Autor: Kathryn Walton

BLOG POST WRITTEN BY CHAMBER MEMBER BOVÉ MONTERO Y ASOCIADOS

 

• Dirigido por la ingeniera industrial Mónica Bové, el departamento de Business Innovation integra perfiles vinculados a la ingeniería, la informática, la física y el análisis de datos.

• Desde el área de consultoría digital dará cobertura a todo el territorio nacional desde las oficinas de Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Sevilla y Valencia.

• José María Bové (presidente): “Potenciamos el crecimiento orgánico en un ámbito que ofrece un elevado potencial de desarrollo y que, además, constituye un pilar fundamental para la competitividad empresarial”.

• La firma cerró el último ejercicio fiscal con un volumen de negocio de 11,8 millones de euros (+17%).

 

 

 

Tell us a bit about yourself (company, your role, experience, etc..) 

I am currently the Head of Banco Sabadell UK.  I have been working for over 30 years now for the Financial Sector in Spain and the UK, first as Auditor in Arthur Andersen (that is a hint of my age!), afterwards in Argentaria, BBVA, Caja Madrid, Bankia, Lloyds Banking Group and Banco Sabadell, mainly in Finance roles.

 

From your perspective and/or your own experience, what are the main challenges and opportunities that women face in the workplace? 

Women are required to prove that can lead (while it is almost “granted” for men), but then… easily can be “charged” of being too “aggressive”, so, for a woman, it is quite a challenge to achieve a balance between being assertive and not hesitating to make decisions, not being “mild” and being too “aggressive”.  Women are different to men in lots of ways, and we have to demonstrate that we can lead in our own way, not just copying men’s “style”.

 

What do you think organisations should do in order to increase the presence of women in leadership positions? 

Understand, accept and accomplish that the way a woman leads is somehow different (but not worse: it can be better) than the way a man usually does.

 

From the gender perspective, what initiatives have already been implemented by your organisation that you would like to point out? 

Some years ago it was decided that each time there is a position to be covered, three candidates should be presented and, in each and every case, at least one of the three must be a woman.

 

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Believe in yourself, and be true to yourself: aspire to be your best and do not try to be someone else.

 

In terms of gender equality, how do you imagine the world in 10 years’ time? What would be your ideal outcome?

Indeed… I am a little bit worried, as I currently think that hetero white males nowadays are the ones who are being discriminated.  I honestly hope that the world achieve a fair balance as soon as possible. We are seeking for gender equality, but we should aspire to be fair: there are positions and roles where it would be fair to have more men than women and other where the fairest outcome could be to have more women than men.  I believe in fairness.  That could mean gender equality… or not.  I think we are ashamed of a recent past of gender discrimination and sometimes we are (potentially) making the same mistakes… the other way round.

 

Tell us a bit about yourself (company, your role, experience, etc..).

 

I work in SENER, an engineering and technology group from Spain, but working globally in the sectors of Mobility, Energy and Aerospace. I am Director Business Development for Europe in SENER Mobility and I have been working in this company for almost 20 years now. SENER is very active in the UK and we are involved in some of the major transport infrastructures in the country.

 

From your perspective and/or your own experience, what are the main challenges and opportunities that women face in the workplace?

 

The engineering sector is a male dominated sector. For many years women have not been part of these careers and therefore now we can see few women in high level positions.  The challenge is still to get the interest of the young girls in these STEM careers. The opportunity will come by integrating the other half of the population’s ideas, needs and ways of thinking into the engineering projects to better serve the whole society. We are still designing infrastructures with gender bias data because we have not got a voice for many years. We are changing that, but we still have a lot to do. We have a big challenge with females taking big responsibility roles in this sector.

 

What do you think organisations should do in order to increase the presence of women in leadership positions?

 

Honestly, I think they should be bolder and braver. There is no bad outcome, or at least not worse than choosing a man. I have never been in favor of quotas, but more and more I realized that it might be the only way to move further and faster. Before, they might not have been enough women, but now sometimes it might just be easier to get a man for a job, for a panel, for an interview… I say: go beyond and choose a woman! They are out there. Ready to go. Women have the same chances to fail than a man, and exactly the same to succeed.

