The vice president of the European Central Bank, Luis de Guindos, highlighted this Thursday that “times are coming that are not going to be easy” in the economy. During the delivery of , the head of European monetary policy pointed out that the changes in the United States’ trade policy “have been a wake-up call for Europe.” Furthermore, economic fragmentation and the emergence of a “formidable competitor”, in reference to China, have complicated the situation. All of this has caused a “significant gap” between the United States and Europe in terms of productivity.
“Europe is at a crossroads. We must increase autonomy vis-à-vis the United States,” said Guindos. Defense, he said, is an “existential priority.” In addition, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and other areas such as payment methods have a long way to go. Guindos added that innovation will be the “key driver of productivity and growth” and that is why the European economic model must support innovative companies.
The CincoDías awards are sponsored by Repsol, CaixaBank, and the collaboration of Cosentino and L’Oreal Groupe. The awards ceremony is held at CaixaForum Madrid and can be followed live on streaming .
The director of the economic newspaper and deputy director of Economy of El País, Ricardo de Querol, welcomed the event and highlighted the resistance of the Spanish economy, which “is growing at a good pace”, despite a political situation of great fragmentation and high tension, in which State pacts seem impossible. “If the economy remains strong, in large part, thanks to the drive of its companies, its managers and its workers, who are doing their part,” stated De Querol.
During the gala, hosted by the director of today Madrid, from Cadena SER, Marta González Novo, have taken the stage to collect their statuettes, which recognize them as the best innovation projects in the business field.
The first prize awarded was to the most innovative business project in the technological field, which in this edition went to ITP Aero, for the development of additive manufacturing or 3D printing of aeronautical engines, a technology that allows reducing energy consumption by 25% and the weight or sound power of the parts by up to 50%. “It is a revolutionary idea that achieves tangible results in line with the company’s objectives and that affects one of the main challenges of aviation: the impact on the global environment,” highlighted the jury. Ricardo de Querol presented the award to María Cañas, senior manager of additive manufacturing at ITP Aero, who highlighted the importance of investing in technology to achieve more sustainable products.
Next, Ángel Fernández, LaLiga’s brand and strategy director, took the stage, receiving the award for the most innovative business initiative in corporate social responsibility from Miguel Giménez, director of corporate affairs and commitment at L’Oreal Group Spain and Portugal. The jury assured in its ruling that the LaLiga Vs initiative “is extremely necessary because it acts on specific problems such as hatred, bullying or racism, and covers a great international showcase, addressing a key group: young people.” Fernández emphasized this point when pointing out the influence that football has on young people. “We have the responsibility of turning football into a vector of social change. And you can only fight if you do it as a team. For this reason, clubs, institutions and media are called upon to create football free of hate,” he stated.
In this edition, the award for the most innovative business action linked to the university went to Ecoembes for the project that, in collaboration with the University of La Rioja, brings the circular economy closer to the academic environment and promotes the transfer of knowledge between university and company. “What we have achieved is that students can apply their knowledge to solve companies’ problems,” said José Ramírez, technical and innovation director of Ecoembes, after receiving the award from María Luisa Martínez Gistau, director of communication and institutional relations at CaixaBank. In the case of Aula Ecoembes, the jury highlighted that “it not only has value in itself, but also reaches young people, businessmen and the academic field, becoming a practical case of effective transfer of knowledge in a world in which everything advances faster.”
Miguel Rodríguez-Villa, co-founder and CEO of Macami Biotech, then took the stage. start up most innovative in this 18th edition. The company, which works with the scientific knowledge of microalgae to create innovative and efficient nutritional solutions that contribute to improving the health of society, was awarded because “it provides a technology that does not exist in the market and is a clear example of learning as progress is made in the field of nutraceuticals.” Marcos Fraga, director of communications and brand at Repsol, was in charge of presenting the award to Rodríguez-Villa. The co-founder of Macami wanted to highlight that “Spain is the ninth world power in biotechnology.” “We are recognized for our historical or gastronomic heritage, but we have another that is more missing, science,” he said.
The last award of the evening was to recognize the most innovative manager. On this occasion, the winner was Manuel Manrique, president of Sacyr, who has developed his entire career in said company, to whose foundation he contributed in 1986. The jury stated after announcing its decision that Sacyr “is a benchmark in the world of construction, with a key role in the excellence achieved by Spain in this field. It provides innovative responses to the different challenges that have been posed and provides permanent differential innovation that has become a hallmark of the company.”
As Manrique could not be present at the gala because he was outside of Spain, the person in charge of collecting the award was Patricia Martínez, general director of sustainability, environment and innovation at Sacyr, to whom it was presented by Álvaro de la Haza, corporate general director of Cosentino. Martínez read some words from Manrique in which he showed his gratitude for receiving an award that he wanted to share with all the group’s employees. “What we have done is create our future to adapt to a rapidly changing world,” he said.
