GMV, key player in the 4th edition of 'Wake Up, Spain!
From April 15 to 19, took place the fourth edition of Wake Up, Spain!, a symposium organized by EL ESPAÑOL, Invertia and Disruptores under the slogan "Spain's great opportunities in a changing Europe", held at the Palacio de Linares in Madrid, headquarters of Casa América.
During the series of meetings, members of the Government, social agents, regional presidents, mayors, major businessmen and national leaders presented their points of view on various current issues, divided into different focuses.
King Felipe VI inaugurated the 4th edition of this forum, highlighting its evolution "as a meeting point for the world of politics, business, technology and civil society" which, as he remarked, "seeks to enrich and promote the necessary public debate through proposals that can be used for the benefit of a better Spain".
As a leading Spanish firm in technology development, GMV played a leading role in the event through its CEO, Jesús Serrano, who took part on Wednesday 17 in an interview within the defense block. During his speech Serrano spoke of the company's beginnings and how, from its leading position in the space field and on the basis of its knowledge of space infrastructures, GMV is now a benchmark company in space applications in the defense field. He also highlighted how, while maintaining its family business nature, the company now operates in 12 countries, has over 3,200 professionals and a turnover of over 370 million euros in 2023.
In his presentation, Serrano commented that, in the field of defense, the size of a country's industry depends strongly on national investment and budgets and on the characteristics and size of the national market, emphasizing that "from our point of view, in the defense market the size of the companies is relevant, but the technology incorporated is even more so, as are competitiveness and collaboration between companies".
In the current context of growing geopolitical tensions, GMV's CEO shared that society is becoming more aware of the importance of the defense sector for maintaining our freedoms, democracy and way of life. In this regard he stressed the strategic importance of space in the deployment of military technologies and the need to protect space assets against new threats. "We need armed forces and state security forces with an adequate budget level for the fulfillment of the missions entrusted to them. This is the only way to guarantee the development of systems with the necessary technology for the future and to contribute to having an adequate level of technological sovereignty," he said.
On the other hand, Serrano highlighted the need for an additional effort to promote STEM vocations, essential for the country's technological development. He stressed in particular the importance of boosting the vocations of women, whose representation in STEM training, he pointed out, currently stands at 22%, "considerably below the desirable 50%".
Finally GMV's CEO shared his vision for the coming years, focusing on improving competitiveness and continuing the company's growth path, as well as making further progress in the value chain and increasing its level of responsibility in all the markets it operates in, while also pushing ahead with disruptive technologies.
You can watch the full interview at the following link: