Winners 2025

Sener Group
Andrés Sengadorta

President of Sener Group

AIRTIFICIAL
Guillermo Ferández de Peñaranda

CEO of AIRTIFICIAL

Airbus helicopters
Fernando Lombo

Managing Director
of Spain Airbus Helicopters

PLD Space
Ezequiel Sánchez

Chief Executive of PLD Space

Department of Universities, Research and Innovation of the Regional Government of Andalusia
José Carlos Gómez Villamandos

Counselor

Carlos Suárez

Expert advisor in the field of Defense and former executive of AIRBUS and INDRA

Winners 2024

Secretary of State for Defense
María Amparo Valcarce

Secretary of State for Defense

INDRA
Pedro Fuster

Director of Defense Strategy at Indra

ArcelorMittal
Nicolás de Abajo

Director of R&D&I

IBERDROLA
Beatriz Crisóstomo

Director General of Innovation

Luis Furnells

President of the Oesía Group

Lockheed Martin
Ray Piselli

International Vice President

Winners 2023

Community of Madrid
Isabel Díaz Ayuso

President of the Community of Madrid

Alstom
Leopoldo Maestu

President and CEO of Alstom
Group Spain and Portugal

ISDEFE
Francisco Quereda

CEO of ISDEFE

AIRBUS
Ricardo Rojas

President of Commercial Aircraft at
Airbus Spain

Skydweller
Robert H. Miller

Co-Founder and CEO of
Skydweller Aero Inc.

Aciturri
Ginés Clemente

Executive President of Aciturri

Winners 2022

Community of Castilla-La Mancha Emiliano García Page

President of the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha

Navantia
Ricardo Domínguez

President of Navantia

Ministry of Territorial Policy
Isabel Rodríguez

Minister of Territorial Policy and Spokesperson for the Government of Spain

General Dynamics
Alfonso Ramonet

President of General Dynamics

José Enrique Román

Vice President of Global Technology at Boeing Research & Technology

Andrés Sengadorta
President of Grupo Sener

Sustainable Innovation Award 2025

The Sener Group is a leader in engineering and technology in sectors such as energy, mobility and infrastructure, space and defense, data centers, and digital services.

The company has integrated sustainability into the core of its business strategy. Sener develops projects in high-tech sectors; some of these initiatives include mobility infrastructure such as the fourth bridge over the Panama Canal and urban transport systems in multiple countries; energy projects, notably the Gemasolar and Noor III concentrated solar power plants, the HiveWind floating offshore wind platform, the CO2next CO₂ storage terminal in Rotterdam, and the conversion of combined cycle power plants to hydrogen; and the design of sustainable data centers through its subsidiary Quark, with more than 100 facilities designed globally, representing 1 GW of installed IT capacity.

Maintaining its family-oriented approach, Sener has become a bastion of Spanish engineering worldwide, with over 4,000 professionals in 18 countries and a track record spanning nearly seven decades. Its work in transforming the industrial, energy, and mobility sectors toward more sustainable alternatives is an inspiring example of how engineering can be a driver of positive change in the world. For all these reasons, the Sener Group has established itself as a leader in sustainable innovation, deserving of this recognition for its real and lasting impact on society and the planet.

Guillermo Ferández de Peñaranda
CEO of Airtificial

Technological Innovation Award 2025

AIRTIFICIAL has demonstrated an outstanding ability to integrate innovative, sustainable, and efficient technologies into key sectors such as automotive, aerospace, and civil engineering through three distinct divisions.

The Intelligent Robots division has established itself as a leader in industrial technological innovation. Some of its main contributions include the development of Digital Twins for precise simulations of industrial processes and Automated Assembly Lines capable of assembling complex products in record time thanks to the integration of advanced robotics, machine vision, and intelligent control systems.

The Aerospace & Defense division specializes in developing advanced technological solutions for critical sectors such as aerospace, defense, and space. Its main contributions include Critical Electronic Systems; Composite Structures with over 2,000 different composite part references; Ad-hoc Robotics and Automation with customized automation solutions; and Flight Control for Fighter Jets using sticks.

Finally, the Infrastructure division focuses on innovation in the development of sustainable, efficient, and safe civil works, especially in the water sector.

Over the past year, the company has consolidated its international leadership with more than fifty projects delivered worldwide, reinforcing its global presence with strategic contracts in Asia and Latin America.
With this recognition, Quest Global celebrates Airtificial’s commitment to innovation, its resilience in complex environments, and its contribution to the technological advancement of Spanish engineering.

Fernando Lombo
Spain irbus Helicopters

Globalization of Innovation Award 2025

Airbus Helicopters is today synonymous with innovation, technological excellence, and a global vision. As part of the Airbus Group, it leads the development of advanced solutions for air mobility, with projects that are transforming the future of transport, from the Racer to drones, including the most extensive range of civil and military helicopters.

This global ambition has a strong local presence. In Spain, Airbus Helicopters has successfully combined industry, talent, and commitment, making its facilities in Albacete a European benchmark in engineering, production, and maintenance. The recently approved National Helicopter Plan is a clear example of this commitment: more than 100 aircraft that strengthen our operational and technological capabilities.

Under the leadership of Fernando Lombo, the company has consolidated a strategy that generates employment, fosters collaboration with local companies, and positions Spain on the world map of aeronautics and innovation.

This recognition aims to celebrate that dual dimension: a global company that defends national sovereignty, demonstrating that from Spain it is possible to lead innovation, generate talent and build the industry of the future.

Ezequiel Sánchez
Presidente Ejecutivo de PLD Space

Premio a la Innovación Disruptiva 2025

Fundada en Elche en 2011, entre sus logros destaca el lanzamiento del primer cohete suborbital privado de Europa, MIURA 1, posicionando a España en la vanguardia de la exploración espacial. Su apuesta por la reutilización y sostenibilidad, con desarrollos como la familia de lanzadores MIURA Next y la cápsula tripulada LINCE, demuestra una visión estratégica y disruptiva, orientada a democratizar el acceso al espacio y reducir el impacto ambiental.
A los hitos tecnológicos se une su consolidación como líder en su sector gracias a una inversión acumulada de más de 170 millones de euros. La inauguración de una planta de fabricación avanzada y la colaboración con instituciones internacionales como la Agencia Espacial Europea son pruebas inequívocas de este éxito.
Además, a la disrupción de sus desarrollos, se une su compromiso social. El programa SPARK facilita el acceso gratuito al espacio a estudiantes e investigadores, fomentando vocaciones científicas y tecnológicas.
La empresa destaca por su capacidad de innovación, superando retos tecnológicos y creando oportunidades para el tejido industrial local gracias a un equipo diverso y altamente cualificado.

José Carlos Gómez Villamandos
Department of Universities, Research and Innovation of the Regional Government of Andalusia

Award for Institutional Support for Innovation 2025

This department is responsible for university policies, promoting research, fostering innovation, transferring knowledge to the productive sector, and promoting entrepreneurship.

It coordinates the 10 public universities of Andalusia, which, working together, lead the way in academic economic impact in Spain, generating 3% of the regional GDP.

Within the strategy to boost R&D&I, high-impact areas are covered, such as: Quantum computing, Green energy/hydrogen, Agri-food, Biodiversity, Astrophysics, Marine sciences, Advanced materials, and Biotechnology applied to health.

It is supported by a network of science and technology parks that act as an engine for promoting innovation.

The Regional Ministry’s direct contribution to projects such as the Granada particle accelerator, the Andalusia-Algarve-Alentejo University Innovation Center, the Llano Amarillo Innovation Center in Algeciras, the Las Lagunillas Campus Business Research and Transfer Center in Jaén, and the boost to activity at the Almería Astronomical Observatory are noteworthy.

Its participation in the Aerospace Strategy for Andalusia demonstrates its significant contribution to the region’s real priorities.

It promotes substantial funding, stimulating research projects aligned with improving technological capabilities, business competitiveness, and innovation capacity.

As a result, the presence of the most prestigious international companies is steadily increasing in Andalusia.

Carlos Suárez
Expert advisor in the field of Defense and former executive of AIRBUS and INDRA

2025 Innovation Career Award

For his distinguished and extensive career in the aerospace and defense sector, where he has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to technological development and industrial transformation, Suárez has held senior positions in leading companies such as EADS CASA, where he served as president in Spain (now Airbus Group), Indra as defense director, and Tecnobit as CEO. At Tecnobit, he spearheaded pioneering projects in avionics, defense electronics, and military platforms, significantly contributing to the international standing of Spanish industry.

Throughout his career, he has led multidisciplinary teams and managed strategic programs such as the development of in-flight refueling aircraft (Airbus A330 MRTT) and the expansion of businesses in global markets, particularly in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. His innovative vision has been key to the integration of new technologies and the promotion of sustainable and competitive business models.

His commitment to Spain and its industry has been a constant throughout his career, and he is undoubtedly one of the architects of the current Spanish defense and aerospace industry. Furthermore, Suárez has been recognized with important distinctions, such as the Grand Cross of Aeronautical Merit in Spain and the Aeronautical Merit Cross of the Bolivian Air Force, reflecting his impact and leadership in the sector. His ability to anticipate trends, foster international collaboration, and guide innovation toward social and economic progress makes him an undisputed role model, worthy of this recognition of his career.

