This week, we had the pleasure of having a conversation with José Luis Vallejo, Founder and President of Sngular. 

Tell us briefly about the history and mission of SNGULAR.

Singular People was founded in 2014 in Spain, bringing together a group of companies specializing in various technology services (software, AI, cloud, ecommerce, digital marketing, etc.) to meet the growing demand for comprehensive digital transformation projects in businesses.

In 2015, the SNGULAR brand was established, merging the teams and capabilities of all these companies into a single organization. There is a common culture among them: the development of talent and the ability to carry out relevant and multidisciplinary projects.

Between 2016 and 2018, other specialized teams were added (Virtual Reality, Internet of Things, Advanced Interface Design, Big Data, etc.), and through the combination of these innovative competencies, increasingly relevant and transformative projects were initiated in new sectors and for major clients. Our mission:

• To develop a constant flow of innovative and impactful challenges and projects that attract and retain talent, fostering and facilitating the advancement of the professional careers of our people. In short, to be "The Best Place to Grow."

Tell us about your professional trajectory and your current role at SNGULAR.

Born in Villanueva de la Serena, Extremadura, I completed my Telecommunications Engineering degree in 1992 with the ambition to work in a company that solved complex problems. I worked for several years in two small companies as an employee, but by 1995, I was also self-employed in the evenings and had various jobs with different partners. Those were the beginnings of what is now SNGULAR.

The growth of my own company led me to need complementary studies to engineering. I became interested in economics, finance, marketing, human resources, and in 2005, I studied at IESE. All other subsequent studies have been for hobby, but over time, they have also turned into businesses that have intertwined with each other. One of the most well-known was BuyVIP, which was eventually acquired by Amazon.

In 2011, at the age of 43, I enrolled in a Biomedical Engineering master's program because I saw that, 20 years after finishing 'Teleco', I could not only update many of the knowledge but also, thanks to the advancement of science, apply them to much more relevant objectives. The mathematics that in the 90s allowed the transmission of multiple audio or video signals through a single cable now allow reconstructing three-dimensional images like those in magnetic resonance imaging.

SNGULAR is the business culmination of the conviction that companies in this century differentiate themselves by the ability to attract and develop talent. In our case, technical talent. To achieve this, one must be willing to change and adapt quickly, to try and take risks, to trust and let much of the company's strategy and priorities come from the team itself. One must think long-term and strive to build positive personal relationships with the team and clients. Even someone who seems to be your competitor may actually be your complement.

My role at SNGULAR is a combination of Founder, main shareholder, Executive Chairman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and I also like to add that I am a Junior Programmer (because that part of my technical career was hindered by the other roles that were added). I like to summarize my day-to-day as providing stability to the company so that it looks to the long term and continues to invest in creating a good environment for the development of technical talent.

What is the element that sets you apart or of which you are most proud in your company?

One of the differentiating elements that we are most proud of is the people who make up SNGULAR, their high capabilities, and qualifications. A staff primarily composed of excellent individuals technically and personally, the majority of whom are engineering and computer professionals. I have long summarized it as "a company formed by good people who are also good individuals."

What role does innovation play within SNGULAR?

At SNGULAR, innovation is our distinctive hallmark, and that's why our clients choose us. Our innovation extends beyond the technical realm; it is our different way of working—unconventional, non-conformist, and disruptor (in a constructive sense). In my opinion, it is not technology that leads innovation, but the passion and will of those behind it. Therefore, at SNGULAR, our top priority is people.

How is diversity promoted within SNGULAR?

At SNGULAR, we advocate for equal opportunities, as reflected in our company's mission, vision, and values. Specifically in Spain, our Equality Plan reinforces this aspect and proposes measures to work on for continuous improvement, making SNGULAR a company with equal opportunities.

We encourage the integration of professionals with disabilities into our teams, seeking to enhance and develop their talent and providing equal opportunities to the entire SNGULAR staff.

SNGULAR operates in a sector where the majority of professionals are in engineering and computer science, disciplines in which, historically, female representation has been, and continues to be, very low. Nevertheless, at SNGULAR, we collaborate with various organizations that promote the employment and inclusion of female talent in technology-related careers.We have sponsored, since its inception in 2021, the "Female Founders Day" organized by the Female Startup Leaders association, focused on giving voice and visibility to female entrepreneurship. We also sponsor the SCIE-Zonta-SNGULAR awards, supporting female talent. Although these examples focus on female talent, when we talk about diversity and equal opportunities at SNGULAR, we always do so thinking about gender identity, origin, or situation.

Why did you choose to be partners with AmChamSpain?

One of the main objectives of SINGULAR in the next 3 years is the internationalization of the company. While it is true that we already have a consolidated position in the U.S. by developing projects for major companies, we want to continue this expansion by prioritizing sector diversification and talent acquisition. Our partnership with AmChamSpain is a great opportunity to build trust in the international market, drive new collaboration challenges with potential clients and suppliers, and accredit our longevity and service quality among U.S. companies.

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.

This week, we had the pleasure of interviewing Pedro Luis Fernández, President and CEO at GAM. 

Tell us briefly about the history and mission of GAM.

GAM is a publicly traded Spanish multinational company that provides comprehensive solutions and services for the industry sector. Currently, we are present in 9 countries (Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and the Dominican Republic) with 81 branches and we offer our services to more than 25,000 clients worldwide.

We define ourselves as a people-oriented company with integrated industry solutions based on machinery rental, maintenance, and distribution. We currently have more than 36,000 machines in our inventory. We work with leading brands in the sector such as Magni, Hyster, JLG, Clark, Pramac, and Ormig, among others.

But we are more than just a machinery solutions company; we also offer related auxiliary services, such as specialized training for the industry through Kirleo. We provide sustainable mobility services through Inquieto, offering comprehensive last-mile delivery solutions. Furthermore, we have an Audiovisual division that we conceive as a one-stop provider for technical design, audiovisual equipment rental, structure assembly, and power solutions for events.

Tell us about your professional journey and your current role at GAM.

I founded GAM and currently serve as the President and CEO of the group, overseeing the management alongside the dedicated and close-knit team that makes up GAM and knows how to respond to the challenges and difficulties we have faced over the years.

I studied Law, but I always knew that my passion was in the business sector. The first company I established was Carretillas del Principado, S.L, which specialized in the rental of forklifts and equipment. In less than a decade, the company experienced significant growth, both within and outside of Asturias, until it was acquired by the Machinery Rental Division of the American multinational Hertz in 2000.

In parallel with my business activities, I served on the Board of Directors of Real Oviedo FC and later, for four years, as the General Director of the club. In 2003, I took the leap to establish GAM. Since then, we have gradually achieved successes, such as internationalization, going public, diversifying our business, and overcoming the 2008 crisis that impacted us directly. GAM's recent results are very positive. In the first half of this year, we achieved a profit of 4 million euros. Our turnover reaches 130.7 million, and we have grown in all lines of business.

What is the element that sets you apart or of which you are most proud in your company?

Since GAM was founded in 2003, honesty, integrity, fair treatment, and full compliance with all laws have guided our business activities. These values have consistently marked our social and environmental commitment.

Likewise, we have a strong commitment to sustainability, talent, and innovation, which are strategic focal points to drive GAM's transformation into a conscious, responsible, and demanding business model based on experience and excellence. I want to emphasize that sustainability is an essential requirement in the development of any business model. For this reason, at GAM, we have embraced sustainability with the goal of making a real impact on both the environment and people.

