Clodoaldo Casaseca, internationally known as Clodo, was President of ASEPROCE from 1996 to 1999. CEO and founder of Sheffield Centre. A native of Madrid, intelligent, intuitive, and charismatic, with an explosive personality, he is a true benchmark in the sector.<\/p>\n
Clodoaldo, a name of Germanic origin meaning \u201cthe one who rules with glory.\u201d Did your parents have high expectations for you?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n My parents used to despair because I was never a good student; in fact, I attended quite a few schools. However, one day it was time to get serious, and my parents were proud of my professional career; in the end, I gave them the satisfaction they had dreamed of.<\/p>\n Having studied Marketing at CEU San Pablo in Madrid, what kind of company did you imagine yourself working for in the future?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At first, I wanted to become an airline pilot, but my myopia ruled that out. We\u2019re talking about a time when eye surgery did not exist. So I thought: \u201cI will have my own company.\u201d And that\u2019s what happened. I\u2019ve had quite a few businesses: some good, and some very good.<\/p>\n How did you end up founding your company in this sector?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At that time, traveling to London was a real luxury. It cost one hundred thousand pesetas when salaries were thirty thousand. Youth travel programs didn\u2019t exist yet; they were just beginning to emerge. I decided to create my agency to make affordable travel possible for young people, so they could travel and discover the world. That\u2019s how the idea of entering the sector was born.<\/p>\n Oxford and Cambridge are often used as brand names in the UK. Why did you call it Sheffield Centre?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The idea came from my partner, who had just returned from studying in Sheffield. We decided to use the city\u2019s name. There was no internet, no email, no SMS\u2026 everything was found in the Yellow Pages. And writing \u201cSheffield\u201d is extremely complicated. We received letters addressed to \u201cSefil.\u201d But we decided on it and have kept it to this day. If I had to start today, I wouldn\u2019t call it SHEFFIELD.<\/p>\n Going to Sheffield in the 1980s must have been quite an experience during the major conflicts against Margaret Thatcher.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Sheffield was a very important industrial city and the industrial restructuring was extremely tough. It went from being a very polluted city to the cleanest city in England. To combat pollution, many parks and gardens were created. The blast furnaces disappeared, but the parks remained. It was an open, safe, and peaceful city, with two very strong universities. The student population was enormous, which offered advantages to Spanish students: discounts, concerts, events\u2026 It was a lively city.<\/p>\n You were President of ASEPROCE from 1996 to 1999. What were the challenges and achievements of that time?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The day after I was elected, four companies withdrew from the association. We were left with 22 members, if I remember correctly. The sector had a terrible reputation: there had been significant fraud cases where companies took the money and disappeared. We focused on strengthening the ASEPROCE brand as a guarantee of seriousness and reliability. We incorporated prestigious organizations, held presentations in Barcelona and Madrid, and worked to professionalize the sector and gain strength to negotiate with institutions. I remember the first press conference: we didn\u2019t know if anyone would show up, and several TV channels, radio stations, agencies, and newspapers came. We began collaborating with embassies, tourism offices, seeking sponsorships, agreements with insurers, airlines, exhibition venues\u2026 They were difficult years, but they laid the foundations for the ASEPROCE we know today. I left the association with more than 70 members.<\/p>\n You had 17 years away from ASEPROCE, but now you are back home.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Yes, indeed. I believe ASEPROCE is doing very well, and we have very complicated challenges ahead; without a doubt, unity and sector strength are key to everyone\u2019s future. The sector is changing at a rapid pace, and we continue to be highly sensitive to both external and internal events. We must ensure that studying abroad becomes something essential, and I have returned with the enthusiasm to help in whatever is necessary to achieve that.<\/p>\n You have also invested in schools in Madrid. It seems many people have now decided to follow your example.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Currently, we have a school in Madrid, Willoughby, a boutique school with excellent results. In the past, we also had Internacional Aravaca, a school created from scratch that we turned into a top-level institution. If I were younger, we would have more schools, but a school needs time \u2014 10 or 12 years \u2014 to build prestige, and right now I lack many things except time. Large European and American investment funds are making strong investments in the education sector, both school and university, involving very significant amounts of money.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve been through everything, including a pandemic. Do only the strongest survive?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The pandemic was brutal: two very difficult years, the first disastrous and the second very bad \u2014 terrible. Maintaining jobs, offices, and schools was extremely complicated and required enormous economic and mental effort.<\/p>\n It seems a new world order is emerging. How do you see the future?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The future in our sector is very complicated. Companies have focused heavily on the Academic Year Abroad, and as always, we begin a price and discount war; the situation can become impossible. What would happen if the United States canceled the J1 visa? Sometimes we need to be careful and stay under the radar, not make too much noise. I experienced the situation when Spain decided to eliminate the university entrance exam recognition for students studying abroad \u2014 it was a catastrophe. That\u2019s why I fear that some misguided politician \u2014 and we have many \u2014 might decide that studying abroad is a privilege for the wealthy and stop recognizing those studies\u2026 I don\u2019t even want to think about it.<\/p>\n Are the people who run the world scarier than artificial intelligence?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Artificial intelligence is an excellent tool; it\u2019s here to stay and is certainly the future, whether we like it or not. I remember being 12 years old when I was given a \u201cCasio\u201d calculator with the four basic operations; people said it would make our brains lazy. The people who run the world can often be frightening, and in the free world they usually leave after a few years \u2014 although some come back\u2026 and my goodness.<\/p>\n \u201cBocata time\u201d \u2014 the Friday sandwich videos that have gone viral. One of those accidental ideas that turned into something bigger?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n On Fridays, at the end of the week, I started inviting everyone to a ham sandwich as a friendly gesture and to take a one-hour break where all departments could gather. We\u2019ve been doing it for nearly 25 years. When social media arrived, I wanted to learn and, since I didn\u2019t know what to post, I started recording \u201cbocata time.\u201d What began as an experiment has stayed. Believe it or not, people stop me in the street to take pictures with me. I\u2019ve just returned from Punta Cana and the waiters asked to record a \u201cbocata time\u201d with them.<\/p>\n \u201cNever trust anyone who doesn\u2019t drink wine\u201d is one of your favorite phrases.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Hahaha, yes \u2014 it\u2019s a phrase without bad intentions, although some may interpret it differently. It came from a girl who worked with me who said she would never drink wine, and I jokingly replied that a person who doesn\u2019t drink wine can\u2019t be trusted. It was a joke, and it stuck.<\/p>\n Spanish wine, of course.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Of course. We should promote local products, and in Spain we have excellent wine. Through my work I have visited many countries and regions, and Spanish wine is outstanding. I\u2019m a big enthusiast; I even had a winery with some friends. But the wine was so bad that I donated the 150 liters that belonged to me to the town festivals.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve been in the sector for 39 years. Until when?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n This year I turn 64 and I feel very comfortable working. I continue with my visits, my business lunches\u2026 For now, I haven\u2019t thought about retiring. But you never know. Everything has an end, although I don\u2019t have a date.<\/p>\n Interview conducted by Pablo Mart\u00ednez de Velasco Astray, President of ASEPROCE<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Clodoaldo Casaseca, internationally known as Clodo, was President of ASEPROCE from 1996 to 1999. CEO and founder of Sheffield Centre. A native of Madrid, intelligent, intuitive, and charismatic, with an explosive personality, he is a true benchmark in the sector. 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