 

From the gender perspective, what initiatives have already been implemented by your organisation that you would like to point out?

 

There is just as much as you can do in the engineering sector because of the lack of female engineers in general. But of course, in our company we have a whole set of policies to deal with Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.  Among other things, SENER is part of the Women and Engineering Program from the Spanish Royal Academy of Engineering that aims to promote STEM careers among the female public, in addition to including various actions and programs such as “Mentoring of Excellence” or “Engineering with social purpose”.

 

What advice would you give to your younger self?

 

I don’t know if my younger self would have taken much of an advice. She wanted to experience everything for myself, but if I have to choose, I would have told her not to settle for the easy, to go always beyond and to be ambitious. We should get more used to see ambition in women as a good quality.

 

 

In terms of gender equality, how do you imagine the world in 10 years’ time? What would be your ideal outcome?

 

I am sure in ten years we will be better. I have no doubt about that. The problem is: do we still have to wait for ten years? The ideal would be not to have to do this kind of interview to raise awareness, right?

 

 

 

 

Tell us a bit about yourself (company, your position in the company, experience, etc..)

 

My name is Raquel Barrera and I am an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion expert and founder of diversitas institute. I am also a Board member of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the UK. I am passionate about art, books, history and cultural life in London and I am also a strong believer in the benefits of a more equitable, diverse and inclusive world.

 

I lead Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) projects from a gender perspective, advocate and promote EDI in the workplace and accompany organisations from a broad variety of sectors and sizes on that journey.

 

From your perspective and own experience, what challenges and opportunities do you think women face in the workplace?

 

In terms of the challenges, from my own personal perspective and after working with many organisations from a wide variety of sectors and sizes, there are several barriers that women still face in the workplace.

The more structural challenges are, on one hand, the different perception between women and men regarding the need of changing and the challenges women face in the workplace. If we add the lack of female representation at decision-making level, we have an scenario where the speed to achieve a more equitable world is not as fast as expected.

On the other hand, there is the question of care. Women have massively joined the labour market but without completely giving up the unpaid care activities. In summary, women continue to shoulder the burden of childcare and unpaid work in the home. In addition to that, the so called motherhood penalty is a reality. Nowadays, when a woman decides to have a child, this has a great impact in her professional life.

 

From the organisational perspective, I identify two different challenges. One of those challenges is the “ticking-the-box” perspective. This is, probably, one of the greatest mistakes that can lead to inconsistency between expectations and reality, between what it is said and what it is done and, as a consequence, diversity fatigue and backlash.

Finally, regarding the approach, most of the time, and with the best of the intentions, we try to “fix the women’s issue” from a more traditional perspective, particularly when addressing topics such as leadership styles or work-life balance. This can create situations that can end up in a “fixing the women (and the men!) that do not fit with the traditional stereotypes” approach rather than “redefining the system or accepting different perspectives, behaviours or leadership styles”.

 

In term of opportunities, it is true that there is a business case associated with gender equity. However, I am a bit reluctant to use it as an argument if it is not strictly necessary because it can reinforce the idea that women need to perform really well when offered these positions. At the end of the day, it doesn’t seem unreasonable that if the world is 50% women and 50% men, the decision-making positions should have a similar percentage.

 

 

What do you think organisations should do in order to increase the presence of women in leadership positions?

 

I believe that it is absolutely crucial to identify and understand where the organisation is regarding gender equity. Every organisation is unique and the “one-size-fits-all” approach does not longer work. In order to avoid misconceptions and subjectivity, gathering meaningful data is key. Demographics, measure of employees perception and an analysis of the organisation’s process is a basic first step. It is not about how much data you gather but how meaningful it is. Once you know where the issues are, define ambitious but realistic goals, KPIs and specific actions. Common pitfalls include fragmented I&D initiatives, overly relying on individual commitments or the lack of a clear link with the company’s core business strategy. The key is to build a commitment from the top; identify leaders, allies and change-resistance; understand the impact of structural and systemic external issues and assess the internal processes in order to make them as biased-free as possible. The final goal is that, eventually people of talent and ability can ascend to the level they deserve, regardless of their gender.