What role does innovation play within your organization?

Innovation is a strategic pillar for us. At GAM, we view change as a continuous process, and therefore, we seek resilience by paying attention to the crucial aspects necessary to embrace innovations within the organization.

From the founding of GAM to the present day, the company has undergone significant changes because we have never wanted to settle. We always seek improvement, reinvention, and the pursuit of solutions that meet our customers' needs, as well as a commitment to new lines of business. To illustrate this with some data, when GAM was established in 2003, it was primarily a company focused on general machinery rental.

A few years later, by 2008, we had already acquired a dozen local companies of reference in nearby areas, which allowed us to expand our reach and diversify the company's activities into other areas within the industrial machinery rental segment.

Always mindful that our growth should be sustainable, the circular economy is present in GAM's business model, and soon we will inaugurate REVIVER, our machinery refurbishment plant, under a new industrialized model based on sustainability and environmental respect, thus giving a second life to machinery parts. Since 2016, the Group has been undergoing a digital transformation process at the forefront of innovation. The incorporation of the most disruptive technologies in the market has enabled us to reshape our portfolio of products and services, ultimately establishing ourselves as the leading provider of comprehensive solutions for the Industry. Thus, GAM Digital was created: a plan consisting of 85 measures grouped into 46 projects to be developed by 2025, aimed at optimizing efficiency in all areas of the company to become completely data-driven.

Why did you choose to become partners with AmChamSpain?

We already have a significant international presence, with a strong presence in Latin America and a clear global aspiration. Becoming partners with AmChamSpain aligns with our commitment to internationalization and the business generation opportunities that such a strategic country as the United States offers.

An example of this is our partnership with Hyster-Yale, an American company that offers a wide range of forklifts and high-level warehouse and port operations solutions. GAM Group is the authorized distributor for Hyster-Yale in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. We also consider our membership an excellent opportunity for information exchange, sharing best practices, and networking, which the working groups on Sustainability and People, Talent, and Corporate Culture will undoubtedly provide us with.

This week, we've had the pleasure to talk to Craig Gemmell, President at Brewster Academy and Brewster Academy International, Founding Head at Brewster Madrid. 

Tell us briefly about the history and mission of Brewster Academy.

Brewster Academy has been educating promising students from diverse backgrounds on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee in Wolfeboro, NH, USA for 203 years. For its first several decades after its founding in 1820, Brewster Academy educated the children of Wolfeboro’s residents. Brewster admitted boarding students starting in the early 20thcentury and over the last 30 years has developed a strong reputation for innovation. Among Brewster’s many “firsts” include being the first school in the US to have a 1:1 laptop program (1994), serving as a critical partner with Yale University in developing one of the first Social-Emotional Literacy Programs in the United States (2011), developing a now widely-used project-based learning curriculum (2014), and now being the first New England Boarding school to develop a network of campuses in Europe.

Brewster’s mission: Brewster prepares diverse thinkers for lives of purpose. We live this mission every day—in admission, in the classroom, and in the broader community.

Tell us about your career path and your current role at Brewster Academy.

I have been in school in one way, shape, or form since I was five years old. After university I took a one year appointment at Pomfret School in Connecticut and stayed instead for four. After a stint at Duke University, where I studied marine ecology, I was drawn back to New England boarding schools for a second time when I took a one year appointment at Groton School, one of the top boarding schools in the US. One year turned into twenty-one, and I finished my tenure there as Assistant Head. I was selected to be Brewster Academy’s Head of School in 2014 and started officially July 1st, 2015. I chose Brewster because of its immensely student-centered approach and had a very fulfilling seven years there supporting others to support and challenge students. During my time at Brewster I came to realize that Brewster should scale its influence because Brewster’s program is powerfully transformative for students. This was when the notion of a global network was born.

My current role is actually a bunch of inter-related roles. First of all, I’m The President of Brewster Academy. In this capacity I work along with Brewster’s amazing Head of School, Kristy Kerin, to chart the course of Brewster and the broader network. I am also the President of BA International, a subsidiary of Brewster established to develop a global network of schools. Finally, I’m the Head of School at Brewster Madrid. I chose to take on the work of getting Brewster Madrid started because imagined that rolling my sleeves up and getting into the details of successfully starting a school in Madrid would inform how we’d start future schools. Little did I know that the actual act of building something new—and the thousands of attendant details and decisions involved—was going to be so fulfilling!

What is the element that sets you apart or of which you feel most proud in your school?

I am proud that Brewster’s mission is decidedly different than that of most schools and am even more proud that we truly live our mission every day—in all of our work.

What role does diversity play within your center?

Diversity is a term that is thrown around quite casually in the 21st century, but diversity has been an important driver that has shaped Brewster’s course and approach to learning. Of course we strive to build a community comprised of students from a range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds because of the various perspectives a diverse student body brings. And of course we create a culture and climate in which students gladly learn from each other and about each other in ways that benefit all. But what runs through Brewster is an abiding commitment to matriculating and purposefully serving a cognitively diverse population. Brewster has long know that not all students think alike, not all students learn alike, and a truly student-centered education is the only means of serving a cognitively diverse population.

Why did you choose Madrid to open a new Brewster center?

I came to Madrid first in March of 1989 with too little money and carrying a backpack. Madrid blew me away—the people were welcoming, the climate was refreshing—particularly since I flew to Madrid having just endured a difficult New England winter—and, importantly, the place felt very safe. When I first started thinking where to start a global campus network, I thought of Madrid. In a serendipitous moment in this project, I met Ricardo Carreno, who grew up in Madrid and was at the time working at another New England boarding school. Turns out he was very interested in bringing American educational practices to Madrid! After completing a global market scan in which we examined affinity for American-style education and unmet market demand among other factors, Madrid stood out.

Why did you choose to be a member of AmChamSpain?

First of all, we are an American business and are finding our way in this market and this culture just like so many other American businesses new to Madrid, and we would love to have fellow American colleagues to learn from and partner with. Secondly, we want American companies to know about us as a great option for their employees.

This week, we had the pleasure of interviewing Enrique Polo de Lara, President of Salesforce in Iberia, to learn more about his professional journey.

Please tell us briefly about the history and mission of Salesforce.

Salesforce was founded in 1999 with the mission of bridging the gap between companies and their customers. We are a technology company that has revolutionized the way businesses engage with their clients. Through our cloud-based business applications, companies can develop customer-centric strategies by unifying data from different sources, enabling the creation of unique and personalized experiences.

Salesforce's goal is to help companies change the way they do business and, in doing so, not only improve their results but also improve the world we live in by conducting responsible business activities that consider the effects of their actions on different audiences and the public they serve. Thus, the company seeks to generate a positive impact on its customers, employees, and society.

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

I joined Salesforce as Country Leader ten years ago, after holding positions of responsibility in other technology companies such as Oracle and Unisys. In my current role, I coordinate the work of the team in Spain and Portugal with the aim of bringing our entire technological proposition to our clients in the country and making Salesforce the trusted partner for Spanish and Portuguese companies in their digital transformation plans and strategies.

What is the element that sets your company apart or of which you are most proud?

Our values - Trust, Innovation, Customer Success, Equality, and Sustainability - are what sets us apart. They guide us and are present in each of our actions. Over the years, we have built a trust-based relationship with our customers, partners, and employees, which is the driving force behind our ecosystem.