Secretary of State for Defense
María Amparo Valcarce

Institutional Support for Innovation Award 2024

Amparo Valcarce has a long career in the Spanish government. Prior to her current position as Secretary of State for Defense, she served as Undersecretary of Defense and Director General of Military Recruitment and Training. Prior to that, between 2004 and 2009, she served as Secretary of State for Social Services, Families, and Disability, where she promoted the current Dependency Law, a milestone of enormous significance for Spanish society. She subsequently served as government delegate in Madrid, which is almost like leading a not-so-small army.

Born in Fabero in the Bierzo region, she holds a degree in Geography and History from the University of Oviedo and has combined her dedication to politics with education.

While at the Secretary of State for Defense, she has been known for her unwavering support for the defense industry and, in particular, for innovation, a hallmark of this sector. Through the various policies implemented by his Secretariat, both through the Directorates-General and the autonomous agencies under his authority, programs have been launched that will define the future of the sector for decades.

Furthermore, his constant support for industry in its activities abroad has also been a defining characteristic of his administration. He has had to manage the challenge of the war in Ukraine and the industrial response, which has allowed our country to play a leading role. More importantly, he has been tasked with managing the largest modernization budget in the history of the Ministry of Defense, which undoubtedly requires a great effort of discrimination and analysis to take advantage of this flow of resources, resulting in the growth of national capabilities and a stronger positioning of our industry abroad.

Pedro Fuster, Indra

Technological Innovation Award 2024

Talking about INDRA is undoubtedly synonymous with Technological Innovation. With an annual investment in R&D+i sustained between 5 and 9% of its sales, it has dedicated more than €1.6 billion to this area in the last six years and more than €4.1 billion during the 21st century. It ranks sixth in this parameter in the Spanish global ranking. But beyond the figures, INDRA stands out for its projects, being a national, European, and sometimes global leader in Defense and Security, Transportation, and Air Traffic systems.

In each of these three areas, we can find spectacular examples of the technological innovation provided by Indra throughout its more than thirty years of existence. Its Air Traffic Control Automation System, its Advanced Controller positioning equipment, and its InNOVA Control Tower systems have introduced technological innovations that have positioned this Spanish company as one of the leaders in this highly competitive market. Likewise, today we have a national champion with its own technology in cutting-edge radar systems, maritime surveillance systems, etc.

Based on this ongoing technological innovation, Indra leads Spain’s participation in the European Defense Fund and will coordinate Spain’s participation in the next phase of development of Europe’s largest defense program, the Future European Combat Air System.

Nicolás de Abajo, ArcelorMittal

Disruptive Innovation Award 2024

ArcelorMittal has an extensive network of R&D centers spread across different countries in Europe, North America, and South America. They employ nearly 1,700 people of more than 35 different nationalities. In 2023, the Company will spend nearly €300 million on research and development, ensuring innovative solutions that allow ArcelorMittal to maintain its global leadership position in sustainable steel production. Spain is home to one of ArcelorMittal’s 12 R&D centers worldwide, known as ArcelorMittal Global R&D Spain.

ArcelorMittal is continuously leading a transformation of the steel industry toward zero CO2 emissions. Through its Sustainable Innovation (SI) tool, the global R&D team now analyzes each new research program in its development pipeline to determine whether it will contribute to a more sustainable way of life. If not, it simply does not progress.

In the digital field, their IoT, Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence programs stand out. These are fields in which they have been continuously innovating for nearly 20 years.

Their R&D programs are continually developing new products, processes, and solutions that are generating disruptions in the steel industry and impacting all their customers. But they have gone further. Within their Open Innovation program, we want to highlight their spin-off in Spain called The Next Pangea. An intangible asset factory that is generating disruptive solutions in industries such as aircraft maintenance, smart structures, and bacteria detection systems in food and facilities.

Beatriz Crisóstomo, IBERDROLA

Sustainable Innovation Award 2024

With more than 170 years of history, the Iberdrola Group is not only a global energy leader, but also the leading wind energy producer, leader in renewable energy production in Spain, one of the largest electricity companies, and the world’s leading private utility in terms of investment in Innovation and Development, having allocated more than €360 million in 2022. These resources have been primarily allocated to projects related to renewable energy, smart grids, digital transformation, green hydrogen, and the development of tailored solutions for its customers. Highlights include:

The development of solutions such as smart grids, through the Global Smart Grids Innovation Hub in Bilbao, which continues to incorporate digitalization and artificial intelligence systems into transmission and distribution infrastructure with the aim of further increasing the security and quality of supply.

