We would like to welcome Sacyr as a new Patron of the Spanish Chamber.
Sacyr is a global infrastructure and services company, expert in turning challenges into achievements. Operating in nearly 30 countries and a workforce of 30,000 professionals, it is one of the main global contractors and is already among the 10 largest in Latin America.
Innovation, international growth, sustainability and the execution of complex projects have made Sacyr and its subsidiaries an international benchmark.
Sacyr Engineering and Infrastructures stands out thanks to its high qualification rate and experience in all types of construction. Among its works, stand out more than 3,300 km of highways and express roads, 64 km of tunnels and more than 107 km of viaducts; hydraulic works such as the Third Set of Locks for the Expansion of the Panama Canal; airport works; ports; hospitals; residential building and urbanization works.
Sacyr Concessions is ranked sixth developer worldwide in the PPP market, currently managing 35 assets distributed in 10 countries that include: highways (3,755 km), social and health projects (more than 2,500 beds) and transport interchanges.
Sacyr Industrial designs and builds waste treatment and recovery plants, electrical infrastructures, Oil & Gas, EPC water projects, among other projects.
Sacyr Services develops a wide range of businesses: environmental services, full water cycle and other related activities. It´s permanently focused on providing a complete service for its clients and meeting all their needs.
Valoriza Agua is the sixth largest company in the world for desalinated water capacity and carries out the water management cycle, it has designed and built more than 100 brackish and sea water desalination, purification, and reuse plants.
Valoriza Conservación de Infraestructuras is the Sacyr company devoted to maintenance work on all kinds of road infrastructures (10,000 kilometers of roads and highways in Spain, Chile, Mexico, Uruguay and Peru), dams, ports, irrigation canals and hydroelectric power plants.
Should you want to know more about our new Patron, please visit their website:
On Tuesday 6th February 2018 the Spanish Chamber of Commerce held an event titled “Infrastructure and Procurement Opportunities in the West” in collaboration with Freeths LLP; member of the Chamber. Freeths is a major UK law firm with 11 offices in key cities, specialising in construction, energy, real estate and planning. The event took place at the firm’s head office in Manchester and constituted the Chamber’s first event to take place outside of London, marking the start of our efforts to carry out more sectorial events in different parts of the United Kingdom.
The event saw a great turn out of 30 guests from approximately 25 companies from sectors ranging from construction to engineering, with many having travelled from cities such as London, Birmingham and Darlington. After an early start, guests had the opportunity to meet each other over a coffee before being asked to take their seats. They were then welcomed to the event and a series of introductions were made by James Driver, Partner at Freeths, who explained the structure of the day’s event.
Steve Burns, Head of Economic Development at Bolton Council, was then the first to speak. He spoke about the town’s ‘Bolton 2030’ strategy for growth which focuses on factors such as employment, health, business growth, housing, embracing a digital future and the Bolton Vision partnership. He spoke about the scheme’s challenges but also the opportunities it brings, including housing and employment growth, before going on to describe Bolton’s town centre framework and the recent investment in this.
Martin Lawton of Blacc Consulting LLP spoke next on the topic of manufacture led construction. He began by introducing his firm and what they do, detailing how they are construction, project, programme and portfolio management specialists who have a great deal of industry experience. He then described Blacc’s vision for revolutionising the construction industry and the evolution of the modular assembly toolkit, before providing a variety of case studies; looking principally at the layout of schools.
David Fisken, Head of Business Attraction at the West Midlands Growth Company was the next to speak. He spoke of the company’s 7 remit areas before giving an introduction to the West Midlands and their recent major developments. He then spoke of the firm’s regional economic plan and the transformational and enabling sectors that this involves, highlighting the vital importance of digital in this. He highlighted the opportunities with transport, energy, life sciences and healthcare, housing, the High Speed 2 project and transformational regeneration projects. He finished his talk by highlighting the main motivations for investing in the West Midlands, which include connectivity, its rich and growing talent pool and the fact that it is the most successful UK region for FDI.
Following a coffee break in which guests had the opportunity to share their impressions of the speakers, Andris Bankovskis spoke on the subject of UK energy. He began by highlighting that the three objectives of UK energy policy are the security of supply, sustainability and least cost before going on to speak about new energy technology and the opportunities developing in refurbishment, smart technologies and waste management to name a few. He finally went on to speak about several of the current energy projects in the UK.
The final speaker of the morning was Jason Richards, Partner at Freeths, who spoke about the legislative framework for Public Private Partnerships and the UK Organisational Structure. He described the key features of a PPP framework, giving examples, before speaking about the main features of the UK’s organisational framework. He finally spoke about the Five Case Model, touching on Brexit, before providing a summary of the issues faced by investors.