At Salesforce, we recognize the transformative power of the technologies we create and the role they play as a platform for facilitating change. That's why we are deeply committed to the ethical and human-centered design of technology that promotes equality, transparency, and inclusion. Establishing trust in the digital realm is our top priority.

What role does innovation play within your company?

Innovation is an integral part of Salesforce's DNA. Thanks to our cloud-based software distribution model, our customers enjoy regular updates for all our products and the highest security standards. Moreover, we have been at the forefront of innovation during critical moments in the history of information technology, such as the development of cloud computing, the deployment of business applications for mobile devices, and the impact of social networks on companies' customer relationship strategies.

In 2016, we launched Einstein, our Artificial Intelligence platform that has transformed the way companies leverage data to improve their business processes. Currently, we are working intensely to incorporate all the benefits of Generative Artificial Intelligence into our solutions, so that companies have tools that help improve efficiency and productivity in all areas of their business, from sales to marketing.

Why did you choose to partner with AmCham Spain?

Being a member of AmCham provides us with tremendous value. AmCham Spain is a trusted channel through which we can accentuate our commitment to ethical business practices, access a community of professionals with shared values, reinforce the highest professional standards, and support public-private partnerships in the pursuit of building a more equitable world.

This week we had the pleasure of speaking with Candelas Martín de Cabiedes, Business Development and IR Director at Europa Press.

Can you briefly tell us about the history and mission of Europa Press?

Europa Press has over 65 years of history. The beginnings, in the 1950s, were not easy. In the midst of a dictatorship and many limitations on press freedom, a group of brave intellectuals related to the world of the press decided to found a news agency, which would be the seed of the Europa Press we know today. An agency that survived and grew thanks to the work of great journalists and a firm businessman, my grandfather. An agency that fought from its origins for freedom of expression, and the values of independence, truthfulness, and rigor. Values ​​that are still very present in the agency whose capital continues to be 100% family-owned. Currently, Europa Press is the main private Spanish-language news agency in the world, and its multimedia news services are received by almost all media in Spain, as well as by the main companies and institutions, to which are added 160 of the main media in 20 Ibero-American countries.

Tell us about your professional background and your current role at Europa Press.

I have a degree in Law and Business Administration from the Pontifical University of Comillas (ICADE E-3) and an MBA from the Instituto de Empresa. I began my professional career at the Spanish multinational Indra as Business Development Manager for Latin America and Africa, and previously as a strategy and corporate development consultant. Later, I joined Europa Press, an agency to which I have always felt very connected due to my family. As Director of Business Development and IR at the agency, I make every effort every day to understand in-depth the needs of our clients, to advance towards increasingly innovative and multimedia news products, as well as to promote our geographic expansion in Ibero-America.

What is the element that differentiates you or of which you are most proud of in Europa Press?

What we are most proud of is our total journalistic independence. An independence that is sustained thanks to rigorous business management that ensures economic sustainability. And in the current context, complex, full of uncertainty, and growing disinformation, a source of professional and independent information is more necessary than ever, and is a guarantee for democracy and its institutions.

What role does diversity play within your company?

At Europa Press, we are very committed to diversity and equality between men and women, and this is reflected in the numbers. In fact, 60% of the staff are women, and their role is maintained throughout the different levels of the organization. Women who join the agency naturally occupy positions of greater responsibility. Thus, there is a higher percentage of women than men both at the level of chief editors, territorial delegates, as well as in the Management Committee, where out of the 12 members, 7 are women. This commitment to talent, and especially to female talent, is undoubtedly a great source of wealth and innovation for the agency.

Why did you choose to become a member of AmChamSpain?

AmCham, with its more than 280 member companies representing 26% of the Spanish GDP, is the main business association that defends the improvement of competitiveness, productivity, and internationalization of the Spanish economy, principles with which Europa Press fully identifies. Additionally, currently, Europa Press disseminates its news in multimedia formats not only to Spanish media but also to more than 160 media in 20 countries in America, including the main Spanish-speaking American media. In this vocation to be closer to America, being a member of an institution like AmCham is very interesting, as it will help us to know more deeply the situation of bilateral relations, in addition to being a meeting and reflection

This week, we had the pleasure of talking with Mariola Martínez, President of Xerox Spain.

Could you briefly tell us about Xerox's history and mission?

For over 100 years, Xerox has continually redefined the workplace experience. Leveraging our leadership position in office and production printing technology, we have expanded our operations into software and digital services to sustainably drive the transformation that all companies are currently undergoing. From the office to industrial environments, our business solutions and financial services are designed to make daily work more productive, regardless of where it takes place. Today, Xerox scientists and engineers continue our legacy of innovation with disruptive technologies in digital transformation, augmented reality, robotic process automation, additive manufacturing, Industrial Internet of Things, and clean technologies.

Could you tell us about your professional career and your current role at Xerox?

I started in Xerox's sales department and, after 25 years, I am now leading the company in Spain. I have a degree in Law, which is very unusual in senior IT management. However, my curiosity to learn and the internal training I was provided with at Xerox helped me shape my leadership profile. I was in charge of the Channel Management for Southern Europe, VP of Channel Expansion and MPS Europe. Eight years ago, I led the global area and for the past two years, I have had the honor of leading Xerox in Spain at a crucial moment of transformation for humanity at all levels, and both from a technological and a social perspective. Recently, I have also taken on the role of VP of Channel for EMEA.

What sets Xerox apart or of what are you most proud of at Xerox?

Xerox is a company with a diverse and talented workforce. Already in the 1960s, employees with good ideas and creativity were rewarded. Joe Wilson said that they did not want to do things as they had always been done, and this has been engraved in the company's values. This company takes risks and encourages you to try new ideas. If we go back over the last 50 years, we can see the innovative inventions that emerged from Xerox PARC and revolutionized the market. Currently, we continue to develop technologies that have and will have a significant impact on the future. Social responsibility, commitment to digital transformation, the ability to connect with employees, and a willingness to continuous learning are the new leadership skills most in demand. However, all of these were considered at Xerox before all organizations jumped on this bandwagon.

What role does diversity play within your company?

Diversity is part of Xerox's corporate culture and values. We advocate for diversity because it is an essential concept that goes beyond gender. Undoubtedly, one of the greatest lessons I have learned in my career is working with diverse teams that include people from different backgrounds, cultural baggage, and age. They have all contributed to my personal development, and the vast majority of them have added their grain of sand to my professional growth.

I also consider it essential for any company to have conciliation policies. At Xerox, we promote these policies so that no worker halts their professional progress due to having a family. Empathy means understanding employee's needs and taking action to meet them. Good intentions are not enough, they need to be accompanied by action. 

Why did you choose to partner with AmChamSpain?

Being a partner of AmChamSpain gives you the opportunity to connect with professionals from different organizations. Relating and sharing ideas with colleagues from different sectors helps generate new knowledge by learning from the experiences and best practices of other partners. It also promotes talent development, which is essential for organizations to move forward.

This week we had the pleasure of interviewing Felipe Fernández de Aramburu, General Manager of Uber Spain and Portugal.

Can you tell us briefly about your professional career and your role in the company?