 

 

What advice would you give to your young-self?

 

I would probably tell my young-self to always think twice why you think or feel the way you do, if your decisions are really free-will decisions and if there is a more creative and non-obvious way. I would also encourage myself to be surrounded with people with different views and to not be afraid of feeling uncomfortable. Finally, never underestimate the impact your actions have (no matter how small they are) and the power of change.

 

In terms of gender equality, how do you imagine the world in 10 years’ time? What would be your dream come true?

 

In 10 years’ time I hope to see a wider and richer representation in the decision-making. Ultimately, my dream would be for diversitas institute to disappear because it is no longer needed.

 

knowmad mood, a leading technology consulting firm in digital transformation, has announced its projections for 2023 and expects revenues of 172 million euros during the current year, 33% more than those of 2022.

 

knowmad mood expects to achieve an EBITDA of 8.53%, which represents 14.7 million euros, an increase of 41% over last year’s figure. Thus, these forecasts continue in the positive line of the results presented last month, where knowmad mood, formerly known as atSistemas, certified a 32% growth in its revenue compared to 2021.

 

knowmad mood and its a global strategy

 

knowmad mood begins 2023 strengthening the global expansion strategy launched in 2022 in the United Kingdom and the United States, with the opening of new offices and the acquisition of New Verve Consulting. By the end of 2022, the company opened a new office in Morocco, adding to the existing ones in Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Uruguay. Since last December, the company has also been listed on the BME Growth market.

 

knowmad mood formerly atSistemas

 

As recent milestones, the company has just announced its change of name and corporate image. Once known as atSistemas, knowmad mood decided at the end of May to announce its new image after 29 years, so as to be better aligned with its growth and global expansion goals and to face future challenges.

 

“These positive predictions are very important news for us because it means our strategy for the past few years is already paying off. Besides the expansion of knowmad mood, we are also showing that our recent acquisitions were a success and already bring positive results, not only financially but also in terms of adding value, resources, and expertise to our company. These projections are also a positive message to our customers and investors, as we hope they transmit both strength and security. We expect to continue to deliver good news during the rest of the year, both in announcements of new projections and in the reporting of results next year,” says José Manuel Rufino Fernández, CEO of knowmad mood.

 

About knowmad mood

 

knowmad mood is a digital transformation leading company that combines talent, technology and business to make the most of the complex challenges faced by the market through innovation and sustainable development with the commitment to add value to its more than 500 clients and supporting them in their digital transformation since 1994. It currently has more than 2,400 professionals, a revenue of 129.2 million euros in 2022, and locations in 7 countries including Spain, Italy, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uruguay, and Morocco where they provide architecture, development, systems integration, and managed services projects, adopting and promoting the best practices in the market. Currently knowmad mood has companies and brands within the group such as DEXS, Digital Experience School, a digital division that offers an integrated ecosystem of training solutions, technology, and services, oriented to the creation and continuous delivery of value in the learning and development processes of organisations, New Verve Consulting, specialising in the creation, development, and design of Atlassian solutions and products for different clients in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, and Incipy, a consulting firm specialising in digital transformation and strategy for businesses and organisations with a focus on people, a pioneer in Spain.

 

📞 +44 020 34 686 252 📧 marketing.en@knowmadmood.com

 

atSistemas is now knowmad mood. knowmad mood, a technology consulting firm leader in digital transformation with more than 29 years of history as part of the evolution of the company.

As part of its strategic plan for 2021-2024, knowmad mood seeks to become one of the main players in the technology sector in UK. atSistemas is committed to changing its corporate identity to knowmad mood to align the image and perception of the brand with its growth and international expansion goals.

 

The technology group is composed of:

– DEXS, the business division that offers an ecosystem of training solutions, technology, and services.

– New Verve Consulting, specialising in the creation, development and design of Atlassian solutions and products for different clients in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland

– Incipy, a consulting firm specialising in digital transformation and strategy of businesses and organisations with a focus on people, a pioneer in Spain.

