CEO of Grupo Piñero issues statement regarding Women's Day

By Encarna Piñero, CEO of Grupo Piñero

Today, March 8, we join the celebration of International Women's Day, declared by the UN in 1975, to achieve equality between men and women. A very special day for me, which reminds me of the one in which my mother, my sisters, and I picked up the legacy of our father and wanted to give it continuity by projecting ourselves towards a sustainable, inclusive and equal future. Today, at Grupo Piñero, the number of women on the workforce in Spain is equal to that of men and exceeds 50% in management positions. We work on a horizon of equal opportunities, zero salary gap, flexibility, work-life balance and all kinds of advances in equality. We believe that talent has no gender, that the key is education, that diversity adds up, and that it has a positive impact in terms of productivity.

It is not surprising that global macro data shows that the countries with the highest economic productivity are those with the smallest gender difference. And yes, much progress has been made. But it worries me to know that there is still a long way to go and that the difficulties we face as a society may mean steps backwards. Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO, warns that with 2021 data and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all the gaps in our world have widened again, including those of inequality.

I believe that the pandemic has caused a setback in common objectives at a global level and I believe that this regression will be aggravated by the war context unleashed in Ukraine and in Europe. Every day we are moved to see images of women with their children in their arms, loaded with suitcases, fleeing their homes in search of a safe haven far from their homes and from a war that horrifies us.

Moving towards a sustainable future requires a climate of peace and political, economic, social and environmental stability. This is the paradigm promoted by the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda agreed by the UN. A Global Compact to which, at Grupo Piñero, we adhered in 2017 and some Sustainable Development Goals that we assumed years ago as our own. And we go on. We have updated our 2022-2025 Strategic Plan, establishing sustainability as a central axis, with the aim of undertaking a paradigm shift, both internally and externally, and understanding that sustainability is a source of competitiveness.

We promote the leadership of a responsible and sustainable tourism model capable of facing current and future challenges. At Grupo Piñero, we are 14,000 people, men and women, aligned with equality and with these sustainability objectives, which for me are strategic. From here and to everyone, to them and to them, my congratulations. Because 14,000 people rowing in the same direction generate a force with transformative capacity in which we want to involve the whole of society from the perspective of public-private collaboration, which is essential. We want to leave the best legacy for future generations. We are convinced that, working together from a responsible present, we will build together the future we want, a sustainable and equal future.