I started my studies at the University of San Andrés in Buenos Aires and then pursued postgraduate studies in finance at ESCP Business School and graduated from The Wharton School after completing my MBA. Before joining Uber, my previous experiences in consulting, retail, finance, investment banking, and marketing at companies such as McKinsey and Deutsche Bank helped me develop extensive professional experience with strong management and leadership skills.

In 2016, I joined Uber with the goal of building the company's operations in Argentina and helping to make it one of Uber's fastest-growing countries in the world. Later, I became the general manager of the company for the Southern Cone region, leading operations in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Since September 2022, I have been the general manager of Uber in Iberia, overseeing the growth and profitability of the Spanish and Portuguese markets. I am passionate about technology and innovative organizations, always focused on achieving sustained business growth.

What is Uber's mission and vision? How do you define yourselves as a company?

We work for the mobility of the cities of the future. A mobility based on a multimodal model, in which the user can make use of a wide variety of transport alternatives, including VTC and taxis, micromobility options such as electric bicycles and scooters, and of course, public transport services such as the metro, bus, and commuter train. Through the combination of all these alternatives, we will move towards the elimination of private cars, while contributing to the development of more sustainable cities with reliable, safe, and environmentally friendly mobility.

What is the differential element or the one you are most proud of at Uber?

The fact that we are the leading mobility platform worldwide, with a presence in more than 10,000 cities and 70 countries, combined with the fact that we work with almost 900,000 partners on the delivery side, makes us a unique company. Additionally, our technology and our special attention to safety and sustainability differentiate us from the competition. Taking all these factors into account and with the idea of maximizing the power of our platform by offering our users all the advantages of both businesses, at the end of 2022, we launched Uber One in Spain, a subscription program that offers discounts and exclusive advantages to consumers, both on Uber rides and on food deliveries and grocery shopping on Uber Eats.

What role does sustainability play in the company you represent?

Undoubtedly, the biggest challenge we face is becoming a zero-emission platform in all the markets where we operate worldwide. To achieve this goal, in September 2020, we presented our sustainability strategic plan and our global commitment to becoming a zero-emission mobility platform by 2040 in the 10,000 cities and six continents where we operate. To reach this goal, our objective is that 100% of trips will be made in zero-emission vehicles, public transport, and micro-mobility throughout our platform on a global scale.

As part of this commitment, in January 2022, we launched Uber Green in Madrid, the 100% electric mobility service of Uber that allows platform users to travel in zero-emission vehicles at the same price as Uber's most popular product worldwide, UberX. In addition to launching Uber Green, we also announced agreements with two of the largest Spanish companies to promote the electrification of the taxi and VTC sectors: we closed an agreement with Repsol to offer taxi and VTC drivers who work with our platform a discount of up to 21% at Repsol's 77 public charging stations, in order to overcome the obstacle of easy and affordable access to electric charging stations. On the other hand, we partnered with Santander to offer special financial conditions for the acquisition of electric vehicles for taxi and VTC drivers who work with Uber in Spain. At the end of 2022, we announced our agreement with Wallbox to support drivers in transitioning to electric cars, providing them with discounts for the purchase of home chargers. In parallel, in March 2021 and September 2022, we integrated public transport information for Barcelona and Madrid, respectively, into our application, allowing users to check the best route to their destination and taking a step further in our goal of discouraging the use of private vehicles in order to reduce pollution in cities. Globally, we have integrated public transport information in 50 cities around the world, including London, Sydney, Paris, Mexico City, San Francisco, New York, Delhi, Lisbon, Rome, Buenos Aires, Barcelona, Berlin, and now Madrid. Additionally, in ten cities, including Las Vegas, Denver, and Cleveland in the United States, as well as London in Europe, we have gone one step further, allowing users to purchase their train, bus, ferry, tram, or metro tickets directly through the Uber app.

Why did you choose to partner with AmChamSpain?

The decision to join AmChamSpain is motivated by several factors. The first is the great relevance and prestige of AmCham as an institution at the international level, which we consider contributes very positively to the perception of the Uber brand as an international company that presents a key commitment to Spain. Secondly, as a company from North America, we consider that AmCham is the Chamber of Commerce that best represents the interests of American-origin companies. Lastly, because we are already strategic partners of this institution in almost all the countries where we operate in the world.

This week we had the pleasure of interviewing Miguel Ángel González, Vice President of Appian Iberia & Latam.

How did Appian start in Spain and what is your role in the company?

Appian is a company that has 20 years of history in the American market and in Spain, we have had a local office for six years. I joined together with Ramón Riquelme for the Iberia region in September 2016 due to the potential I saw in the company. At that time, we were two people, and today the company in Spain has more than 100 employees. In this period of time, I went from ensuring the arrival and proper establishment of the company in Spain in 2016 to leading its transformation into a reference company in the Spanish and Portuguese market for business process management (BPM), case management, and low-code, and increasingly with global accounts in Latin America. We work mainly with large companies (IBEX, listed on the continuous market...) although we also do things for smaller companies since it is a technology that is very adaptable to any type of business.

In Iberia, we have two offices (Madrid and Seville), we are the only company in the sector that has local support in Spanish, which offers a great difference with respect to the rest of the competitors, and we are very happy to have a presence here. The company is also in the main cities of Europe and is listed on Nasdaq. In fact, we went public in 2017, and it was the most successful debut in that year for a technology company. We are also the first low-code company to go public. This year, 2023, we face great challenges with enthusiasm, despite the difficulties presented by the global economy, the Spanish team will lead the bet for other regions such as Portugal or Latin America.

What is Appian, and what are its core pieces?

Appian is a low-code platform that combines the fundamental capabilities needed to do work faster (Process Mining + Workflow + Automation) on a unified platform. Appian discovers, designs, and automates processes, achieving very positive results that represent a quantifiable business benefit for its clients. It is also an open enterprise-level platform and is trusted by industry leaders. Appian accelerates clients' businesses by discovering, designing, and automating their processes. They do this by combining process mining, workflows, and automation into a unified low-code platform that makes any company's work more efficient and enables its processes to adapt to market changes much faster. One of the core pieces for Appian is "workflow," which is deeply rooted in the company from the beginning. Appian understands workflow as a bridge between process mining and automation, placing it at the center of the service to its clients, giving them a competitive advantage over their competitors. Identifying the workflow and ordering digital and human tasks in a company makes it more efficient, offers higher quality, and makes its processes scalable.

Additionally, especially in recent years, Appian has focused on automation to include in a company's workflow the necessary AI-based software and assistants to delegate certain repetitive tasks. These elements are robotic process automation (RPA), intelligent document processing (IDP), and artificial intelligence (AI), which, correctly linked to the rest of business or business activities, are much more efficient. In this combination, process mining plays a fundamental role in unearthing business processes that must be optimized through automation. In the past, process mining was considered an isolated tool, but Appian takes the information obtained from process mining and acts on it faster than ever by combining it with automation and workflows.

What is the differential element that Appian is most proud of?

The process mining is the most innovative part of Appian's offering and what really sets us apart, as it is offered integrated into their platform alongside workflow and automation. This provides significant added value by reducing the number of steps taken from obtaining information to taking action. It can be applied to discovery processes, as well as to optimize existing ones. On the other hand, Appian's guarantee to its customers is noteworthy, based on the philosophy that one must go from idea to application as quickly as possible. Business requests for creating new and transformative software applications are exponentially increasing, but 50% of those requests fail. Therefore, the Appian Guarantee offers an 8-week delivery deadline for its first application for a fixed fee. The simplicity and power of the Appian Low-Code Platform ensures that anyone with technical knowledge can train as an Appian developer in 2 weeks.