Its commitment to the development of green hydrogen with the largest plant for industrial use on our continent, located in Puertollano.

The drive given to offshore wind energy in recent years, with assets already operating and under advanced construction in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.

Its PERSEO investment program, with more than €125 million in innovation through its startup portfolio and 25 annual pilot projects, has already incorporated Automa, Fuvex, Switch Fleet, and xmartsense into the optimization of processes and activities developed by Iberdrola’s businesses.

Iberdrola’s goal of decarbonization with a focus on innovation and sustainability has led it to remain at the international forefront of energy transition and carbon emissions reduction. These initiatives reflect its commitment to sustainability and its leading role in the energy transition toward a cleaner and more efficient future.

Luis Furnells,
Executive President of Grupo Oesía

2024 Lifetime Achievement Award in Innovation

Luis Furnells is a computer scientist, holds a PADE degree from IESE, and a diploma in the National Defense Course from CESEDEN.

An expert in data technology management, he has extensive experience in the financial sector, accumulating more than 35 years of senior management experience at large companies such as Telefónica, La Caixa, Servired, Banco Natwest-March, and Caja Postal.

In 2014, he took on the challenge of transforming and driving forward the technology company he currently chairs, Grupo Oesía, with expertise in all industries, particularly defense, security, aeronautics, and space. Ten years later, his achievements attest to his successful management. His career has always been linked to the innovation he has incorporated into the various positions he has held throughout his professional life.

Currently, the Oesía Group has a significant presence in programs such as Eurofighter, the European Future Combat Air System, and various naval and military vehicle programs. It is a key player in the Spanish defense industry. It also incorporates innovative solutions into markets such as Fintech, finance, industry, and public administration, positioning the group as a national and international benchmark.

The group he leads naturally shares his values: a company committed to the country’s strategic sovereignty, to talent and development in engineering, to innovation, sustainability, reliable results, and ethical and efficient management.

Luis Furnells has been awarded the Civil Merit Medal with Silver Distinction by the Civil Guard and is an adopted son of Valdepeñas, Ciudad Real, where Tecnobit is located.

Ray Piselli, Lockheed Martin

2024 Innovation Globalization Award

In 1994, the Spanish Navy made one of the most momentous decisions in its modern history: selecting the AN/SPY-1D radar from the American manufacturer Lockheed Martin, which equipped the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, for the F-100 program. There was, of course, an operational reason: the system fully met the needs of our Navy more than any other on the market, and the US Navy has also been our main and historic naval partner for the last hundred years.

But behind or ahead of it lay something much more important: bringing a technological leap forward for both the Navy and Bazán, especially in the systems area, and for Indra. This program laid the foundations for a collaboration that has now spanned thirty years and is undoubtedly one of the most successful in our history.

The learning that enabled the technology transfer associated with the F-100 program led to the development of SCOMBA. Twenty years ago, the Navy and Lockheed Martin were working on what they now call the Common Working Environment, an interoperable combat system between ships and other platforms. It also enabled the development of extensive radar capabilities at Indra and the creation of an expert and dedicated sustainment capability for the Navy’s frigates.

Not many years later, this alliance proved successful with the sale of five F-310 frigates to Norway and the Hobarth destroyers to Australia, built at a local shipyard. This was followed by the S-80, in which Spain took on the role of lead system developer but with extensive technical support from Lockheed Martin to develop a unique product.

This alliance had important ramifications, such as the US Coast Guard’s Deepwater program, which enabled the sale of 18 HC-144A aircraft to the Lockheed Martin-led consortium for the program. With the acquisition of Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin has also entered the helicopter industry.

Lockheed Martin undoubtedly represents the best use of the globalization of innovation through dozens of industrial alliances and technology transfer programs implemented on five continents.

Alstom, Leopoldo Maestu

Sustainable Innovation Award 2023

Alstom defines itself as a sustainable mobility solutions company. It has defined four key sustainability objectives at the core of its strategy: combating climate change and pollution, eliminating the use of energy sources that consume non-renewable resources, reducing the use of scarce materials, and protecting endangered ecosystems.

To achieve these objectives, it is making significant investments in innovation and technology, leading the sector and serving as a driving force for the entire industry. With a short-term impact, it has launched the Alstom Ecodesign initiative for the development of all its products and services. This initiative is comprised of four priorities: energy efficiency, use of natural and recyclable materials, noise and vibration reduction, integration into the circular economy, and emissions reduction.