Following the last talk the guests had the opportunity to network with each other over lunch. As the attendees discussed the talks it was clear to see that they had found them useful and highly insightful. The success of this event was promising and we look forward to organising more events of this nature in the future.
If you would like to know more about this kind of events and others organised by the Chamber, do take a look at the Upcoming Events section of our website or subscribe to our electronic newsletter for biweekly updates.
On Wednesday 19th October the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain launched its Energy and Infrastructure Forum with an evening event that gathered over 30 senior representatives of Spanish and British companies within the above sectors.
The Energy and Infrastructure Forum of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain is chaired by Mr. Alfonso Puga, Chief Commercial Officer at NextDecade, and the board is formed by senior executives with a proven track-record in the energy and infrastructure fields.
Some of the members of the Energy and Infrastructure Forum.
Through this initiative, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain aims to provide a platform to highlight the experience and expertise accrued by Spanish companies in these sectors over the past decades as well as the invaluable human capital and talent they bring in at different levels.
The remit of the Forum will thus be the organisation of round tables and debates to contribute to the sharing of best practices, exchange of innovation processes within companies, and the analysis of current issues on energy and infrastructure and relevant policies within these fields. Each session of the forum will count on a keynote speaker to introduce the topic and foster discussion among participants.
Attendees exchanging opinions during the debate.
Notably; the launch event on October 19th counted on an exceptional speaker: Mr. Riccardo Puliti, Managing Director in charge of the Power and Energy and Natural Resources sectors at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Mr. Antonio Oporto, Board Director for Spain and Mexico at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and a long-standing friend of the Chamber introduced the speaker to the attendees. Mr. Puliti centred his speech on “Energetic Security in Europe”, providing an overview on the current landscape and analysing different scenarios for energy companies.
Mr. Ricardo Puliti (centre), keynote speaker for the first session of the Energy and Infrasctructure Forum.
His address was followed by an open debate and a round of questions, also chaired by Mr. Oporto, which attendees showed enthusiastic interest as they could exchange opinions on the topic. The event came to a close with a drinks reception which offered participants the opportunity to further network and engage in conversation.
Mr. Antonio Oporto (centre), Board Director for Spain and Mexico at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
We take this opportunity to warmly thank Mr. Riccardo Puliti for accepting our invitation to be our first speaker and all attendees for making this first event a success. We would also like to thank Herbert Smith Freehills for kindly hosting this session at their premises.
Please keep posted on our Upcoming Events section or subscribe to our weekly newsletter for further information about future activities of our institution.
On Tuesday 27th September we organised a session on “Best Practices on Construction and Opportunities in the UK” aimed at Spanish companies from the construction and infrastructure sectors and subsectors. The event was hosted at the premises of Blick Rothenberg, member of our Chamber.
This activity took place as part of an inward trade mission our institution had been organising in collaboration with Asturex to receive a delegation of Spanish companies from the above sectors. Thus, the event provided first-hand information on specific aspects related to their line of business, such as CIS (Construction Industry Scheme) requirements, insurance and health & safety procedures, or available opportunities in the country in the near future.
Jesús Agra, Foreign Trade Manager at the Spanish Chamber, introducing Dennis McGlynn, from the Department of International Trade.
Jesús Agra, Foreign Trade Manager, and Cristina Carmona, Head of External Relations and Communications, were in attendance to represent the Spanish Chamber. Mr. Agra welcomed attendees on behalf of our institution and introduced the speakers for the session.
First in line were Simon Wagman, Partner, and Alex Altmann, Director, both from Blick Rothenberg. They covered whether the activities in the UK of a Spanish company create a permanent establishment, the status of their employees for tax purposes and how they need to register for VAT and the CIS. Also, both Simon and Alex highlighted the importance of receiving professional advice when it comes to tax obligations for foreign companies to avoid hefty fees due to lack of information.
Simon Wagman, Partner at Blick Rothenberg, explained the key challenges in tax matters.
After this, it was the turn of Alicia Ferrero, from the International Desk at Santander UK. She covered the range of financial services the bank can provide to foreign clients and briefly introduced the Santander Trade portal. This new tool is being currently improved to help Santander clients access market information in the countries the bank is present and, building-on this tool, the Santander Trade Club would allow companies to connect with other Santander clients.
After the coffee break, Dennis McGlynn, Investment Adviser at the Department for International Trade, took the floor. His presentation offered an overview of the main projects that are expected to be carried out by 2020 involving infrastructure and construction. His insights were particularly relevant as he presented specific projects already on the government agenda and which will generate new opportunities for companies in the next 5 years.
The session welcomed a delegation of Spanish companies from the construction sector among other representatives.
The last speaker of the session was David Lucas, Commercial Account Executive at Bluefin. During his presentation, he explained briefly key differences between Spain and the UK in terms of insurance policy. He highlighted the importance for Spanish companies to check the requirements made by British clients in the contract and whether it includes specific insurance clauses.