What role does innovation play within Appian?

Innovation plays a central role in Appian as it allows us to develop the solutions our clients need. There is a consensus among IT professionals that technologies such as low-code, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning will be key to addressing the business challenges facing IT departments, while helping organizations adapt to change and streamline work. Appian's Low-Code Platform allows for digital innovation to be unleashed and for growth to be driven. In this sense, the industry agrees that a broad set of automation technologies is needed to drive workflows across the enterprise, and Appian's complete automation is a great differentiator. Appian's automation capability is not limited to one technology, but to a unified and native set of technologies that allow customers to use the right tools for the job.

How does Appian help its customers?

Appian solves the different needs of each client and adapts to the requirements of each sector. The platform easily adapts because it connects people, data, and systems in a seamless workflow. This helps customers get the most out of their existing resources. Appian offers a wide range of native capabilities, all included in the platform, so customers can choose the right combination of technologies for their specific use case. It offers a selection of "pre-packaged" combinations with platform capabilities that address specific use cases. And if a customer's needs change, they can be easily added, removed, or configured as desired. Appian empowers customers to select the most appropriate solution for their specific use case.

How does Appian apply its solutions in regulated sectors?

As an open platform, it is easier for Appian to respect the business decisions of the different sectors it works with, complying with the strictest standards of reliability, performance, and security required by leading companies and government agencies worldwide. Appian does well in regulated markets because it has a strong sense of data governance and provides the security boundaries that company CIOs need to have full visibility and control over their systems. With economies in recession, it is common for process controls to come under greater scrutiny and for governments to apply more regulatory enforcement. Companies face many challenges related to financial transparency, system visibility in supply chains, and monitoring of environmental policies. To meet these requirements, highly regulated sectors have to ensure end-to-end process control. Open platforms like Appian provide versatile solutions that are already being applied in such diverse sectors as finance, insurance, healthcare, manufacturing, telecommunications, logistics, and supply chain management, among others.

Why did Appian choose to become partners with AmChamSpain?

Appian was born and is an American company, but with a clear global aspiration. We consider being partners with the American Chamber of Commerce in Spain to be key because it provides us with the necessary tools to grow our business in the country. We see AmChamSpain as a meeting point between the Spanish and American business landscape, which aligns perfectly with our origin and our commitment to the Spanish and Spanish-speaking market. We believe that with its programs, events, publications, etc., it generates an exchange of ideas, innovative projects, and access to resources to promote Appian in the right way.

This week we had the pleasure of interviewing Juan Carlos Gil, CEO of the pharmaceutical company, Moderna.

Tell us briefly about your professional background and role in the company.

My professional career started in the pharmaceutical sector and, after 30 years, I am still dedicated to it. I am honored to witness the advances and innovations achieved in this industry. In addition, being part of Moderna's global team is a dream and a professional challenge for me, since, in my opinion, this company is destined to transform medicine. We will see it in the not so distant future.

Prior to joining Moderna, I held the position of CEO of the Vaccines Unit of MSD, being responsible for the strategy and execution of vaccine access programs in Spain. I also held the position of Commercial and Market Expansion Director at Sanofi MSD for the entire vaccine portfolio. Previously, I was part of Merck Serono, a company in which I held management positions for more than 11 years, contributing my experience and knowledge in the areas of operations, sales, market, and strategy for Europe, Canada, and Australia. And prior to this, for approximately 10 years, I was part of the Novartis Consumer Health team, with responsibilities in marketing and sales.

What is Moderna's mission and vision? How do you define yourselves as a company?

In 2010, two engineers and a molecular biologist decided to start a project based on the research and development of vaccines and treatments focused on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. This is a technology that allows vaccines to be developed in a few months, something that broke with the schemes of what was previously known about vaccine R&D. When Covid-19 arrived, Moderna had already been researching coronavirus colds for six years, so they had the knowledge and mRNA technology necessary to develop a vaccine quickly and safely, and the availability of the vaccine against Covid-19 was our first milestone.

Taking advantage of the power of mRNA, we have a clear mission to create a new generation of transformative drugs for patients. Our product portfolio shows the progress we are making in the clinical programs currently in development to create mRNA drugs with the potential to prevent and/or treat respiratory diseases, cancer, rare diseases, and latent viruses such as HIV, CMV, or EBV. As for how we define ourselves, the Covid-19 health crisis placed us at the center of a very complex scenario, one that we were able to respond to quickly thanks to science. We have contributed with our vaccines to the control of one of the worst pandemics that has occurred in recent years, and this has undoubtedly marked our identity. But Moderna is more than the vaccine. We are a stamp of innovation, personalized medicine, and, ultimately, a real alternative to improve the health and lives of millions of people, a "brand" that we want to maintain for a long time.

What is the differential element or what are you most proud of in Moderna?

Undoubtedly, our mRNA technology platform. As I mentioned before, for over a decade Moderna has been working on researching and producing different medicines through its mRNA platform. It is this same technology that is allowing us great flexibility and agility in creating and offering effective solutions in record time to fight, now and in the future, against diseases, some of them without any therapeutic option available. As a platform, mRNA technology is incredibly versatile. In some cases, such as with Covid-19, these proteins can train the immune system to fight the disease. In others, such as with enzyme deficiencies, they can replace defective or absent proteins that are essential for survival.

Our goal is to use the platform to prevent or treat a wide range of diseases, from infectious diseases to cancer, autoimmune diseases, and rare diseases. mRNA technology has the potential to solve problems that are impossible for traditional drug development platforms. Speed is a clear differentiating factor: if we have the sequence of a virus, we can create a testable vaccine in days instead of months or even years and administer them against multiple viruses in a single injection. In addition, with mRNA therapies, we can give people instructions to manufacture various drugs with their own bodies instead of depending on foreign proteins made in animal cells.

What role does innovation play within the company you represent?

Innovation is the foundation of our work. It is what drives our scientists to research and develop new vaccines and treatments, and the company as a whole to provide effective therapeutic solutions to the medical community and society that can prevent and treat some of the diseases that have the greatest impact on the population. In addition, to ensure that innovation does not stop and to promote new avenues of research, Moderna has launched "mRNA Access," a program that offers researchers the use of our mRNA technology to explore new vaccines against emerging or neglected infectious diseases. This program will also allow researchers to explore new vaccine designs against prototype viral families in preparation for "Disease X." The WHO gave this name to Disease X to represent the knowledge that a severe international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen that is currently unknown as a cause of human diseases.

It is undeniable that in recent years, Moderna has played an important role in containing the COVID-19 virus. How would you define the social impact of your company?

We are very pleased that society perceives us as a leading company that has brought great solutions. Right now, we are a "firm" almost as well-known as other major players in the pharmaceutical industry, despite having a shorter track record. On the other hand, it is clear that the COVID-19 vaccine has been an opportunity for us. It has been our window to the world and our introduction letter, but we need the population to discover that we are much more and learn more about our activity and the possibilities of our pipeline. Currently, we are developing a pan-respiratory vaccine that includes COVID, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). We also have a very ambitious global project to have vaccines against the 15 pathogens that the World Health Organization (WHO) considers of greatest concern for public health worldwide in clinical trial phase by 2025. These include HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, chikungunya, Zika, dengue, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Ebola, Marburg hemorrhagic fever, Lassa fever, MERS, Nipah, Rift Valley fever, and severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome. And one of the most promising developments is the personalized cancer vaccine. We are going to achieve the first vaccine against cancer, a disease that is different for each individual. We recently announced phase 2b results in melanoma, which are very promising as we have demonstrated that the vaccine is capable of educating the immune system to recognize cancer.

