Recognition of professional excellence and diversity in the business world
María José Martínez, Managing Director at Caudal, winner of the regional round of the ‘CaixaBank Women Entrepreneurs Awards 2022’ in the Region of Murcia. María José Martínez Martínez is now in the running for the national prize in the CaixaBank awards and, with this, for a place as one of Spain’s representatives at the international IWEC Awards 2022, which will be held in Madrid this year from 13 to 15 November.
You will become part of the ‘CaixaBank Women Entrepreneurs Community’ on LinkedIn, which brings together the award-winning women entrepreneurs from all editions of the ‘CaixaBank Women Entrepreneurs Awards’ and connects them with other networks of women entrepreneurs at national and international level.
She holds a diploma in Business Studies from the University of Murcia. In 1998, she took over the management and ownership of the Caudal Group, assuming responsibilities including leadership, strategic decision-making and human resources management, amongst others. In response to growing social concern for sustainability and in light of new market demands to move towards a more responsible production model, Caudal is currently working to integrate sustainable processes, which will culminate in the creation of a corporate and production project centred on the circular economy; a project which, due to its distinctive nature, will constitute a unique case study.
The director of Caudal has said: “I feel very fortunate and grateful to receive this award and, above all, to have the opportunity to represent so many women and to contribute my experience in the business world over the past 30 years.”
As the regional winner, the businesswoman will join the new ‘CaixaBank Women Entrepreneurs Community’, a virtual community operating via a private group on LinkedIn, which serves as a platform for sharing knowledge, ideas and experiences, and a meeting point for forging professional links amongst the group of award-winning female executives. The Community, which already has more than 60 members, also offers access to exclusive experiences, such as forums, debates, conferences and national and international events, which aim to contribute to the development and leadership of women in the business world.
According to Olga García Saz, CaixaBank’s regional director in Murcia, “The ‘CaixaBank Women Entrepreneurs Awards’, now in their sixth year, have established themselves in recent years through their commitment to business excellence and the promotion of equal opportunities and diversity, which are fundamental pillars for the bank. As we do every year, we are proud to recognise the professional achievements and leadership skills of these women leaders.”
Following the regional stage, the awards jury – comprising a group of executives from CaixaBank – will select the national winner, who will be one of Spain’s representatives at the international IWEC awards, succeeding Inés Juste, chair of the Juste Group; Rocío Hervella, founder and chief executive of Prosol; Arancha Manzanares, vice-chair of Ayesa; Lina Mascaró, chair of Grupo Mascaró; and Pilar Martínez-Cosentino, vice-chair of Grupo Cosentino, all of whom were national winners of previous editions of the ‘CaixaBank Women Entrepreneurs Awards’.
The IWEC Awards
The International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge (IWEC), based in New York, is a global network of leading female entrepreneurs who are owners of their companies and who collaborate worldwide through chambers of commerce and business organisations with the aim of connecting and developing female leadership.
Every year, as part of its Annual Conference, the IWEC Awards are presented to recognise and support women entrepreneurs around the world. Among other things, the IWEC Awards aim to raise the profile of women entrepreneurs, so that they can play a significant and decisive role in the development of the global economy in the 21st century.
After two years of virtual conferences, this year the IWEC Awards are set to take place in Madrid from 13 to 15 November, at an event that will bring together leading figures from the global business world.
Since its foundation in 2007, IWEC has recognised 460 female entrepreneurs across 47 countries. The companies led by these female entrepreneurs generate 295,416 jobs and have a combined turnover in excess of 41.000 million dollars.
Wengage: CaixaBank’s commitment to equality.
Diversity, meritocracy, equal opportunities and the recognition of talent are some of the cornerstones of CaixaBank’s corporate culture. Guided by these principles, the bank is committed to being a role model for its employees, fostering inclusion and participation, and driving forward initiatives that promote equality both within the company and in society as a whole. In fact, 41.3 per cent of CaixaBank’s management positions are held by women, and women make up 40 per cent of the Board of Directors – one of the highest percentages in the sector.
CaixaBank runs the Wengage diversity programme, a cross-organisational initiative developed by staff from all areas of the organisation, based on meritocracy and the promotion of equal opportunities, which works to foster and highlight gender, functional and generational diversity. Wengage includes internal measures to promote flexibility and work-life balance, to raise the profile of diversity and to strengthen the role of women, through training programmes and female mentoring schemes, in which the bank’s female executives advise other professionals on their career development.
