How long have you been with Telefónica and what is your assessment of your time here?
In October it will be 23 years. The truth is that time has passed very quickly; sometimes I still see myself as the young intern who has everything to learn, surprising myself and admiring like a child everything that happens around us in this great company. I haven’t stopped learning for a single day and I think that’s what makes me get up every morning with the same enthusiasm and excitement as the first day.
Thanks to Telefónica I have evolved and developed as a professional but also as a person, we have transformed together, but above all I have met and continue to meet incredible people who, with their work, generosity and tenacity, contribute to Telefónica fulfilling its purpose, which unites all employees and sets us apart from other companies: to make our world more human by connecting people’s lives.
Is there a project at Telefónica that you are particularly proud or satisfied with?
What motivates me most about a project are the people who are part of it and getting us all to give the best of ourselves with a common purpose. In recent years I have had the responsibility of creating teams with people who came from different areas of the company, with different working models, objectives and visions, sometimes very different. Achieving a sense of belonging, identity and a common purpose, taking advantage of the diversity of each of us, is one of the achievements I am most proud of.
What do you think Telefónica has contributed to society?
It’s a long list. I would highlight putting technology at the service of people thanks to having one of the largest fibre and 5G networks in the world, which allows us to reach every corner of the world; being better connected is synonymous with progress.
Leveraging on this technology, the initiatives launched by Fundación Telefónica related to education and training for different groups that guarantee social inclusion and the reduction of inequalities seem to me to be clearly different from other companies. I would also like to highlight the very important work we do in financing start-ups so that they have the opportunity to grow and scale by offering their services and solutions to the market.
Where do you see Telefónica in the future?
Telefónica’s history is one of continuous transformation, of anticipation, and it will continue to be so. We have a clear roadmap and we must exploit all our capabilities to take advantage of new opportunities as they arise. In the area of Business, to which I am closest, we have a very important role in the National Defence sector that we must continue to work on and support, and we also have a great opportunity in the world of Industry in everything that has to do with the digital transformation of existing production processes in a factory, with the implementation of end-to-end technological solutions that cover the entire value chain. Telefónica must play a leading role here.
At a time when AI is the protagonist in many of our daily conversations, I believe that Telefónica will play a very important role in the governance of this great tool so that, as has happened with other disruptive technologies throughout history, generative AI is placed at the service of people and not vice versa. As our chairman José María Álvarez Pallete says, “technology has no values” and it is we who must provide those values.
Could you live without a mobile phone?
I would love to. I am aware of the advantages that the mobile phone offers us, indeed, I take great advantage of them, but I am also aware of the distractions. Seeing and enjoying life beyond the screen of our phones is something I try to practice whenever I can, especially with the younger people around me.
Help us solve one of humanity’s great enigmas: the potato omelette… With onion or without onion?
With onion, without hesitation. And I’ll add one more thing: if it’s with caramelised onion, all the better. It’s one of my latest culinary discoveries and it gives it a very special touch.
What crazy idea would you like Telefónica to do for its centenary?
The truth is that there are already a lot of initiatives prepared to celebrate this great event and all of them are very interesting. But here’s a crazy idea: as a football fan, I would love it if Telefónica had its own centenary anthem, just like the football teams did for their centenary, and we could all sing it in unison at the solidarity concert that will take place in May at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium.
Nominates another colleague to appear in this section
Agustín Cárdenas with his experience, creativity and humour is sure to give us a different and interesting vision.