Why did you choose to partner with AmChamSpain?

At Moderna, we are continually looking for travel companions who bring value and help us to boost our activity and fulfill the mission of improving people's lives. Because of its experience and prestige, we know that AmChamSpain is a guarantee to achieve everything we set out to do. The US Chamber of Commerce in Spain is undoubtedly a great ally to continue promoting the innovations and business opportunities of our company, both nationally and internationally, and to strengthen and publicize the investment and commitment that Moderna is making in Spain for its access to talent, the quality of infrastructure, as well as the investment in science and innovation.

This week we have had the pleasure of interviewing our partner Ignacio Tolosa, CEO of Evidentia University.

Tell us briefly about your professional background and role in the company.

My background is primarily in the corporate world, from startups to large multinational companies. I’ve led multicultural teams through complex challenges in multiple business structures. I’ve worked in industries ranging from manufacturing chemical products and industrial supplies, to mass consumption, energy and professional services. In addition, I taught as an associate professor at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. As CEO of Evidentia University, and to consolidate the strategies that we define with the management team, my challenge is focused on getting the University up and running. To do this, we’re developing commercial alliances with different groups, associations and corporations in a way that allows us to attract a good number of students for our inaugural graduating classes. At the same time, I’m focused on ensuring that we bring together a very strong team and build each department of the institution on a solid foundation and in accordance with the strict compliance requirements of the Florida Department of Education.

When was Evidentia University created and for what purpose?

In June of this year, Evidentia University obtained its license from the Commission for Independent Education to operate and grant degrees in the State of Florida. This milestone has been possible thanks to the work and more than 14 years of experience of Behavior and Law, a pioneering training center in Spain specialized in these sciences, which has trained more than 4,000 students from different countries, especially Latin Americans, during this time period. We have also conducted research and organized conferences and symposiums, thus generating a global network of professionals and serving as a springboard for the creation of this new university. Our philosophy from the very beginning has been to create world-class programs where the learning experience exceeds that of traditional face-to-face education. We have been pioneers in 100% online education at a time when very few even trusted this educational model. For this reason, we treasure an experience that has opened the doors to the United States of America after passing the exhaustive criteria required by the Florida Administration.

Could you tell us more about the educational offerings of Evidentia University?

The University is made up of four major departments: Crime Science, Behavioral Sciences, Business and Behavior and Continuing Education. Master’s degrees in Criminal Profiling, Anti-Fraud Behavioral Analysis, Nonverbal and Deceptive Behavior and Behavioral Economics are now available. With this latest master’s degree, Evidentia University is committed to a revolution in the concepts of traditional economics by helping students understand how people make their economic decisions.

Likewise, Evidentia University provides a learning environment based on scientific evidence and focused on the student, which unites academia with professional development through a highly accredited international faculty.

Our teaching staff includes Mark Safarik, former agent of the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit; Erik Hickey, a forensic criminologist who works as a consultant to the FBI and other police forces on sex offender and serial killer cases; Dimitri Schmitow, a consultant specializing in marketing studies and behavioral economics; María José Garrido, Commander of the Civil Guard, with a PhD in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Forensic Sciences; and Alicia Juárez, member of the Behavioral Analysis Section (SAC) of the National Police, as well as other outstanding professionals and guest speakers who offer a unique perspective on the subject matter.

We are putting all our efforts and energy into making Evidentia University one of the most distinguished universities internationally in Behavioral and Forensic Sciences.

September enrollment in the master’s programs is now open at evidentiauniversity.com. Evidentia University also offers scholarships and grants, which you can review online as well.

What factor differentiates you from other universities?

The core values of this new university are respect for the uniqueness of each individual, a passion for human growth and learning, fostering academic and professional research and contributing to social change and the meaning of community. Furthermore, thanks to state-of-the-art technology, teachers and students can connect with professionals from anywhere in the world, create live classes, activities and discussions, and of course, create high-quality recorded content.

Evidentia University of Behavioral & Forensic Sciences aims to lead global change in society by transforming the understanding of human behavior through research and innovation in education. In an age of artificial intelligence and digital transformation, we want to place the human being at the center again.

Why did you decide to become a member of AmChamSpain?

Our roots are deeply grounded in Spain and Latin America. In the process of establishing ourselves in one of the most developed and sophisticated educational systems in the world, we wanted to share our desire for internationalization with the members of AmChamSpain. We are convinced that by strengthening our networking and collaborating with other members, we can greatly enhance the development opportunities for our organizations.

This week we have had the pleasure of interviewing Guzmán Muela, the General Manager of the Hyatt Regency Hesperia Madrid.

Hyatt Regency Hesperia Madrid opened its doors at the end of 2019. Tell us about that time.

As you said, the Hyatt Regency Hesperia Madrid opened its doors in September 2019 as the first Hyatt Regency hotel in Spain, so as you can imagine, it was a very special milestone for us. Hyatt is one of the worldwide leading hotel groups, and for it to shine a spotlight on Madrid and make the old Hesperia Madrid the focal point to develop one of its most emblematic and renowned brands in the world was undoubtably a source of great pride for the Hesperia group. Before the opening, we went through an intense process involving renovation, investment and adaptation to the Hyatt Regency standards, which allowed us to come to market not only with a fully renovated hotel, but also a much higher commitment to value and quality.

Today, Hyatt Regency has three hotels in Spain, and all of them are managed and operated by the Hesperia group. A little under a year ago, we opened the Hyatt Regency Madrid Residences in Madrid, which were conceived to provide a more private and flexible setting for medium- to long-term stays. In addition, in Barcelona we have another emblematic building, the Hyatt Regency Barcelona Tower, which is located in a spectacular tower designed by Richard Rogers.

Tell us about your professional career and current position in the company.

I am currently the General Manager of the Hyatt Regency Hesperia Madrid and the Hyatt Regency Madrid Residences, and before this I managed the Hyatt Regency Barcelona Tower. My career in the sector has been wide-ranging and I have been able to develop professionally in different markets. I started my professional career in the hotel sector alongside the Intercontinental Hotels Group, where I held various positions and roles in different hotels belonging to the chain, both nationally and internationally. Later, and until I joined the Hyatt team, I worked as Project Manager at T3 Hospitality Management, as Operations & Business Development Manager Retail Business at ES-KO International, and as Cluster General Manager at Time Hotels.

What sets you apart, or what aspect makes you proud of your company?

If we look at Hyatt Regency, it is a premium brand that is renowned around the world, and it has values and qualities that its clients recognize in any of its hotels. Here we are talking about spaces designed to create flawless experiences and perfect surroundings for organizing events or working in a stress-free and peaceful environment.

This stance was also important for the Hesperia group, as we understood that they were qualities that would bring value to our hotels, and that would allow us to reach a more varied international audience, with a clear focus on North American travellers. This is also one of the aspects that sets apart the Hesperia group in the sector; the "house of brands" concept. This means that we search for the best course for each hotel, and to do so we establish strategic partnerships with world-renowned brands, such as Hyatt or ALG, with whom we have an agreement to commercially exploit our resorts in the Balearic and Canary Islands under the brand AMResorts.

