Iberdrola : Chairman of Iberdrola awarded Medal Of Honour by Royal National Academy of Medicine (RANM)

The Chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán, was awarded the Medal of Honour of the Royal National Academy of Medicine (RANM) by the President of this institution, Professor Joaquín Poch, who praised this company's efforts in promoting technological development and research and its contribution towards job creation in our country. In turn, Mr. Galán, who dedicated his speech, 'Towards a sustainable energy model' to the threat posed by climate change and the role to be played by the energy sector in combating this problem, thanked the Academy for this acknowledgement, which is 'hugely gratifying on a personal level and will encourage me to go on working on a daily basis to fight for a sustainable energy model', as he explained.

The presentation speech or laudatio was given by Numerary Academy MemberEnrique Moreno, who briefed those in attendance on the extensive professional career of Ignacio Galán, since he joined the Sociedad Española del Acumulador Tudor (nowadays known as Grupo Exide) in the year 1972. He was appointed Executive Vice-Chairman and CEO in the year 2001 and he took over the helm of Iberdrola in 2006. Professor Moreno emphasised that 'his firm commitment to the environment and to sustainability were of key importance in making the company the world leader in renewable energy and enabling its inclusion in the main environmental policy indices'.

Professor Enrique Moreno also underlined this company's commitment to ongoing improvement in the areas of corporate management, ethics and transparency, as well as Mr. Galán's support for developing 'a very active policy as regards equal opportunities by including women in Iberdrola. A company that is one of the Ibex-35 with the highest percentage of women on its Board of Directors, above the European average. It also promotes a healthy balance between work and family life', he went on.

International cooperation to combat climate change

The Chairman of Iberdrola explained that the energy sector, which is responsible for over two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions 'has a decisive role to play in finding a solution to the challenge of climate change by implementing low-carbon tech solutions'. He also warned that if immediate action is not taken, 'the increase in global temperatures could reach a point of no return, as scientists have been warning us'.

In his opinion, the impact of climate change on the natural environment has 'important consequences' for economic systems and the functioning of society, as well as negative effects on health. 'All of this is an unprecedented challenge in the history of mankind, in economic and social terms and also as regards healthcare and safety. It is also an ethical problem, as it is the future generations that will bear the brunt of the impacts derived from the decisions that we make now', pointed out Mr. Galán.

Given this situation, the Chairman of Iberdrola believes that the solution involves international cooperation. He cited some examples in this regard, such as the agreements reached at the Climate Summits held in late 2015 in Paris and more recently in Marrakech. 'These two initiatives', he went on, 'have reinforced the role to be played by the private sector in making progress towards attaining the climate targets'.

The energy company of the future

The Chairman of Iberdrola also explained what the energy company of the future should be like, in his opinion: 'a company that opts for more clean energies, more storage capacity, more networks and more digitisation. These are all goals to which Iberdrola is fully committed'. In this regard, Mr. Galán described the group's history of support towards combating climate change and its focus on clean energies. This commitment led to the investment of €90 billion over the last 15 years, of which 90% went to new renewable energies and investments in electricity networks.

Ignacio Galán started his professional career in the year 1972 at the Sociedad Española del Acumulador Tudor, where he managed the company's international expansion and reorganised its industrial production by modernising its infrastructure and production centres. His various achievements include his success as Chairman of the German consortium Eurojet in 1993-1995. During that period, he developed a programme for aeronautical turbines for commercial use that are now used in the largest Airbus and Boeing aircraft. In 1995 he became CEO of Airtel Móvil. In the year 2001, he was appointed Executive Vice-Chairman and CEO of Iberdrola and in 2006 he was assigned the role of Chairman of the company, going on to launch one of the most important business transformation processes in the last decade, based on his commitment to international expansion, renewable energies and sustainability.