 

This rebranding fulfills the purpose of strengthening its position in the market through innovation and sustainable development with the mission to continue providing value to customers, drive talent, unify the digital strategy of the business with the skills and technical solutions and sets a new direction in the future of technology. See video of the evolution 👉 HERE To learn more about this evolution read more 👉 HERE

 

knowmad mood global strategy

 

knowmad mood comes as a declaration of intent that follows the company’s evolution and strengthens its position as a major multinational corporation. With this transformation, the company wants to align the perception of the brand with its positioning and international expansion goals. The idea is to ensure that the company’s international presence and the services it offers are in line with its current size, in terms of reputation and market recognition. For this reason, it is primarily an evolutionary process where the same corporate values and principles are preserved but more coherently expressed with the current situation of atSistemas, that of being a leading company in digital transformation and innovative technological solutions at the forefront.

 

The new corporate image of knowmad mood includes a new logo that creates a new visual expression of the company but leaves intact the corporate colours that have characterised the brand since its beginnings in 1994. This identity reflects an honest and transparent brand that speaks of an ecosystem of talent, partners, clients, and above all, a team of people connected to a common purpose. «The rebranding process has been a challenge, because, on the one hand, we wanted to transmit our new reality, but at the same time we wanted to communicate that we continue to preserve the values that have brought us here and are part of our identity and history. We want to continue to show that feeling of enthusiasm that we all have and the shared experiences that have led us to make the most of the challenges we have faced, no matter how complex they have been. This feeling of belonging and community has made us a great team, and this is the concept that we wanted to reinforce in this new identity. Because we are and will continue to be a team, and that is what makes us great,» says Jessica Iglesias Sánchez.

 

«We have absolutely no doubt that the job profile of the future is the ‘knowledge nomad’, people who are digital natives and are known for their creativity and innovative skills, and for creating a network with other people beyond borders. However, they are responsible, flexible, and passionate about their work, allowing them to be resilient in the face of adversity and to be in constant evolution and learning thanks to their great ability to adapt. This is our culture, our state of mind, and, ultimately, our spirit, and this is the inspiration for our name, ‘knowmad mood’. This new name allows us to express our identity in a coherent way, one that will be with us in our strategic growth and expansion goals for the future», says José Manuel Rufino Fernández, CEO of atSistemas.

 

About knowmad mood

 

knowmad mood is a leading company in digital transformation combining talent, technology, and business to make the most of the complex challenges of the market through innovation and sustainable development with the mission of adding value to more than 500 clients and helping them in their digital transformation since 1994.

The company employs more than 2,400 professionals, a revenue of 129.2 million euros in 2022, and has offices in 7 countries including Spain, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, and Morocco, where they undertake architecture, development, systems integration, and managed services projects, promoting and adopting the best practices in the market.

 

Written by Chamber Member FACEPHI BEYOND BIOMETRICS LIMITED

 

H1: Your Phone’s Face ID May Not Be As Safe As You Think

 

Biometric features such as facial recognition scans and fingerprint sensors have revolutionised smartphones, making them powerful tools for efficient authentication. With a simple glance or touch, your phone can be unlocked, transactions authorised, and much more – all without the need for cumbersome PINs or passwords.

 

But while this novel technology offers impressive functionality and a higher security level than some traditional authorisation methods, it may not be as secure as generally presumed.

 

H2: The Verdict of the EBA

 

Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) is a crucial security protocol created to combat payment fraud. It necessitates the use of at least two of the following elements: something you know (like a password), something you have (like a phone), and something you are (like a fingerprint).

 

In its recent guidance regarding how SCA should be applied to digital wallets, the European Banking Authority (EBA) made it clear that using biometrics to unlock a phone should not be considered a valid SCA element (if that biometric data is not controlled by the financial institution). Essentially, device biometrics, such as Apple Pay’s Face ID, don’t offer substantial protection against fraud.

