It had to be the year of the definitive overcoming of covid woundsbut it was the war in Ukraine, the inflation and the general rise in costs. It is not surprising, then, that the undisputed protagonists of the year have also been the stars of the night. EL PERIÓDICO presented the awards this Monday Company of l’Anyan event that has brought together a large part of the Catalan business fabric as well as various personalities from the public sector, and which has crowned the Puig family group as the star company of 2022. It has done so because of its trajectory, which is not minor, but also because of how it has managed to turn around the hole that the pandemic made in its accounts and for continuing to grow when the macroeconomic winds go against it.
This company based in l’Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona) closed the 2021 accounts with a business volume of approximately 2,500 million euros and with 234 million euros of profits. Far, in short, from the negative 70 million euros it faced the previous year. Regarding 2022, the figures are still a mystery, but the CEO of the company, Marc Puig, saw the path of growth evident in April last year. In addition, the company has incorporated the Swedish luxury brand into its portfolio this year Byredo and has become the main owner of the company natural cosmetics colombian south lotus and from the indian company kama ayurveda.
“We are proud that Puig has become a global company from Barcelona,” Puig himself assured this Monday when collecting the award from the ‘president’ of the Generalitat, Pere Aragones; of the President of Iberian Press, Javier Moll; from his vice president, Arantza Sarasola: and of the president of Banc Sabadell, Josep Olíu, co-organizing entity and main sponsor of the event. In his speech, the manager took the opportunity to claim the rol of companies in today’s society (at a time -he said- when “certain political circles” seem not to want to see it) and to demand more facilities from the public sector. “Don’t make things more difficult for us than for our European competitors,” Puig launched.
Before him, he CEO of the bank, Cesar Gonzalez-Buenoand its counterpart in charge of Prensa Ibérica, Aitor Mollthey had delivered the Entrepreneur of the Year Awardan award that premiered this year and that has been awarded to Carlos Bertomeu, president of Air Nostrum and of iryo. This executive, who has related his success to having known how to surround himself well, has also taken the opportunity to highlight the benefits of Barcelona and Catalonia. “I would like to think that we have contributed, in a serious and well-organized way, to the connectivity of Catalonia,” said Bertomeu, who has claimed to be the only company that operates in its five airports.
Sustainability and innovation
The awards have also distinguished other five Catalan companies for their work in everything that is demanded today from the productive fabric: to the wine producer Familia Torres as +Sustainable Company; to the food group owned by Gallina Blanca and Affinity, agrolimenas Company +International; to the company that develops solutions to treat neurological diseases with graphene in brainas +Innovative Company; to the Ampans foundation as +Inclusive Company; already Western Catalan, like Family business of the year. These acknowledgments, delivered by hand by those responsible for naturgy, Cellnex, The English Courthe Port of Barcelona and of the Free Zone Consortiumas also sponsors of the gala, just like copy, also suppose the renewal of the categories in which the award had been structured in recent years. The event also collaborated with the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and Gramona.
A deployment, in short, that has resulted in the assistance of some 300 people in the Llotja de Mar House in Barcelonawhich has been used to formally present the new economic information supplement ASSETS (with a message from one of the vice-presidents of the European Comission, Margaritis Schinasincluded) and that has had the participation of the Minister of Science and Innovation of the Government of Spain, Diana Morant; of the Government delegate in Catalonia, Maria Eugenia Gay; of the ‘president’ Aragoneseof the ‘counselor’ of Company, Roger Torrent; and of the Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau.
Spirit of improvement and resilience
“The awards that bring us together today are exponents of creativity, image, drive and the spirit of improvement that characterizes Catalan businessmen,” said the CEO of Prensa Ibérica, Aitor Mollwho has referred to the event as a key meeting to take the pulse of the situation of the Catalan economy and its companies.
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“Tonight’s gala is a tribute to companies for their decisive contribution during these times of war, which the terrible virus of inflation has brought us and which has tested, once again, the resistance and cohesion of our societies & rdquor ;, the director of THE NEWSPAPER, Albert Saezin his speech. “Companies, despite the systematic and irresponsible undermining of some populists who later go looking for them to invest and create jobs, are made up of people (who are owners and workers), who come together to progress and who in this 21st century have the challenge of doing so without harming the planet& rdquor;, he maintained.
Minister Morant also spoke of resilience: “We are navigating together in the uncertainty and our collective capacity to innovate and adapting to technological innovations can be our lifeline” for the sake, he concluded, of a better future.