The Diplomat
His Majesty the King received yesterday at the Zarzuela Palace a representation of the Board of Trustees of the Fundación Conexión España, promoted by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, ICEX Spain Export and Investments, the CEDE Foundation – Spanish Confederation of Managers and Executives and the Forum of Renowned Spanish Brands, together with companies, entities and managers relevant to Spain’s internationality.
The objective of the foundation is to recognize the Spanish managerial value in the world, its contribution to Spain’s contribution to the global economy, to promote the internationality of the Spanish economy and Spain’s reputation abroad.
For the Fundación Conexión España, the key asset for the international projection of Spain, of talent and of companies, are the people who facilitated the opening and modernization of our economy, those who today play a fundamental role leading internationalized national companies and those who are actors as managers and professionals in the global economy, as reported in a note by the Chamber of Spain.
The note indicates that those who exercise management functions in public or private companies and organizations internationally are people of worth, they generate Spanish value in the world and in Spain. They are, therefore – it adds -, essential, for their contribution to the progress of Spain and the well-being of the Spanish people; they are Spanish management value in the world, which the Foundation recognizes, promotes and integrates as a management community of Spain’s internationality.
The Spanish management community in the world is also a model for exercising management functions that stands out for its collaborative and integrative leadership, for its combination of technical skills and great versatility, with a strategic vision based on interpersonal relationships, collaboration and consensus, unique capabilities for managing teams and crises, and an extraordinary capacity for cultural adaptation and resilience.
Conexión España brings together in this community managers in companies from all sectors, in institutions of the global economy and government, and professionals serving the international presence and expansion of Spanish companies in the world. Initially made up of more than 1,200 representatives of the management value of Spain in the world, the community is already present in all sectors and in more than 80 countries and is beginning an expansion process with which the Foundation intends to incorporate the maximum value and representativeness of the group of Spanish managers and professionals abroad.
The Foundation provides the community, with a presence and events in different countries and with its digital space “EnClave España”, a permanent connection with the professional, business, economic, institutional and social life of Spain, to support each other, develop professionally and contribute to the development of talent, products, services, companies and the reputation of Spain in the world.
This managerial value of Spain in the world is made visible and strengthened by the Fundación Conexión España, under the Presidency of José Luis Bonet, thanks to the commitment to Spain in the world of global managers and entities, exponents of Spain’s internationality, that make up its Board of Trustees: Manuel Arroyo, EVP & Global Chief Marketing Officer of The Coca Cola Company, Ángeles Delgado, president for Spain and Portugal of Fujitsu, Samuel Martín-Barbero, president of Franklin University Switzerland, Pedro M. Moreno, deputy secretary-general of UN Trade and Development, Fernando Ruiz, president of the SERES Foundation and Antonio Vázquez, President of H2B2 Electrolysis Technologies, and as institutional representatives and managers of entities that promote the managerial value of Spain in the world, José Ignacio Goirigolzarri, president of CaixaBank, Rafael del Pino, president of Ferrovial, Pedro Ferrer Noguer, vice president and CoCEO of the Freixenet Group, Ignacio Galán, president of Iberdrola, (represented in the audience by Fernando García Sánchez, President of the Iberdrola Foundation), Marco Sansavini, President of Iberia, María Lluisa Martínez Gistau, Director of Communication and Institutional Relations of CaixaBank, Patricia Leiva, Director of Communication and Corporate Responsibility of Ferrovial, Javier Collado, Director of the INCYDE Foundation, Juan Cierco Jiménez de Parga, Corporate Director of Iberia and Adolfo Díaz-Ambrona, Secretary General of the Chamber of Spain and Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Conexión España Foundation.
Promoting the managerial value of Spain in the world and connecting managers from the network of networks that is Conexión España so that they can exchange knowledge, create strategic alliances and strengthen Spain’s reputation in international markets has a profound and positive impact on the relevance and influence of Spain in the world.
This was presented to the King by representatives of the entities promoting Conexión España, such as the Secretary of State for Trade and President of ICEX, Amparo López Senovilla, and the CEO of ICEX, Elisa Carbonell, Sofía Osborne, President of the Forum of Leading Spanish Brands and Vice President of the Fundación Conexión España, and Pablo López Gil, General Director of the Forum of Leading Spanish Brands, and Ramón Adell, Vice President of the CEDE Foundation, and Pau Herrera, General Secretary of the CEDE Foundation.
In short, as President José Luis Bonet said to the King, “the Spanish management value promoted by the Fundación Conexión España contributes to ensuring that Spain continues to be a competitive, innovative and respected country in the world.”