The Importance of ESG Criteria in Spanish Companies Debated at Spain Investors Day

For the fifth consecutive year, SERES has led the debate on the new way of doing business and the impact of sustainable investment at the 13th edition of Spain Investors Day, an international forum for investors held in Madrid on January 11th and 12th. The two-day event will bring together leading international investors and executives from 47 Spanish-listed companies in Madrid.

Sectors of activity such as energy, finance, tourism, real estate, infrastructure, and telecommunications, among others, will be represented. Listed companies, global investors, and authorities will meet to test the health of the Spanish economy and generate confidence to consolidate the Spanish market as a pole of attraction for investors.

The round table moderated by Fernando Ruiz, president of the SERES Foundation, was attended by Beatriz Corredor, president of Redeia; José Carlos García de Quevedo, president of the Instituto de Crédito Oficial, and Ignacio Madridejos, president of Ferrovial. During the round table, an analysis was made of how ESG factors accelerate the transformation of companies.

Read more about the subjectas debated at the Spain Investors day and find other important business news with the Born2invest mobile app.

Focus on the importance of energy transition

Regarding the outlook for the energy transition to 2023, Beatriz Corredor, president of Redeia, stated that “Spain is already the renewable engine of the European Union, but we must continue to make progress in the ecological transition with more renewables and grids, as well as the promotion of self-consumption and new vectors, such as offshore wind power.”

José Carlos García de Quevedo, president of ICO, emphasized that “sustainability is a backbone of ICO’s 2022-2027 Strategy, which is part of the Government’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan and the European Union’s Multiannual Financial Framework and the Next Generation Funds. With the aim of being at the forefront of sustainable finance initiatives, ICO seeks to contribute to setting standards and generating benchmarks in its asset operations as well as in the capital markets and venture capital. And in this way support the evolution of companies towards a fair and sustainable transition”. He also pointed out that “among the key instruments in ICO’s sustainability strategy are sustainable bonds, which already total 13 issues amounting to 6,550 million euros; the financing of projects that promote ecological transition and environmental, social and governance (ESG) sustainability of the business fabric; as well as various venture capital initiatives that are also committed to sustainability and digitization with specific initiatives in both areas such as FonICO Next Tech.”

Ignacio Madridejos, Chairman of Ferrovial, began his speech by emphasizing the social and economic connection. “Currently, it is impossible to obtain financial profitability without social commitment, understanding social in a broad sense: development, community, talent, human rights, diversity, etc.,” he said. He also added that “sustainability entails a fundamental social commitment. In this area, Ferrovial has been developing an extensive water and sanitation program in disadvantaged communities in Latin America and Africa for more than 15 years.

Before concluding the debate, the president of Redeia, Beatriz Corredor, emphasized that “it is essential to make progress in energy efficiency to mitigate the impact of climate change because it is one of the most powerful tools for reducing emissions. This involves the promotion of technologies that promote electrification and displace fuels, such as electric vehicles, heat pumps, and green hydrogen. Nor can we forget about energy savings through simple gestures in our daily lives.”

The president of Ferrovial, Ignacio Madridejos, in reference to the changing world in which we live, pointed out that “in the last year, we have seen an increase in interest in social aspects, such as the protection and promotion of diversity, the protection of the human rights of employees and consumers.” José Carlos García de Quevedo had some final words dedicated to public-private collaboration and his organization’s effort to leave no one behind. “The public-private collaboration promoted by ICO at all levels is fundamental to promote the transformation of the Spanish business fabric towards more sustainable growth models and activities. With a firm commitment to leave no one behind, from the ICO group we accompany all companies of all sizes and sectors. to undertake their green and digital transformation process” he concluded.

Fernando Ruiz, president of the SERES Foundation, closed the session by stating that “investors are showing a growing interest in this area, as it affects the value of companies in the long term. ESG factors are important strategic components that drive financial results. Attention and focus on ESG has the ability to strengthen a company and enrich the organizational culture. For this reason, SERES has launched a socially-focused impact measurement model, the SERES Social Footprint Index©, which will improve the dialogue between companies and investors on the value of social issues.

This panel discussion was followed by a presentation by Nandika Madgavkar, Senior Director and Head of the CEO Investor Forum at CECP, an ally of Fundación SERES in the U.S. Madgavkar spoke about the creation of long-term value in organizations. He explained that “corporate leaders and institutional investors are looking for efficient and useful information to make decisions in companies in the long term -from three to seven years- and this also connects with very relevant issues for companies in terms of environmental, social, and governance.” He also clarified that “long-term sustainability plans contribute to meeting the needs of different stakeholders, including, among others, capital markets, regulators or civil society.”

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(Featured image by qimono via Pixabay)

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