
What inspired you to pursue a career in mobility sector?
I started my professional career studying Economics, but I found my call for international business development working at the Spanish Economic and Commercial Office in Dubai in 2008. After Lehman Brothers collapse, amidst a global economic crisis, I was able to experience the challenge of advising companies in a context of almost obligatory international expansion. It was at this point that I had the opportunity to work for Sener, identifying opportunities to initiate its mobility business in the country, something that was successfully achieved two years later, with Abu Dhabi’s tram contract.
How did you join Sener?
I discovered Sener during my second stage of my ICEX internship in Dubai, and I had the opportunity to help Pedro Mugarra and Cristina Ginés in their search for opportunities and setting up the team in the United Arab Emirates. I was very excited about the company’s potential and about its different technological projects. It coincided with the Gemasolar project being officially launched at one of the most important trade fairs in Abu Dhabi, presented as an icon and an example to follow, for both local companies and the entire industry. It was an impressive project and I was very interested in Sener´s offer. Afterwards, I was accepted to do my ICEX scholarship programme last stage at Sener in Madrid’s Tres Cantos office, working in business development and international offers for mobility unit (at the time, for Civil and Architecture).
What is your day-to-day life like?
Since I joined Sener, I have always worked in transport infrastructures business area, today located in the mobility area. Within the business unit, I support different markets and geographies’ directors when it comes to detecting opportunities, analysing them and coordinating their adequate preparation and presentation. It is fascinating that each opportunity or project is different, either due to its typology or geography, which means that the work is never repetitive and that we can learn from it every day. My day-to-day work is based on analysing of different potential opportunities, as well as monitoring of all offers that are currently being processed.
At Sener, people are at the centre, and that is something we should be proud of and a source of enrichment.
What are the most important projects you are currently working on?
After joining Sener as an intern in 2009 to support Business Development in the former UENCA (Strategic Unit of Civil Business and Architecture), I focused mainly on the Middle East, when this was a market that had yet to unfold and was full of opportunities. As it consolidated, I supported the different geographies where Sener worked, collaborating in the achievement of major landmark projects for Sener, such as: the Abu Dhabi Tramway, the High Speed Train in the USA between Palmdale and Burbank or the HS2 project in the United Kingdom. I am currently supporting Xavi Pascual in the expansion of the Consultancy and New Technologies area, looking for opportunities with multilateral funds in very interesting projects from the point of view of sustainability, decarbonisation and technology applied to the transport sector.
How do you think the projects you work on influence the current / future world or society?
We work on projects that connect people, and that promote more sustainable and efficient transport. This is essential to ensure a better world for future communities and are the foundation for the cities of the future in which we will live. We try to bring people together in a faster, more sustainable, more efficient and more convenient way.
How do you keep up to date with general knowledge and trends in your sector?
I try to keep up to date with global transport sector news and developments, but I find that one of the best ways to learn and be in the know is from our colleagues at Sener. This is something I have been able to experience since I joined and I firmly believe that collaborative work and conversations with colleagues are one of the most effective ways of learning. At Sener, people are at the centre and this is something we should be proud of and enrich ourselves.
The fact that we are able to apply technology from space projects to transport and vice versa is remarkable.
In your opinion, what distinguishes Sener from its competitors?
I consider Sener’s approach to projects to be unique, facing projects as technological challenges, where there is a focus on people and on how to provide the best solutions to our clients and to society. I think Sener’s purpose is very successful in differentiating ourselves, demonstrating our interest in improving the world we live in through technology. I also believe that the synergies between Sener’s different businesses is something unique and differentiating. The fact that we are able to apply technology from space projects to transport and vice versa is remarkable, and something that we can all benefit from and learn from in a collaborative way.
What new challenges do you see yourself working on in the medium term?
I envision myself working on engineering consultancy projects managed by multilateral organisations, which promote the improvement of society through the Sustainable Development Goals applied through engineering. I see us making use of Sener’s latest technologies and developments to help people from all aspects of transport, making cities more sustainable, more convenient, more modern and, above all, more people-oriented.