid dual-degree program. The “blended learning option” consists of online sessions and six in-person lessons at Penn's Philadelphia and San Francisco campuses.
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Guillén has received multiple research awards throughout his career — through the Fulbright, Rockefeller, and Guggenheim fellowships — and recognition from the Academy of Management and the American Sociological Association.
He is among a small group of Penn faculty members who have received knighthood in recognition of their work. In 2007, the Italian government knighted Penn philosophy and psychology professor Cristina Bicchieri for her “contributions in the field of arts and sciences.”