 

H3: Device Biometrics vs Biometric Identity Verification Solutions

 

Device biometrics, like Apple’s Face ID, are exclusively stored on the user’s device. They serve to unlock a password container and send the saved password to the remote server. This, however, does not verify the user’s identity. The remote server merely confirms the correctness of the password.

 

This method could potentially lead to serious security flaws, especially if multiple users register their biometrics on the same device and resort to PIN codes when the biometric fails, thereby enabling unauthorised access to personal accounts.

 

For example, consider a common situation where an iPad is shared amongst friends. Each person’s biometrics are registered on the device, and they all know the same entry passcode. Here, bypassing another friend’s Apple Pay facial scan by simply entering the shared pin code would be quite easy.

 

Therefore, any application that uses device biometrics for security, like a mobile banking app or Apple Pay, is only as secure as its weakest method of authentication: a simple PIN code.

 

In contrast, biometric identity verification solutions capture, encrypt, and transmit biometric credentials to a remote server. There, liveness tests and authentication confirm that the person in front of the camera is the same person who enrolled with the account. Until the user’s identity is verified, they cannot gain access.

 

Even if device biometrics, PIN codes, or the entire device are compromised, remote identity verification technology can protect the account and provide secure access to the legitimate customer.

 

H4: Biometric Identity Verification Solutions for Greater Peace of Mind

 

Using a robust biometric identity verification solution with passive liveness technology for payment authentication is highly recommended over mobile device biometrics. This method offers enhanced security and protection against fraudulent activities.

 

Implementing biometric identity verification solutions can help businesses ensure their customers’ identities are reliably verified and protected. This brings peace of mind to both the business and its customers.

For more information on secure biometric identity authentication, please visit www.facephi.com 

 

Madrid, 5th of June, 2023 – Konecta and Comdata have today announced plans to unite all of their markets under the Konecta brand, underpinned by the Group’s purpose to deliver outstanding customer experiences in a fast-paced and ever-changing digital world through the combination of talent, innovation, and industry expertise.

Konecta becomes a global leader in the attractive CX BPO market with close to €2 billion in revenues and a global footprint that provides ‘best shoring’ to local, regional, and global clients in a variety of industries, including financial services, technology, telecoms, e-commerce, utilities, the public sector, and healthcare.

The Group, headquartered in Madrid, serves more than 500 large corporations in 24 countries across Europe and the Americas, with the local expertise of over 130,000 staff.

Jesus Vidal Barrio, CEO of Konecta, said: “With the transaction, we have brought to life a global leader in the CX BPO market. Our commitment to anticipating the emerging needs of our clients, fulfilling their specific demands in each region, and gaining new markets will continue to be a pillar of our strategy. Working together, we will learn from each other, enhancing the wealth of skills we have cultivated on both sides. I am thrilled to write this new chapter of our history under Konecta.”

 

About Konecta

Konecta is a leading innovative global service provider in customer management business process outsourcing, with 130,000 passionate employees working in 30 languages across 4 continents and 24 countries.

Focusing on the unique needs and opportunities of each industry, Konecta offers a full range of end-to-end customer management solutions – including acquisition, retention, customer service, technical support, and collection – all based on a sustainable business model. These services are built on a portfolio of world-class expertise covering customer experience and process management, digital solutions and cutting-edge technologies.

Headquartered in Madrid, Konecta delivers global revenues of approximately €2 billion with more than 500 clients, covering some of the biggest names in telecoms, energy, banking, mobility, retail, and e-commerce.

 

For over 55 years Park Air has been a leader in ground-to-air radio systems for civil and military air traffic management.

 

• Park Air has delivered its T6 family of radios into the USA for over 25 years and provided the core radio design for the NEXCOM (V1) VHF radio program.

• Park Air has partnered with our US business for the Federal Aviation Administration’s NEXCOM (V3) program.

• The acquisition is complementary and enhances the portfolio and capabilities of Indra in the Civil and Military communications domain.

