The CEO of CriteriaCaixa, the investment arm of the Fundació La Caixa, Ángel Simón, assures that their vocation is “to be the first group with real influence in Spain” and that the industrial fabric considers them their reference.
In an interview published this Sunday by the newspaper The Vanguardthe first that he has granted since taking office, recalls that the group’s industrial holdings “come from long ago. The great promoter and promoter of this business strategy has always been Isidro Fainé. Also Ricardo Fornesa. These two are the ones who since La Caixa laid the foundations for what is today CriteriaCaixa.”
Among the measures planned in their strategic plan, they have highlighted the ‘100 companies plan’, to which they want to allocate 4,000 million and which consists of investing in 100 small and medium-sized companies, with a recognized product and that want to grow.
“We hope,” he explains, “to have a clear driving influence on the business and industrial fabric, to promote it and for this to have a real impact on people. It is complementary to the work of the La Caixa Foundation, which has 100% of Criteria, to through their social action”.
Ángel Simón has explained that “having influence” means for them “being a reference for growth through good industrial practices. And that when someone wants to grow, innovate, have good social practices, care for sustainability… they know that one of their shareholders potentials is CriteriaCaixa”.
Profits 30% higher than last year
Regarding his profit forecast for this year, he estimates that it will be “at least 30% higher than last year, about 860 million. Approximately over 1,200 million.”
Regarding his objective of Naturgy shareholding reorganization, the CEO of CriteriaCaixa recognizes that it is difficult to find shareholders to replace the current funds that they want to sell and assures that it is a complex issue, but he has “no doubt” that They will find a solution.
He reaffirms that CriteriaCaixa is a “historical” shareholder of Telefónica and wants to maintain that position without leaving “any doubt”, while Talgo “does not fit” their priorities, so they are open to studying proposals from an industrialist who knows the business, although “no one” has proposed anything to them yet.
Comfortable with their participation in CaixaBank
Regarding their participation in CaixaBank (31.2%), they assure that they are “comfortable. There is adequate governance, which means that the bank acts with absolute independence from Criteria and the Foundation, as established by the ECB”, for what his perspective is to maintain, “neither going up nor going down.”
Simón explains the 9.4% in Florentino Pérez’s ACS because “it has a decisive position in the North American market (Turner), as well as in the Australian market (Cimic) and in the European market (the German Hochtief). The income from Spain does not reach 10%. It is internationalized and its construction area is linked to technology.
Regarding a possible return of the headquarters to Catalonia, he explains: “We have the headquarters of Criteria and the Foundation in Palma; but the operational headquarters, as you see, is here in Barcelona.”
“We are also in Madrid with another operational center. We have a multipolar perspective. Spain is diverse and our CaixaForums help us, spread across many cities in Spain, to have observatories that are as important or more important,” concludes Ángel Simón.
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