Dreamers & Makers

How did you become CTE at Sener?
After twenty-three years of professional experience, I joined Sener at the end of 2012 following its acquisition of EIPSA, a company specialising in bridge design. In 2017, J. M. Hoyos encouraged me to apply for Chartered Technical Expert (CTE) status, and I did so again in 2019. Given the highly demanding requirements for obtaining this distinction, I decided not to apply in subsequent years. However, in 2025, my colleagues within the discipline encouraged and supported me in trying again, and I ultimately achieved the distinction that same year.

What has been the most challenging project of your career?

There have been several challenging projects in my career, and they have always involved a step up in difficulty and scale, which inevitably comes with a certain amount of strain. Among the earlier ones, I like to recall—each for different reasons—the Petra Tou Romiou Bridge in Cyprus in 1998, the Trapagaran Viaduct in Bilbao in 2007, and the Toluca train project in Mexico in 2014 and 2015.

However, the Fourth Bridge over the Panama Canal stands above the rest. It is undoubtedly the most technically and organisationally demanding project I have worked on, as well as the most complex because of the country and the client. On the Fourth Bridge, we have had to develop highly complex seismic calculations involving soil–structure interaction to make the project viable. Even so, the most challenging project is probably still to come.

What value do you think the role of CTE brings to Sener?

The appointment of CTEs recognises the company’s technical authorities and identifies them as people to consult in that capacity within an increasingly international environment. It also reinforces the message that technical excellence matters at Sener.

Externally, the role acknowledges a level of technical expertise and standing that clients already recognise, both of which are a major commercial asset for Sener.

How do you drive innovation and talent development?

In my dual role as a CTE and discipline leader, I aim to create an ecosystem in which knowledge is shared and people are not afraid to tackle the unknown.

On a personal level, I write articles and take part in international conferences. I also share these presentations, along with more general ones, with the discipline. But I am not the only one who does so: we regularly give presentations on the most distinctive projects we deliver and on the innovations we promote.

Finally, I am clear that a CTE’s knowledge should never set the ceiling for the discipline’s collective knowledge.

How do you support teams through mentoring?

By being accessible to everyone. Sometimes I cannot respond immediately, but it never takes me long to make myself available.

Being involved in almost every project within the discipline requires considerable effort, but it not only facilitates this mentoring; it also enriches me and allows me to keep learning. Following the projects enables me to travel to the different offices and extend mentoring internationally.

What skill do you consider key to convey or enhance?

In the technical field, I would highlight an intangible skill: sound structural judgement, which is closely linked to common sense. Engineers in the discipline must understand structures, know how loads are transferred and develop a feel for how a structure deforms. If they acquire this skill, they will be able to design in a much simpler and more efficient way.

Among interpersonal skills, the ability to communicate effectively is fundamental in the major projects in which we are involved, whether with colleagues in the discipline and across the company, with partners or with the client.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to grow in the technical field?
Anyone who wants to pursue a technical career must be patient and persistent, remain enthusiastic and stay humble.

A technical career is a very long-term undertaking. In fact, it spans your entire professional life, and that requires patience and perseverance. Enthusiasm and curiosity are what drive you to keep progressing and to take on greater challenges.

Finally, however much knowledge and experience a person accumulates, humility in the face of projects and difficulties is what enables them to continue learning from techniques, projects and the people they work with. If they are not humble, reality soon puts them in their place.

What trends will shape the future in your field?
In the field of bridges, structural forms and construction processes have not evolved greatly over the past 60 years. What has evolved considerably are material properties, temporary works and construction equipment, types of analysis and computational resources. Everything is moving towards greater prefabrication to improve construction productivity and shorten delivery times.

Added to all this is the emergence of AI in our design processes. Within the discipline, we have defined several workstreams to transform our tools so that they can be operated by agents, and to create digital brains. Despite all the uncertainties surrounding AI, I do not believe it will replace us; however, if we implement it well, it will make us much more efficient.

What motivates you most about your work as a CTE?
What motivates me most in my role as a CTE is the opportunity to pass on my knowledge and experience to all the other members of the discipline.

It is also highly motivating to secure challenging projects for Sener thanks to the recognition we have earned.

How do you imagine your role will evolve in the coming years?
In Mobility, managing disciplines globally is becoming considerably more complex, as Bridges and Viaducts now has five additional production centres. In my case, I believe the role must evolve towards acting as the guarantor, within the discipline’s international framework, of knowledge transfer and of the application of bridge design procedures, tools and criteria that are as consistent as possible, while always respecting the particular characteristics of each geographical area.