This week, we had the pleasure of interviewing Pau Contreras, VP of Solution Engineering at Salesforce and Leader of the Barcelona Hub.

Tell us about your professional background and your current role at Salesforce.

I've spent most of my career in the technology sector, balancing my professional endeavors with teaching at Esade Business School and engaging in various alliances and groups like the Cloud Security Alliance and the Big Data Center of Excellence. I joined Salesforce as the Vice President of Solution Engineering seven years ago and now, in addition to that role, I lead the Barcelona Hub. With the recent opening of the office in Barcelona, my responsibility involves spearheading the development of our operations in Catalonia. This extends beyond business to integrating our company within various social and institutional spheres. We aim is to have a positive impact on the communities we engage with, fostering an environment of trust, innovation, diversity, digital success, and support for sustainable initiatives. Therefore, we seek to transform our clients' digital ecosystem while collaborating with Catalan society.

What is Salesforce aiming for with the opening of an office in Barcelona? Why is the city important to the company? 

Salesforce was founded in San Francisco in 1999 to build bridges between businesses and their customers, revolutionizing the essence of interactions. We're a CRM company committed to innovation at the forefront of technology. Catalonia is a crucial pillar in our growth strategy, and with the inauguration of our new office, we're investing in talent development, diversity, and sustainability. Major technological advancements, like Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), demand new digital skills and talents. We recognize the potential and talent in Catalonia. Our priority is to support new digital skills and foster the development of local talent. Teaming up with Cloud Coachers, we've joined the Barcelona Digital Talent (BDT) alliance to foster these areas. Equality is one of our core values, and fostering female talent in digital skills and STEM careers is key to ensuring success. To achieve this, the Salesforce Women's Network, in collaboration with Women in Tech in Barcelona, will promote female leadership within organizations. We'll concentrate on educating girls and young women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills. Finally, we've introduced our 1 Trillion Trees initiative to Catalonia. It's a global project to plant one billion trees worldwide. With the support of the organization Plant for the Planet, we're committed to working towards reforestation in Catalonia and advancing towards a world with lower net carbon emissions.

Why did Salesforce decide to collaborate with AmChamSpain?

Investing in Barcelona means believing in its business ecosystem, its talent, and its potential. As members of AmChamSpain, we consider it vital to navigate this new phase alongside the Chamber to strengthen our presence in the city and drive our values and strategic pillars.