Josep Vilá i Tortosa, managing director of the insurance company Plus Ultra Seguros, died last Saturday. He was a science graduate from the Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona and held a Master's in Economics and Business Management from IESE. At UIC Barcelona, he was linked to the Economy and Business Organisation Department, and taught classes over a period of 16 years from 1999 up to the most recent academic year.
Over the course of these years, Josep Vilá i Tortosa taught a number of bachelor and postgraduate degree subjects both in the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Dentistry.
In the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences he taught Labour Relations and Organisation Theory for the bachelor degree in Administration and Business Management, and Organisational Behaviour for the University Master's Degree in Business Management and Production Systems.
In the Faculty of Dentistry he taught Healthcare Management for the bachelor degree course in Dentistry, and Business Management for a variety of Masters' courses in Dentistry. He was also a member of the Faculty of Dentistry's Quality Committee. At the Sant Cugat Campus, he also taught Healthcare Economics to Physiotherapy and Nursing Sciences students.
Vilá i Tortosa amassed further postgraduate experience in world-renowned centres such as the Georgia State University (Atlanta) and Bentley College (Boston), and was a member of the University Advisory Committee.
Vilá's professional career in the insurance industry, more specifically with the company Seguros Catalana Occidente, began in 1996, working as an assistant consultant for managing the automotive area. In 2000 he was named director of the branch dealing with car insurance and in 2004 became head of general insurance for Grupo Catalana Occidente, job roles that he performed until his appointment as managing director of Plus Ultra Seguros in March 2015.
The University mourns his loss, joins the family in their grief and offers up a prayer for his soul.
