Yesterday, the first edition of the "WITH - Women Leaders Gala" was held at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. The event brought together executives and businesswomen from across Spain to recognize and showcase successful cases that inspire the promotion of women's talent in senior management.

 

María Ángeles Martín Prats, co-founder and president of the Seville-based company Skylife Engineering, was selected by this association for her brilliant professional career, along with nine other women from diverse professional fields. Alongside her, the WITH Gala highlighted the talent of Sara García Alonso, molecular biologist; Mila García, dancer and CEO of Pedro García; Isabel Iturbe, president of Surne Bilbao Basket; Beata Praska, photographer; Carolina Rodríguez, promotion manager at Enisa; Inma Puig, clinical psychologist and business consultant; María José San Román, chef; and Maider Unda, pioneer of women's wrestling.

 

 

Skylife's solid trajectory, various accolades such as the Civil Merit Medal awarded in 2015 by King Felipe V, and their significant academic and business contributions to the technological and industrial field are some of the reasons that motivated María Ángeles' selection as an exponent of talent and inspiration by the gala's organization.

 

The event also marked the launch of WITH, an ecosystem of executive and managerial women aimed at promoting a new model of leadership that is more diverse, humane, and connected, and which necessarily includes more women in senior positions within companies.

 

The atrium of the Guggenheim Museum served as the backdrop for an exclusive gala, filled with female talent and a willingness to connect and collaborate in order to recognize and showcase successful cases. In this regard, Marisol Menéndez, CEO of WITH, emphasized in her closing speech: "Today, the essence of WITH has materialized through such a special event and the recognition of career paths that inspire us in the challenge of building a new model of leadership." "Because it has been proven that diversity is profitable, efficient, and attractive to talent," she added, emphasizing the need to incorporate women's talent in senior management.

 

WITH boasts over 125 executives and managers from global companies and corporations such as the United Nations, 3M, Bupa, Repsol, Zscaler, Merz Aesthetics, Telefónica, WIZink, and ABB, among others. WITH aspires to become the largest ecosystem of women leaders and executives in Europe and Latin America, which, through mutual support and connection, promotes a more diverse and connected world.

 

The association is the result of the evolution of #WomeninTechSpain, which was created with the aim of discussing the position of women in digital and technological companies and fostering professional and personal connections.

 

In 2020, the restrictions resulting from the pandemic prevented the replication of in-person meetings. However, it was also an opportunity to incorporate tools and knowledge from the open innovation field. Thus, the new vision of #WomenInTechSpain emerged, allowing the project to expand nationally and across sectors beyond technology.