Flora García Mesa

Head of People NTT DATA EMEAL

An expert in people management and business transformation, Flora García Mesa has been Director of People at NTT DATA EMEAL since April 2021.   

Master’s degree in physics from the Universes of Paderborn (Germany) and from the University of Zaragoza, Flora has held, in her 25 years of experience at NTT Data (formerly everis), other relevant positions such as Global Director of People of everis since 2014, Director of Multisector Customer Experience Development, Director of projects for the implementation of technology of customer management solutions and channels in the telecom sector with international scope. 

From her responsibility, Flora promotes change and creates the conditions conducive to the adoption of new models aligned with the current challenges in people and business management. Flora works every day to turn NTT DATA into a stimulating, flexible and safe workplace, where professionals can develop professionally from their authenticity. She believes that promoting responsible freedom, collaboration and curiosity is key to having sustainable businesses. 

Born in Zaragoza, and mother of three children, she is fond of painting, nature and has a passion for discovering new cultures. 

Other responsibilities: 

• Member of the Steering Committee of NTT DATA EMEAL. 
• Member of the NTT DATA Global Human Capital Committee. 

• Mentor for the everis Foundation network. 
• Mentor at Advantere Business School. 
• WomenTogether Mentor. 

In constant training: 

• Neuroscience For Business. MIT. 2022 
• Coach Gallup Clifton Strength. Gallup. 2023 
• El Cerebro Como Aliado. Nazareth Castellanos. (Oct.2023-Current) 

Sarah Harmon

CEO Global of SNGULAR

Sarah Harmon, Global CEO at SNGULAR. An American entrepreneur and businesswoman, she is one of the most renowned professionals in the STEM field, with over 25 years of experience in digital transformation and international business growth. 

She has held leadership positions in companies such as Microsoft, LinkedIn, and Habitissimo. She is a committed advocate for ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and serves on several boards, including Women to Watch and Foundation29. 

Furthermore, she is a board member of Caixabank Pagos y Consumo and Vice President of the Social Council of UNED (National Distance Education University). Harmon has been recognized for her commitment to sustainability and gender equality, and her innovative thinking and strategic vision make her a reference in the industry. 

Helena Herrero

Managing Director of HP's Southern Europe Market

Helena Herrero is Managing Director of HP’s Southern Europe Market. Her
responsibilities include all aspects of the company’s go-to-market strategy,
growth, and profitability across Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy.

First joining HP in 1982, Helena has held several senior management roles
including Vice President (2002), Managing Director and CEO of Hewlett Packard
Iberia (2012), and Managing Director of HP Iberia (2015).
Helena is a Member of the Board of Directors of Naturgy and Mutua Madrileña
and President of Fundación I+E Innovación España. She is also a trustee of the
COTEC Foundation for Innovation, and the Princess of Girona Foundation, where
she chairs the Advisory Board. She is a member of the board of the Spanish
Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Governing Council of APD, and a
member of the Business Advisory Council of CEOE.

Further appointments include Vice President of Amcham Spain and Fundacion
Seres, and member of the Board of Directors of the American Business Council,
Madrid Futuro and the Fundación Consejo España-EEUU. She also serves on
several boards and steering committees, including the advisory boards for
Science, Technology and Innovation, in the Ministry of Science, Innovation and
Universities, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), as well as the
executive boards of IESE Alumni and the Junior Achievement Trust.
Helena was named “Personality of the Year” by Byte magazine, “Executive of
the Year” by FEDEPE and Executives magazine, and “Businesswoman of the
Year” by Madrid Woman´s Week. She received a “Professionalism Award” from
the Valencia Association of Businesses and Professionals (EVAP) and was
awarded “People Manager of the Year” by the Spanish Association of HR
Managers, and the “Anque 2018” by the Spanish Association of Chemical
Engineers.

Born in Madrid, Spain, Helena is married with two children. She holds a chemical
sciences degree from Complutense University of Madrid, as

Mercedes Oblanca

President of Accenture in Spain & Portugal

Mercedes Oblanca is the President of Accenture in Spain and Portugal, and a member of the Accenture Executive Leadership Team in Europe. Mercedes is also president of Accenture Foundation in Spain.

Before assuming this position on September 1st, 2023, Mercedes led the Industry, Consumer Goods, and Retail Client Group (2020-2023) and Accenture Technology (2018-2020) at Accenture in Spain and Portugal.

Currently, Mercedes advocates for innovation, talent, and technology as main pillars for reinventing businesses and organizations, transforming business models towards sustainable growth with a positive impact on businesses, people, and community.

Mercedes holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and has completed with a PDG program at IESE Business School (University of Navarra).

José Ángel Preciados Fernández

CEO of ILUNION Hotels

José Ángel Preciados, native of Pamplona, Spain, began his career in the tourism industry at the Superior School of Hospitality in Pamplona. Throughout his career in the sector, he completed his training in various areas of tourism activity and at different business schools and programs.

His professional career began over 35 years ago at the first hotel of  NH HOTEL GROUP. During the 18 years he remained with the organization, he assumed management positions at different hotels, several regional management positions, and finally, the General Direction of Operations for Spain and Portugal.

In 2003, he joined the ONCE SOCIAL GROUP as General Director of its hotel chain, which was then called CONFORTEL. Over the course of his 18 years with the organization, he has led the transformation of the company, which today employs 1,800 people, more than 40% of whom have some type of disability, and 30 hotels in main capitals and tourist destinations in Spain.

