MADRID, Oct. 24 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish company is committed to health prevention, inclusive technology and responsible finance to advance its positive social impact, as demonstrated in the VI edition of RARSERES, where attendees have once again reiterated the importance of putting the ‘S’ of the social at the center of corporate management.
Thus, the general director of Fundación SERES, Ana Sainz, has insisted that a well-integrated ‘S’ is key to achieving more competitive companies and a stronger society. Sainz has made it clear that “there is a long way to go in terms of social impact on companies in this country, although the companies’ commitment is firm and we have seen this in these 15 years since Fundación SERES was born.”
In this sense, Sainz has also pointed out that this transformation requires “commitment, measuring, communicating and expressing the purpose better” and for which SERES has created the SERES Social Footprint Map so that companies can know in advance and measure the social impact of its actions on employees, customers, suppliers and communities. “It would be a great loss of opportunity not to focus on what is most important, which is to use indicators as true tools of change, as strategic indicators to transform ourselves and transform,” he stated.
Throughout a day, held at the Teatro Real, issues such as the just transition, purpose, human rights management, responsible leadership, technology with an impact on people, the new longevity or the role of social banking, with prominent voices from leading companies in the country such as Deloitte, Ferrovial, GSK, HP, ILUNION, Inditex, Mahou San Miguel, Mutualidad, Fundación Repsol, Santander and European University.
The day began with a dialogue between the CEO of Ferrovial, Ignacio Madridejos, and the president of Fundación SERES, Fernando Ruiz, about purpose, a word that leads companies to objectives beyond profits and generating a positive impact on the society.
In this regard, Madridejos has highlighted that “at Ferrovial, we dedicate every day to designing, building and operating infrastructures that improve the quality of life of all citizens and that serve vulnerable communities and groups. We make this purpose a reality through our activity. and the company’s social action, which focuses on guaranteeing that these groups have access to basic infrastructure such as drinking water, sanitation and soup kitchens.
“Also for Ferrovial, measuring our social impact is very important. For this reason, we wanted to be part of the RSC3 and SERES Social Footprint Map pilots, which have turned out to be very useful for measuring the social contribution within our business strategy,” has stood out.
The leading partner of Climate Change and Sustainability at Deloitte Spain, Concha Iglesias, and the director of Sustainability at Repsol, Clara Rey, have discussed the importance of addressing a just transition with a focus on people.
“For Repsol, the energy transition will only be possible if it includes the principles of sustainability, security of supply and competitiveness. Solutions are needed that minimize the social and economic impact on customers, employees, the communities in which we operate, the supply chain. value and society in general,” stated Rey.
For his part, Iglesias has stated that “the energy transition, automation and digitalization will be the most notable changes in the work environment in the short term. We are immersed in a social and economic paradigm shift and the debate on social equity and economic is at the center of the conversations. All of this requires a cultural transformation, in which purpose guides companies’ strategy and decision-making.”
“We need to strengthen health systems based on prevention to respond to new health challenges associated with factors such as climate change, the importance of healthy aging or the appearance of new diseases at increasingly younger ages,” argued the Vice President of Relations Corporate and Communication of GSK Europe and Spain, Guillermo de Juan Echávarri, who spoke with the professor of the Department of Medicine of the Complutense University of Madrid and expert in microbiology, Emilio Bouza.
Both agreed on the fact that, to continue moving forward, it is necessary to get ahead of the disease, invest in prevention and create healthy environments that improve quality of life.
How to use technology to transform challenges into opportunities to create a more inclusive, fair and equal world has focused on the dialogue between the president of HP for Southern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Helena Herrero, and the editor of Telecommunications companies , Technology and Digital from El Español-Invertia, Alfonso Muñoz.
Both experts have agreed that to achieve the above and leave no one behind, talent, digital training and improving connectivity in the rural world must be promoted. “We have every reason to understand technology as that catalyst for unprecedented social change, which helps us face the important challenges that our society faces. Betting on the ‘S’ in Social is essential to ensure that everyone benefits from this progress, promoting inclusion and equity in a digital and innovative world,” defended Herrero.
The director of the School of Engineering, Architecture and Design of the European University, Alberto Sols, spoke about Artificial Intelligence, which he wanted to call “the alchemy of the 21st century” in his presentation, emphasizing the importance of control AI applications as a very important competence that companies currently want to see when hiring new professionals. For Sols, “it is necessary to change the way of evaluating the level of learning of young people in this sector” and he insisted that “the gap will be between those who know how to use Artificial Intelligence and those who do not.”
Subsequently, Fernando Ruiz and the CEO of ILUNION, Alejandro Oñoro, have made clear the advantages of integrating social commitment into the company’s strategy. “The 10 years of ILUNION consolidate a unique business model that demonstrates that another way of doing business is possible. Our purpose is to build a better world with everyone included. It is our motivation, objective and, at the same time, our legacy to society” Oñoro added.
Learning to manage, attract and seduce this great diversity is one of the great challenges of 21st century organizations, an aspect that has been discussed by the deputy general director of Mutualidad and president of the Institute of Spanish Actuaries, Fernando Ariza, and the professor of Sociology and a world reference in the research of longevity and the economy of care, María Ángeles Durán, for whom “the new great social class of the 21st century is the caregiver. Composed largely of women and immigrants, they are those who care , with or without remuneration”.
Finally, the general director of the Mahou San Miguel Water Business Unit, Jesús Núñez, and the president of the Spanish Association Against Cancer Ramón Reyes, have delved into how the alliance between companies and NGOs is essential to promote inclusion of the most vulnerable.
Another key agent in this social transformation when it comes to reducing inequalities and creating new opportunities are financial entities, specifically, responsible banking, as defended by the director of Responsible Banking of Santander Spain, Marta Aisa, and the general director of the Spanish Banking Association, María Abascal.