In parallel, it is pioneering the development of hydrogen storage and propulsion systems, fuel cells, new battery systems, and motor and inverter systems. These initiatives are driving investments in the development of adjacent technologies such as the generation and distribution of green hydrogen.

ISDEFE, Francsico Quereda

Technological Innovation Award 2023

Isdefe, Systems Engineering for the Defense of Spain, has, in its more than thirty-five years of history, provided innovative support to the Armed Forces, generating unique synergies throughout our entire environment. Its founders were pioneers in developing systems engineering applied to military program management, which has resulted in efficient requirements definition and adequate management of acquisitions and systems lifecycles. The accumulated experience and talent have also allowed Isdefe to become an efficient and innovative instrument, capable of providing services to other administrations, even in fields far removed from defense, demonstrating the tremendous externalities that exist between the military sector and the civilian economy.

For government suppliers, nothing is more important than having what are known as Smart Customers, who become valid and capable interlocutors to discuss the most intricate issues with industry, while never losing sight of their vocation to serve the defense of Spain and without distorting the supply market.

AIRBUS, Ricardo Rojas

2023 Innovation Globalization Award

Airbus is the great European example of international collaboration. This is in the spirit of its founding. Following the precedent of the successful cooperation on the Concorde, at a meeting in July 1967, the ministers of France, Germany, and Great Britain agreed to jointly develop an “Airbus,” stating the purpose of “strengthening European cooperation in the field of aeronautical technology and thus promoting Europe’s economic and technological progress.” Two years later, the Airbus A300 program was launched. In the field of defense and space, EADS was created on July 10, 2000, with the merger of the French company Aerospatiale-Matra, the German companies Dornier and DASA, and the Spanish company CASA. Similarly, the helicopter sector would be integrated into the Eurocopter company. These three leading companies would eventually merge to create the Airbus Group we know today.

Throughout this history, international collaboration has remained at the heart of this company. And not just in Europe, as the group has important manufacturing and R&D centers around the world, with notable operations in the USA, Canada, China, and Poland. Airbus has been characterized by its global vision, incorporating partners from all over the world into its programs, both civil and military. Airbus aircraft integrate systems and technologies from almost all European countries, North America, India, Korea, Japan, the Middle East, and more. Airbus is a catalyst for international cooperation worldwide, and its contribution to the progress of all nations is indisputable.

In Spain, it plays a leading role in the export of high-tech products. Many of the group’s product innovations, currently in flight around the world and even beyond, originate from the Airbus Spain team.

Skydweller, Robert H. Miller

Disruptive Innovation Award 2023

Disruptive innovation undoubtedly makes the difference between the present and the future. According to the Royal Academy, disruption is an abrupt interruption of a trend, a custom, or a technological development. We speak of innovation when we refer to improvements in production, design, or the efficiency of a system. If we must refer to disruptive innovations, we must turn to Oberheimer, the Wright brothers, Montgolfier, or Isaac Peral, who revolutionized their fields because they were visionaries.

An aerial platform powered exclusively by solar energy with a high payload is the greatest disruption in the aeronautical world in the last fifty years, an unprecedented transformation in the way we use the atmosphere and space.

Visionaries are ahead of governments and society, and they assume the risk of incomprehension, institutional slowness, and risk aversion. But without these visionaries, we would still be moving around on horseback.

Skydweller is not an idea, it was, it is not a project, it was, it is a reality developed in Spain, and this makes it even more relevant, because the last time Spain produced something disruptive was in 1921 when the autogyro flew in Cuatro Vientos, a hundred years ago.

Ginés Clemente, Executive President of Aciturri

2023 Lifetime Achievement Award in Innovation

Ginés Clemente Ortiz’s professional career began after graduating as an Industrial Master. Initially, he worked for various companies in Miranda de Ebro and surrounding areas, during which time he established professional contact with the machining industry. In 1977, he started Talleres Ginés, a small machining workshop focused on the agricultural sector, where he was the only employee. Today, that small workshop has become a key player in the global aeronautical sector. Nearly 1,500 employees, 84,000 m2 of facilities, a worldwide customer base, and a leading position in the manufacturing and assembly of high-tech components that today equip the most modern aircraft and engines worldwide.

This history of more than 40 years is one of constant change and innovation. And that change has Ginés Clemente as its protagonist. He is the person who has led it with impressive vocation and capacity for work. Always willing to explore new possibilities, adopt new technologies, venture into new countries, and apply technologies developed in one sector to another. All of this with a humility and professional ethic worthy of admiration.

His example has not only impacted his group’s employees. Without a doubt, he has become a benchmark for the entire aeronautical industry and the business community of our country.