 

Madrid, June 2, 2023.- Indra, a leading engineering and technology specialist for the Aerospace, Defence and Mobility sectors, has entered into a binding agreement with NG to acquire Park Air. Park Air is a leader in ground-to-air radio systems and designs, manufactures, delivers and supports ATM radios throughout the world with two core product lines serving the civil and military sectors. Key customers include Air Navigation Service Providers Airports, Systems Integrators and Government Military Organisations. Ground to Air radios enable communication with aircraft during take-off, flight and landing.

 

Park Air’s operations include design and development, engineering, manufacturing, and customer training facilities. It has over 120 employees and a well-established partner and distribution network that delivers into over 100 countries.

 

Indra has no proprietary radio product, and this acquisition further expands our portfolio. Park Air and Indra are partnering in the US Federal Aviation Administration’s NEXCOM Version 3 (V3) procurement, the program to replace the existing enroute ground-to-air radios which are now reaching end-of life.

 

“This acquisition provides us with engineering and production capabilities for complex electronic systems. These capabilities are very synergetic with our current portfolio and can be used to grow our business with existing customers and develop new lines of business for Aerospace & Defence and Mobility”, said Marc Murtra, president of Indra.

 

“We are looking forward to exploring the growth opportunity for Civil and Military Air Traffic Management. We are ready for realizing the synergies between our centres in Spain, Norway and the USA through an integrated view of the global market”, said José Vicente de los Mozos, CEO of Indra.

 

The transaction is expected to be completed in H2 2023 and is subject to customary conditions.

 

About Indra

 

Indra (www.indracompany.com) is one of the leading global technology and consulting companies and the technological partner for core business operations of its customers worldwide. It is a world-leader in providing proprietary solutions in specific segments in Transport and Defence markets, and a leading firm in Digital Transformation and Information Technologies in Spain and Latin America through its affiliate Minsait. Its business model is based on a comprehensive range of proprietary products, with a high-value, end-to-end focus and with a high innovation component. In the 2022 financial year, Indra achieved revenue totaling €3.851 Billion with almost 57,000 employees, a local presence in 46 countries and business operations in over 140 countries.

Following the sold-out success of the first Barrafina Invita with Xavier Pellicer, Chamber Benefactor Barrafina and restaurant booking platform Resy are proud to announce Borja Marrero of MuXgo in Gran Canaria as the second guest chef in the quarterly series.

 

Barrafina Invita is a quarterly series where Barrafina’s Executive Chefs, Antonio Gonzales Milla and Francisco Jose Torrico, invite the best Spanish chefs or chefs cooking Spanish food, over to cook a special menu at a Barrafina for two days. The series aims to showcase the breadth and quality of Spanish cooking from all over Spain and the rest of the world.

 

June’s guest chef, Borja Marrero, was born and raised in Gran Canaria where he first learned about the local cuisine and ingredients that his island home has to offer. He began his career by studying at Barcelona’s prestigious Hofmann School before travelling to the USA and Mexico where he opened his own restaurant while also working for Mexican hotel groups and private clients.

On return to his native Las Palmas, he began his ‘closed circle’ KM0 project, looking to exclusively use produce sourced from within a 1km area, centred on his two sustainable farms in Tejeda, which look over the volcanic peaks and the Tormentadas.

 

In 2022, Borja opened his sustainable restaurant MuXgo on the rooftop of the Hotel Sostenible Catalina Plaza in the heart of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where he uses the ingredients from his farms and those of hyper local producers, combining his KM0 approach and his extensive cooking experience to offer a taste of all the remote flavours of the peaks of Gran Canaria. Muxgo has been recognised with a Michelin Green Star in 2022 and a Spanish Repsol in 2023.

 

Barrafina co-Executive Chef, Francisco Jose Torrico says, “We are honoured that Borja will be joining us in June and offering our guests a special showcase of the specific flavours of Gran Canaria. We are inspired by his hyper-local approach to sourcing and have deep respect for his skills as a chef.”

 

Borja Marrero will be cooking a special set menu at Barrafina Borough Yards on the evenings of 13th and 14th June. Bookings are available via Resy for the 13th July and 14th July.

 

The experience is priced at £80 and includes a set menu. Drinks and service not included.

 

Click here to book your tickets: https://shorturl.at/yIJQ7