On 27 March 2017 the Leading Brands of Spain Forum (Foro de Marcas Renombradas: FMRE) and the consultancy firm PeopleMatters put on the “Talent and Brand Conference: Pillars of International Success” presenting the jointly-written report “Brand- and Talent-Management for the Internationalization of Spanish Firms”. The venue was the Madrid head office of the Spanish Foreign Trade Institute (Instituto Español del Comercio Exterior: ICEX)

GMV took part in this report together with over 90 other firms from various sectors. Its remit, in the words of Camila Hillier-Fry, partner of PeopleMatters, is "to pinpoint good practices, needs and challenges in the internationalization process as brand-strengthening strategies for attracting and retaining talent".

Dynamism and globalization are defining factors of today's markets. This and other questions, such as employer branding strategies or global brand positioning, were dealt with in this conference in a panel discussion chaired by Fernando Merry del Val (ICEX's Executive Training Manager) and involving the participation of Ignacio Ramos (GMV's Corporate Human-Resources Manager), Miguel Ángel Navarro (COO and Vice President of Catenon), Juan Carlos Rondeau (General Undermanager of Mapfre's Organization, Talent and Mobility) and José Luis Casado (Manager of ESIC's Career Development Unit).

During the encounter Ignacio Ramos brought out the human team as the main competitive edge and stressed also the "importance of employer branding for attracting talent, turning employees into genuine brand ambassadors, as well as the importance of the Spain brand as a visiting card in any new countries where the company is to trade". He likewise emphasized the need of taking stock of company policies at local and global level, seeking to strike the right balance between the creation of a worldwide business culture and competitive local setup. Business expansion implies an added effort in order to maintain consistency at all levels.

From this analysis, certain recommendations and conclusions can be drawn, above all in the area of brand- and talent-management. The company's image as projected to its clients is just as important as the image perceived by its own employers; as much or even more is the image transmitted to new candidates. Key here is good brand positioning at national and international level. We should not, however, lose sight of the company's human capital; it is important to tap into local talent, involving them in the corporate development, training them up in company culture and giving them career opportunities, in short, turning staff into the prime brand advocates.