Tuesday, May 9, 2023, 6:37 p.m.
“As trust in institutions wanes, citizens demand more from us, from private companies: we are asked to lead, to act with commitment, not to fall into politicization, to be coherent, sustainable and exemplary” . This was one of the reflections defended by Ignacio Ybarra, president of Vocento, during the ‘Leaders with purpose’ dinner, held on Monday in the Jerónimos Cloister of the Prado Museum. Thirteen companies have joined this project with which it is intended to vindicate the work of those companies –and the managers they lead– that not only seek economic results, but also help build a better society.
Vocento has been the driving force behind this initiative, in which the Havas Media Group, HM Hospitales, Grupo Iberostar, Ikea, L’Oréal, Mahou-San Miguel, Novartis, Puy du Fou, Salesforce, Santander, Telefónica and Tendam have also been involved. . As Samary Fernández Feito, general director of the Luxury, Lifestyle and Magazines Area, recalled, “only those companies that are managed from a genuine statement of purpose will be relevant in the future.” And she added: «Today, many people aspire to find meaning in their daily effort. That is why they say that they seek to participate in experiences or projects that enrich them. It is likely that, deep down, what they are looking for is that purpose, that meaning that allows them to affirm in the future: ‘I was there, I was part of it’ ».
The event included the intervention of Nadia Calviño, First Vice President of the Government and Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation. «It is especially timely that, in a world riddled with acronyms, the name of this alliance is precisely ‘Leaders with Purpose’, uniting two terms that, at this moment, are more valuable than ever. Leaders, because the challenges and social demands that we face require people with clear leadership, and purpose, because the role of companies in generating trust is essential”.
The managers whose commitment was recognized yesterday were: Juan Abarca, president of HM Hospitales; Nurettin Acar, CEO of Ikea Spain; Ester García Cosín, CEO of Havas Media Group; Juan Alonso de Lomas, CEO of L’Oréal Spain; Sabina Fluxá, Vice President and CEO of Grupo Iberostar; Alberto Rodríguez-Toquero, general director of Mahou-San Miguel; Jesús Ponce, president of Novartis; Ángel Rivera, CEO of Santander Spain; Erwan de la Villéon, CEO of Puy du Fou Spain; Enrique Polo de Lara, CEO of Salesforce Iberia; Emilio Gayo, CEO of Telefónica; Jaume Miquel, president and CEO of Tendam, and Luis Enríquez, CEO of Vocento. They all collected a sculpture of a tree, created by Gervasio Pérez, from the hands of Samary Fernández Feito and Paloma Bravo, General Director of Communication and Institutional Relations at Vocento. These sculptures symbolize the real trees that during the month of October will be planted on a hill ceded by the Madrid City Council in the Valdebebas Park, with the aim of creating a ‘forest of purpose’. It was precisely the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, who was in charge of closing the event. “Those trees are a good metaphor for the commitment of these companies and the people who make them up,” he said.
Photo gallery
The event was also attended by Cuca Gamarra, spokesperson for the Popular Party in Congress; the president of the Integra Foundation, Ana Botella; and Borja Sémper, campaign spokesman for the Popular Party, among other personalities. Engineer Vala Afshar, a ‘digital evangelist’ –as he calls himself– and a benchmark for managers of all kinds of companies around the world addressed all of them. Afshar urged them to never lose their curiosity.
This act was hosted by María Fernández-Miranda, director of WeLife, one of Vocento’s projects that was also born with a purpose, since its website, events, social networks and podcast promote the values of well-being and sustainability. Because, in the face of noise and tension, as Vice President Calviño had previously pointed out, “we must bet on the values that unite us and allow us to look to the future with confidence.”
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