Interviews

Interviews 11th March 2021

“Even Farmers, Subsidised By The EU Common Agricultural Policy, Voted For Brexit”

Tristan de Bourbon | “In some cities like Boston, on the coast, half the population and half the schoolchildren came from Eastern Europe. But it is true that immigration does not explain all of Lincolnshire’s Brexit vote. Look, even farmers, heavily subsidised by the European Common Agricultural Policy, voted for Brexit because they were fed up with all the European controls. The European system is totally absurd: you receive aid according to the area you own, whether you farm or not,” says Edward Leigh, Conservative MP, former Chairman of the British Public Accounts Committee.

Interviews 5th March 2021

“In Many Companies, Audit Is Still Very Reactive; It’s Often The Last To Know What’s Going On”

Pablo Pardo| The Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB) comprises 48 countries, has four official languages, and is the largest provider of development aid in the region. Its annual loan portfolio was around $15 Bn (more than €12 Bn) before the outbreak of Covid-19, which has boosted the institution’s activity due to the ravages of the pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Canadian-Brazilian Jorge da Silva has been the IDB’s Executive Auditor for eight years, where he heads a unit of 30 people dedicated to internal auditing.

Interviews 25th February 2021

“Spain Has Not Had An Industrial Policy In The Last 20 Years, Maybe More”

Fernando Rodríguez | “Tourism, energy, food…In those sectors where we have people with a lot of knowledge and we are leaders, we should use the recovery funds to invest in technology to be stronger and more competitive. I think it is very difficult to transform a society from one day to the next and create companies that generate employment in sectors completely new. Our transformation must be gradual. We must take advantage of European funds to make an intelligent change of our strengths”, says Emma Fernández, board member of Metrovacesa, Asti and Axway.

Interviews 17th February 2021

“In Spain We Have The Funds With The Worst Profitability And They Are The Most Expensive”

Antonio Banda, CEO of Feelcapital, has already warned of the risk posed by the transposition into Spanish law of the Brussels rule that will allow the entry of pan-European funds. The rule, which comes into force next March, is “the great danger for Spanish fund managers”.

Interviews 2nd February 2021

“The Government Has To Give It Their All In Order To Save The Viable Companies”

Manuel Moreno Capa | “We need to to act with unity to fight the crisis, preserving the institutional stability around the principles that in the last 45 years have made possible an unprecedented stage of development and progress in Spain,” says José Luis Bonet, president of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce. But in addition to preserving what has been achieved, he believes that “ambitious and consensual structural reforms must be tackled with broad majorities, allowing us to increase our potential growth in the coming years.”

Interviews 22nd January 2021

“If You Accept Zero Rates As Structural, The Valuations Change A Lot”

Fernando Rodríguez | “Traditionally, the major correlation in stock markets has been between actual or expected corporate earnings and prices. Right now, for several years, the most direct correlation has been between the stock price of an index and the balance sheet of its respective central (…). Today the market is discounting that there is no limit to this race and futures are assuming a zero rates until 2030. I believe this has a limit and is not what the market thinks about,” explains Juan Carlos Ureta, Chairman of Renta 4.

Interviews 31st December 2020

“It Is Much More Difficult To Mobilise Spanish Funds’ Vote Than That Of Foreigners”

Fernando Rodriguez | “When the Long Term Investment Directive appeared, analysts at JPMorgan or Fidelity received you in London with a smile… The ‘engagement’ was something already insisted on by the company. Where I hope it will have more impetus – the transposition of the directive – is with Spanish investors or funds, which are very passive. When you want to mobilise their vote, it much more difficult than it is with foreign funds, which have taken it more on board ,” explains Rafael Piqueras, chairman of Emisores Españoles* and a board member of Enagás.

Interviews 15th December 2020

“This Year We Have Approved 35 Patents And Have 65 In The approval Process”

Mari Pinardo | Soltec has launched the first initial public offering in Spain in two years, and with unquestionable success: it was trading at 4.8 euros at the end of October and in mid-December the share price had risen to 7.62 euros. In 2019, the firm supplied 9% of the solar trackers installed worldwide, and it occupies the 3rd position in the global accumulated amount. We talked to CEO, Raul Morales.

Interviews 2nd December 2020

“There Will Be A ‘Biden Spring’, With A Vaccine And A Recovery, But The Economic Boom Will Take Longer”

Lidia Conde | According to the US political scientist Mark Hallberg, “in bilateral relations (US/EU) there will be no automatic return to Obama’s policy. In trade relations I do not expect a new version of the trade treaty, nor a further version of the TTIP. But the tone will be better… I hope, for example, that Biden and Macron will get along. They have a similar world view.” Hallberg is currently Dean and Professor of Public Management and Political Economy at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin.

Interviews 20th November 2020

“No Company Risk Committee Had Foreseen The Risk Of The Pandemic”

Fernando Rodríguez | “All the risk committees of every company list them exhaustively in their reports, and nobody had foreseen the risk of the pandemic. Everything was done by looking at the past. Of course the concept of risk has changed,” explains William Connelly, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of AEGON, Vice Chairman of Amadeus, Director of Société Générale and Singular Bank. “How do you manage that? There are two parts. One is immediate risk. Then the strategic risk”, he adds.

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