The Diplomat
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia presented yesterday the accreditations to the tenth edition of Honorary Ambassadors of the Spain Brand, an initiative of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum (FMRE) to publicly recognize those Spanish individuals, companies or institutions that have contributed, through their professional career, to the strengthening of a positive image of Spain abroad.
The King and Queen were accompanied at the Royal Palace of El Pardo by the Secretary of State for Latin America, Juan Fernández Trigo; the Secretary of State for Trade, Xiana Méndez; the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosa Ana Morillo; the President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and Honorary President of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum, José Luis Bonet; the President of the FMRE, Ignacio Osborne, and the Vice-President of the FMRE and President of the EHME Jury, Antonio Abril.
This recognition is awarded biennially and has the approval of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation. The new Honorary Ambassadors of Marca España are José Manuel Entrecanales, chairman and CEO of Acciona (for the category of Business Management); the Spanish-American psychiatrist Luis Rojas Marcos (Social Action), the architect Patricia Urquiola (Art and Culture), Carmen Riu, CEO of Riu Hotels & Resorts (Tourism and Gastronomy); the Paralympic athlete Teresa Perales (Sports) and the astrophysics researcher Begoña Vila (Science and Innovation). With this tenth promotion, Spain now has 70 active Honorary Ambassadors in seven different categories.
During the ceremony, the King praised the work of the Trademark Forum, which, “from its origins and through leading brands in international markets, contributes to generate and enhance a positive image of our country in the world”, and highlighted “the strength of the Spain Brand, which is supported by leading companies, but also by civil society leaders”, as well as “the formidable work of this new promotion of Honorary Ambassadors, like that of the nine previous promotions”. “Undoubtedly, we have a broad representation of the best Spanish talent that succeeds and is recognized around the world. Thank you for bringing the best of yourselves to our country. Because that is precisely what contributes to making Spain a better country. That is the path,” he added.
The selection process for the Honorary Ambassadors of Spain Brand is highly participatory. Through a survey, candidates are pre-selected by the more than 150 companies associated with the FMRE, the Spanish Embassies and Consulates, the economic and commercial offices of Spain abroad, the Chambers of Commerce, the tourism offices abroad, the Cervantes Institutes abroad and the members of Conexión España, the global network of executives.
Founded in 1999, the Leading Brands of Spain Forum (FMRE) is a public-private alliance made up of the main Spanish companies with leading brands in their respective sectors, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, ICEX Spain Export and Investment, the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM), the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, Turespaña and the Secretary of State for Tourism.