Why did you choose to become members of AmChamSpain?

As I mentioned before, Hyatt Group is an American company, and it is clearly an important market for us. This is why we believe that it is strategic for us to have this presence in AmChamSpain. We know about the organization, and we are aware of its great prestige and noteworthy network of members, so we are convinced that joining will be very positive. We are delighted to be working together and looking forward to discovering everything that we can bring to the table.

What would you highlight in the Hyatt Regency Hesperia Madrid’s offer?

Hyatt Regency Hesperia Madrid is a five-star hotel located in one of the most emblematic areas of the capital. It sits at the heart of the Paseo de la Castellana, one of the most exclusive boulevards in the city, providing access to the major fashion stores and outstanding cultural centres, like the Prado Museum.

The hotel offers, without question, a complete premium experience in the capital, thanks to the wide variety of services and activities provided within the hotel itslef, as well as the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Madrid and its incredible array of activities to suit all interests. If I had to define the hotel’s proposal in three words, I think that sophistication, high-end and comfort would fit perfectly with the image of the Hyatt Regency Hesperia Madrid.

With regards to services, the hotel has 169 large, bright and modern rooms, 32 of which are suites with spectacular views of the city. Those that are penthouses have garden terraces and private jacuzzis. The hotel underwent a full renovation in 2019 for its reopening with the Hyatt Regency brand. This entailed an investment of 10 million euros in a project that transports the traveller to Madrid during the Spanish Golden Age with Las Meninas by Velázquez at the fore.

One of the biggest draws of the hotel is undoubtedly its excellent gastronomy. Here is where our stragetic partnership with the sophisticated cuisine of the Dani García Group shines, having launched in Madrid thanks to Hyatt Regency Hesperia Madrid. On the one hand, Leña has revolutionized the steakhouse concept by offering unique flavors, and on the other hand, Smoked Room offers a groundbreaking and completely innovative 15-dish menu. Both concepts have become benchmark culinary experiences in the city; if you visit the capital, you cannot leave without having tasted the menu. Backing the chef’s gastronomic proposal has been a resounding success. The well-deserved recognition of the two Michelin stars awarded to Smoked Room brings added value to the hotel, and the Hyatt team is very proud to have him in the kitchen.

We also have other gastronomic options at the hotel, including the emblematic La Manzana, and the Mery Bábola Bar with an appealing selection of tapas, ideal for after work drinks with colleagues after an intense workday.

Tell us briefly about the history and mission of Kyndryl

Kyndryl designs, builds, manages and modernizes the complex technological systems that the world depends on today. “We are at the heart of the progress of large global companies. The vital technological system of our clients is in the hands of our professionals and our responsibility is to make it better every day, looking for new solutions and anticipating what may lie ahead.” Our mission would then be to support our clients in their digital transformation. We are 90,000 employees who serve people and organizations in more than 60 countries around the world with passion and dedication. We do it with pride, improving day after day and always putting the customer first.

As for our history, I will tell you that Kyndryl officially began as a new independent company on the NYSE in November of 2021, but it has over 30 years of experience in the technology sector and we are born industry leaders with revenues double that of our biggest competitor. We have 19 innovation centers and manage over 450 data centers worldwide.

But if there’s something that really characterizes us, it’s our continuous investment in research and innovation and offering exclusive solutions that provide added value to all our clients. Kyndryl has over 3,000 existing patents and over 800 patents in process.

When we look at the numbers, we can affirm that we are world leaders in what we do and we have the largest companies in the world as clients, specifically, 4,000 clients, including 75% of Fortune 100 companies and 45% of IBEX35 companies.

Tell us about your professional background and your current role at Kyndryl

I’ve been extremely lucky to have a very solid career and continuous learning within a great company like IBM, and in particular at Kyndryl since its inception in 2021. My area of responsibility has always been in technological infrastructure services, and I have had domestic and international responsibilities when I was part of European teams in some years of my career. Today I have the pride and honor of being the President of Kyndryl for Spain and Portugal.

What is the element that differentiates you or you feel most proud of at Kyndryl?

Our value and our competitive advantage undoubtedly lie in the talent of our professionals. We then add our experience, our professional team, our data and our intellectual property to this. But I want to highlight our people again, the men and women who make up Kyndryl. That is the real differentiated value of Kyndryl.

Furthermore, we have a new management and strategy model that’s focused on three premises: being fast, horizontal and customer focused. In other words, we have removed lots of operational layers to make Kyndryl a lean and agile company, with fast decision making that allows us to respond quickly to our customers’ needs, at all times.

At a company as big as Kyndryl with a presence in many countries around the world, how important is diversity in your day to day work?

Diversity isn’t just important to Kyndryl, it is innate and essential. It means appreciating and recognizing each of our professionals for what they are and valuing their differences. Having a diverse perspective is part of our DNA. We have always done it, and it’s a critical pillar of our culture.

Why is it important?

Because it’s good for our business. Fostering diversity is our reason for being in talent development, and talent is everywhere. But beyond Diversity, we promote Inclusion and Equity. We not only appreciate the differences, but we work to ensure that we are all included, that we have an inclusive culture, and we ensure that everyone has the opportunities to develop and grow, understanding that each person is different and requires different means for that development. Since the birth of Kyndryl, we have established some priorities and we are working specifically on the following groups: Women, LGBTI+ and People with Disabilities and Neurodiversity. Each of these groups has different needs and we have working committees for each of them.

Does talking about talent mean talking about Kyndryl?

Totally. Kyndryl would not exist without the talent of our professionals. It’s our reason for being, our value to our customers. Our professionals’ knowledge, experience and way of working is our competitive advantage. Our talent is different because we not only base it on the knowledge of our professionals, but we also have a way of doing things that sets us apart in the market. We are empathetic, we are dedicated in body and soul to our clients, and we are restless, curious and forever focused on innovating and learning.

Why did you choose to become members of AmChamSpain?

Belonging to AmChamSpain is an honor and a privilege. Without a doubt, it’s the leading organization for American companies that set up shop in Spain. We admire its ability to create professional and cultural connections and we want to be part of this ecosystem. It’s a place for reflection, work and inspiration that makes us feel fully supported when investing in Spain, which is a very strategic country for Kyndryl and a benchmark for digitization in Europe.

This week we've had the pleasure to talk to one of our members, Elisa Tarazona, CEO of the Ribera Healthcare Group.

In Ribera Healthcare Group they work towards enhancing the health and well-being of the population with a management model which adds value to society and contributes to the sustainability of the healthcare systems.

Tell us briefly about the history of RIBERA SALUD and its mission.

Ribera is a business group that was founded in 1997, providing public and private healthcare services. Our mission is to transform the way of working and innovate healthcare management to improve the health and well-being of the population. Our healthcare model is studied as a success story in well-known international universities such as Harvard Business School and Berkeley. We have more than 6,500 professionals in the different projects in which we participate. We are present in four autonomous regions of Spain with eight hospitals, three of which are university hospitals, and more than 60 health centers in the Valencian Community and the Communities of Madrid, Galicia and Extremadura. In Europe we have a radiology and nuclear medicine company, a leader in Slovakia, and a clinic specialized in highly complex surgery in the Czech Republic. We were involved in launching the first two hospitals in Latin America with the PPP model, which are in Peru, and we also have a purchasing center, Ribera B2b, a laboratory division, Ribera Lab, and a technological affiliate, futuRS. Ribera's shareholders are the American insurance company Centene Corporation (90%) and Banco Sabadell (10%).