Today, ILUNION Hotels has become a unique business model in the world and a benchmark in the tourism industry in Spain with a clear strategic vision to demonstrate to the sector, shareholders, and society that success can be achieved through a sustainable model that combines economic and social profitability and that is committed to Universal Accessibility, the Integration of people with disabilities, Excellence, and respect for the Environment.

Fernando Ruiz

President of Fundación SERES

Fernando Ruiz Ruiz has been president of Deloitte in Spain from June 2009 to June 2022 and currently chairs the SERES Foundation.   

He began his professional career at Arthur Andersen in 1980. In 1992 he was appointed partner and four years later he began to lead the banking and insurance and financial institutions practice and became a member of the Executive Committee, a responsibility he combined with the management of the Firm’s commercial strategy in Spain. 

Arthur Andersen Spain and Deloitte merged in 2002. Fernando continued his duties in the new organization. In 2005, he was appointed head of the entire financial institutions practice in Europe, Middle East and Africa. In 2009, he was elected Chairman of the firm in Spain and in 2011 he was appointed to the Global Executive Committee, a position he has held until June 2022.   

Deloitte has a presence in 150 countries and a professional team of more than 400,000 people, of which more than 10,500 work in Spain. His professional career has been deeply linked to the financial sector. For 12 years he led the specialized services in advising financial institutions.  

His in-depth understanding of the financial sector and his extensive experience in providing services to the world’s leading financial institutions have qualified him to provide training to public bodies and private professionals in the private sector. Among the courses he has given, those for the Bank of Spain’s Corps of Inspectors stand out, and among other subjects he has given courses on Accounting, IAS, Stock Exchange, Derivative Products and Internal Audit.  

Currently, since June 2021, he is President of the SERES Foundation, an entity that brings together more than 150 companies, and whose objective is the transformation of companies towards a responsible and sustainable business model, emphasizing the most demanding dimension, the social dimension.  

He is a member of the Board of the AED (Spanish Association of Executives) and of the Advisory Boards of Deusto Business School, ESADE and Loyola University of Andalucia. He is a member of the University Advisory Board of the Universidad Europea and a member of the Official Register of Statutory Auditors. He is also president of the Board of Protectors of the Teatro Real and of the Board of Trustees of the Colegio Libre de Eméritos. 

Ana Sainz

Managing Director of Fundación SERES

Ana Sainz is the Managing Director of Fundación SERES, an organization she started from scratch 14 years ago with a great team that promotes the integration of ESG criteria in the strategy of companies, with a special focus on the value of social and its impact and return on society and the company. SERES is today the reference space for companies that focus on the value of social issues and brings together 150 companies, representing around 35% of GDP and 70% of the IBEX 35. 

In addition, she is a trustee of the Bequal Foundation and a member of the Collective Coordination Group of Juntos por el Empleo. As part of his activity in SERES, he is a member of the State Council for Corporate Social Responsibility (CERSE) and a member of different initiatives such as the Advisory Council of the UNDP Sustainable Development Fund (SDG-F); the Association for the Progress of Management (APD); the management committee of DIRSE’s #MENTORdirse project; various working committees of the Spanish Association of Foundations (AEF); the #ESG working group of the Círculo de Empresarios; the scientific committee of the RS Congress of Zaragoza; the Innovation Advisory Council of Stanpa, or the Corporate Social Responsibility Commission of the Spanish Committee of the ICC, among others. 

She has been part of the Jury of the Honorary Ambassadors of the Spain Brand, as well as of different projects of organizations such as L’Oréal España, Fundación La Caixa, DKV Seguros (V edition Medicine and Solidarity Awards) and Universidad Europea (IX and X edition Young Social Entrepreneurs Awards) among others. 

In 2017 and 2019 she has been recognized by Top 100 Women, one of the Leaders in Spain in the Third Sector category and has participated in the 2022 edition of the Women to Watch program led by PWC. 

Sainz holds a degree in Business Administration from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and has completed the Shared Value Program at Harvard Business School; the PDD (Executive Development Program, Executive Education) at IESE; the Social Leadership Program for Social Entities at IESE Business School – University of Navarra; the Program for Board Members at ESADE; and the Sustainable Finance Program at the University of Cambridge. 

Sainz has developed part of her professional career in Bankinter, in different areas such as account management of Corporate Banking – Large Companies, director of the Chairman’s Office and in the stage of the launching of the digital transformation of this company she has been Project Manager of the Internet Area, as well as responsible for the Management Office in the Technology Area. 

Catherine Tilley

Impact Director, Centre for Sustainable Business and Senior Lecturer in Business Ethics and Sustainability, King’s College London

Dr Catherine Tilley is a Senior Lecturer in Business Ethics and Sustainability at King’s College London and Impact Director for the Centre for Sustainable Business. She studied for her MA and PhD at Cambridge University, and for her MBA at Manchester Business School.  She has been a Visiting Scholar at Stirling University and is a Fellow in Construction Engineering Management at Cambridge University.

Catherine worked for over 20 years in management consultancy, mostly at McKinsey & Company, with a particular interest in organisational and strategic problems.  She returned to academia in order to focus on research about decision-making for sustainable business.   Her research now examines two phenomena: first, the ways in which people in companies incorporate social and environmental sustainability into their decision-making; and second, the ways in which complex socio-technical systems adapt to climate pressures.

She is particularly interested in the ways in which people resolve problems of competing commitments in their working lives and this influences both her research and her teaching. Her teaching has included work with undergraduates, graduates and executives on questions of strategy, organisation, leadership, decision-making, ethics and sustainability.