As David explained, quite often Spanish insurance is not sufficient to be fully covered against potential claims in the UK and thus the importance of ensuring the right coverage. He also touched on the recently approved Insurance Act (effective from August 2016) and Health & Safety procedures that companies must implement to comply with UK regulations.
The Q&A session gave attendees the opportunity to elaborate further on the topics previously discussed.
To round up the session, we had two case studies from two Spanish companies from the sector and already established in the UK: Desamianta and López Landa. To begin with, Luis García, Operations Director, and Fernando Santiago, Business Development Manager, from Desamianta explained that despite being one of the leading companies in Spain in their area of expertise (asbestos removal), they faced a series of challenges, such as needing to get a licence to operate here as their Spanish one was not recognised.
To conclude, Guillermo Lázaro, Managing Director at López Landa Interiors, highlighted the importance of joining associations relevant to one’s sector as it works as a seal of approval for potential clients. As he explained, belonging to an association shows British clients that the company is here for the long-term. Creating trust is one of the main challenges for Spanish companies, he went on discussing, and one way to do so is by being part of the right networks, which potentially would lead them to projects.
Attendees had the opportunity to network over lunch.
The Q&A round that followed the case studies proved a fantastic opportunity to elaborate on the different topics previously covered during the morning. After a highly participative session, both speakers and attendees could engage in further conversation over a networking lunch that was served on the premises.
We would like to thank our members Bluefin, Desamianta, López Landa Interiors, and our Patron Santander for sharing such insightful and valuable information with the companies who were in attendance at this event, and especially our member Blick Rothenberg for kindly hosting this event at their premises.
If you would like to be updated on future activities, please subscribe to our weekly newsletter or visit the UPCOMING EVENTS section on our website.
After a buzzing welcome reception at our City of London venue, hosted by partners Grimshaw Architects, proceedings were kicked off by a warm introduction by the President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, Mr.Fernando Pérez. As he aptly remarked, we all have an opinion on infrastructure because we all use infrastructure. The event was fabulously attended, and our four speakers delved into the emerging areas of infrastructure design and innovation which, in the words of one speaker, are starting to shape our collective human experience of where and how we live.
Grimshaw Architects Chief Executive, Mr. Jolyon Brewis, started by asking why design was important to the functionality of infrastructure. He pointed to Battersea Power Station as an example of something that has carried with it both its original functionality as a utility, as well as an important sense of character and identity which has lasted the test of time. He quipped that he wasn’t proposing that we return to building infrastructure as if they were great cathedrals, but rather to reignite that spirit which takes such projects beyond the bare bones of functionality and strives to contribute characteristically to the community which it serves. One example wasa Grimshaw project in New York, where a hybrid functionality is being innovated in a water treatment facility by developing much of the unused land on the site into a golf course.
Mr. Ignacio Clopes, Managing Director for UK and Ireland at Ferrovial Agroman, branch of the infrastructure giant Ferrovial ( Patron of the Chamber) , chimed in. He spoke of the need for developing “smart infrastructure”, where again New York was used as an example of how a disused, industrial-era raised train viaduct running through the city was converted into an enormous public promenade featuring landscaping and flora. Not only had it been returned to public use in an iconic way, it also provided a very pleasant way in which to traverse that section of the city.
From left to right, Mr. Ignacio Clopes (Ferrovial Agroman), Mr. Enrique Rico (IDOM UK), Mr. Gavin Franklin (Crossrail), Mr. Joylon Brewis (Grimshaw Architects) and Mr. Fernando Pérez (President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce).
Our final two speakers; Mr. Gavin Franklin, Project Manager of Crossrail, and Mr.Enrique Rico, Head of Railways at IDOM, were keen to offer their perspectives. Mr. Franklin’s main focus was on the dichotomy of “collaboration”, something which he had experienced both positives and negatives of whilst presiding over one of Europe’s largest infrastructure projects – a project so large that it had actually first been conceived half a century ago.
Although this process of collaboration was admittedly time consuming, he encouraged the merging of good practice between designers and engineers. As he put it, whilst civil engineers build the big important holes in the ground, with the customer experience a very distant concept, the architect just bridge that gap, working from inception to optimize the service user experience. Finally, Mr. Rico expanded upon his work within IDOM, indulging the audience with an insight into the world of rail infrastructure, citing Poland as an example of a country moving towards the modern era by investing heavily in improving this area.
After a pensive and banterous Q&A session, the speakers and attendees retired to the atrium to mingle whilst enjoying drinks and some Spanish-themed hors d’oeuvres. We sincerely thank Grimshaw Architects, as well as our speakers, for a successful and highly engaging event, and we very much hope our attendees enjoyed it too.
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