Tell us about your professional career and your role in RIBERA SALUD.

I have a degree in Medicine and Surgery and a PhD in Medicine from the University of Valencia and I'm a specialist in Family and Community Medicine. In addition, I trained in healthcare management at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, ESADE and IESE. I started as an attending physician at the Hospital-at-Home Unit at La Fe University Hospital and later became the Head of Primary Care in the healthcare area of La Fe. In 2003 I joined the Ribera healthcare group as Deputy Manager of La Ribera's Health Department (Alzira) and, in 2008, I took on Care Management and Organizational Management of the group and, later, Operations management and Project Integration. Since October 2020 I have been the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ribera group, during an especially intense period filled with challenges, with the progressive growth of the company and the expansion and diversification of healthcare services, such as the new laboratory and radiodiagnostic units, and private medical services, with a basic objective: to continue to provide citizens with integrated care, in order to take better care of their health and well-being.

Which aspect is it that makes RIBERA SALUD stand out or of which do you feel most proud?

At Ribera Group we are, and we feel, responsible for the health of the citizens. Therefore, the population to which we attend is always our priority. We have demonstrated this once again with the management of this pandemic in our hospitals and Primary Care centers, being committed to clinical management, anticipating decision making and ensuring coordination between our centres and with local authorities. With the citizens at the heart of every decision that we make, we are committed to innovation and technology, in order to give them access to results from diagnostic tests and tele-consultations. However, we also work on launching applications that now allow us to telemonitor patients, for example those with cardiac insufficiency, or anticipate clinical decisions regarding Covid patients, thanks to a model that predicts which of these patients will end up in the ICU.

Why did you choose to become a partner of AmChamSpain?

The majority shareholder of the Ribera healthcare group is Centene Corporation (90%), one of the leading companies in the American healthcare insurance sector, included in the Fortune 50 list. Centene has more than 30 years experience collaborating with state governments in the United States and is one of the main providers for the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The United States Chamber of Commerce in Spain is another bridge which connects Ribera to our main shareholder's country and to all those companies and institutions that, like the Ribera group and Centene, want to transform and innovate with their projects and generate opportunities and employment on both sides of the ocean.

Any advice, good practice or special input from RIBERA SALUD in the face of the current global situation.

In Ribera we like to say that we work today for the healthcare of tomorrow, and that we contribute to the long-term sustainability of healthcare services with our model. We are committed to medicine based on the 5ps: personalized, population-based, participatory, predictive and preventative. Healthcare expenditure is continuing to grow at an unstoppable rate, and the pandemic has increased waiting lists, which has a great impact on health services; in addition to the consequences of the pandemic which have yet to come. In this situation, we believe it is necessary to have all of the resources, include companies and be committed to public-private collaboration, in order to manage health in a responsible way, something for which the Ribera group advocates.

This year we are pleased to welcome State of Georgia Europe Office to our Chamber and share on our blog an interview conducted with the State Commissioner Pat Wilson. 

Please describe briefly the history of STATE OF GEORGIA as an organization. (history of GDEcD)

Originally called the Georgia Department of Commerce, the Georgia Department of Economic Development was established in 1949 to promote the state’s wide range of valuable assets to our domestic and international partners.

Over the past several decades, GDEcD has evolved with Georgia’s increasingly diverse and growing economy. The Department is the executive state agency for attracting new business investment from all over the world and encouraging the expansion of existing industries and small businesses.

GDEcD is also heavily involved in aligning workforce education and training with in-demand jobs, locating new markets for Georgia products, supporting the tourism industry and promoting the state as a destination for filming and television projects, and the arts. In addition, the Department is responsible for planning and mobilizing resources in the state and with local communities to further advance economic development.

Tell us about your career path and your main role in STATE OF GEORGIA.

I have been involved in government relations in Washington, D.C., and Georgia since 1997, and I’ve worked with GDEcD specifically for more than 10 years. Prior to being appointed Commissioner of the Department by former Governor Nathan Deal, I served as GDEcD’s Chief Operating Officer.

As Commissioner, I have the privilege to work with an amazing team every day, partnering with industry, government and communities to create jobs and opportunities across the state, which is pretty incredible.

Whether identifying new export markets, investing in higher education and technical college programs, or attracting a company to build their U.S. headquarters in Georgia, GDEcD is likely involved in the process, and as Commissioner I get to work with the people behind these transformative projects and decisions.

What´s the main element that you feel most proud of your organization?

Jobs change lives and enhance the quality of life of our citizens.  I am most proud of the fact that the work of our team leads to job growth and opportunities for Georgians, the strengthening of our economy, and investment in education, infrastructure and our communities.  

Additionally, our organization’s relationship approach to doing business makes me very proud, because it sets Georgia apart from the competition. We care about people behind the companies and organizations we work with, and we want Georgia to be a part of their long-term success.

A majority of the opportunities we’ve been able to create have been born from relationships that our state spent years developing, either from expansions of businesses that want to grow here or new businesses that have visited our state or met our people perhaps at a trade show or conference, or a delegation’s international visit, and decided they wanted to make Georgia home. Some of those most fundamental relationships are our international partnerships.  

Why did you choose to join AmChamSpain?

The State of Georgia has maintained representation in Europe since 1973 – nearly 50 years! We appreciate our community of Spanish investors in Georgia. Twenty-two Spanish facilities in our state employ nearly 700 Georgians, and they play an important role as part of our communities. Our Europe office works directly with investors to build and maintain relationships that provide support for companies who decide to make an investment in Georgia. Sergio Domingues and our team there are dedicated to getting businesses the information and resources they need to make decisions and succeed in the state.

Our bilateral trade partnership is only growing, too. Georgia imports from Spain totaled $501 million in 2019, and over the past decade, exports from Georgia to Spain have nearly doubled, reaching $457 million in 2019. Last year, Georgia exports to Spain increased 4.6% over the previous year.

Additionally, AmChamSpain and GDEcD hold very similar core missions.

Both of our organizations were created to improve our respective economies and create global opportunities. By working together, leveraging opportunities and learning from one another along the way, I think we can deliver on both of our missions, especially as we look toward economic recovery from COVID-19 as an international community.

Which do you consider to be the most important strengths of STATE OF GEORGIA facing the new normality?  

The diversity of the state’s economy, in addition to our state’s relationship approach to doing business, has kept the State of Georgia well-positioned for recovery, despite the pervasive impacts caused by COVID-19. During the month of August alone, the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) helped generate more than $642 million in new investments and create 4,036 jobs for every skill level and in nearly every corner of the state. Despite COVID-19, job creation is 1.5 times higher than the same two months last year.

These jobs haven’t been isolated to a single industry either. From food production and advanced manufacturing to brand-new tech hubs, the wide range of jobs and projects the state attracted during the month of August are emblematic of the fundamental strength of Georgia’s diverse economy. We look forward to continuing to work with our private and public sector partners so we can keep the momentum going.

For more information, please contact Sérgio Domingues, Managing Director of the State of Georgia Europe Office at sdomingues@georgia.org