The Chamber of Commerce of the Campo de Gibraltar has received the Entrepreneurship Award in the fifth edition of the Chamber Awards, organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Spain to distinguish initiatives from the chamber network with the greatest economic, business, and social impact across the country. The award recognizes the INCIBE Emprende program, an initiative led by the Chamber of the Bay of Algeciras and developed together with the National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE) with financing from Next Generation Funds.
The program supports SMEs and entrepreneurs throughout the entire cycle of technological entrepreneurship, from talent acquisition and idea incubation to acceleration and implementation of advanced cybersecurity solutions. The initiative has been evaluated by a jury chaired by José Luis Bonet, President of the Chamber of Spain, and made up of representatives from Iberdrola, Telefónica España, Banco Santander, Inditex, El Corte Inglés, and MAPFRE, who have taken into account criteria such as the originality of the project, its impact on the territory, the investment made, the number of beneficiary companies, and collaboration with other chambers and entities.
Upon receiving the award at the event held this Thursday in Madrid, Carlos Fenoy, President of the Chamber of Commerce of the Campo de Gibraltar, dedicated the recognition to his entire team and thanked "their daily work to promote digitalization, internationalization, and entrepreneurship among the small and medium-sized enterprises in our region."
The award ceremony featured participation from Daniel Calleja, Director of the European Commission Representation in Spain, who assured that the European Union is working to simplify the bureaucracy affecting SMEs and support them in their transformation, digitalization, and competitiveness improvement processes. Calleja highlighted the role of chambers of commerce as key agents for market opening, internationalization, and the generation of new business opportunities for companies.
For his part, José Luis Bonet emphasized that the chambers "work for and on behalf of companies, to help them grow, innovate, internationalize, and adapt to an increasingly demanding environment." The President of the Chamber of Spain added that the work of the chamber network also seeks for "society to value the role that the business fabric plays in Spain's progress."
The chamber institution of Campo de Gibraltar shares the podium in this edition with six other territorial chambers. The Chamber of Sabadell was distinguished in the Arbitration and Mediation category for its Pacta Cambra Service, which offers companies an agile conflict resolution system. The Chamber of Tarragona received the award for Internationalization for an inter-chamber project of commercial missions. In Digitalization, the Chamber of Cantabria was awarded for TriRuralTech, an initiative that brings advanced technology to municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants with funding from Next Generation Funds. The Chamber of Madrid obtained recognition in Training for Madrid Hospitality School, with over 30 years of experience in training for the hospitality sector. The Chamber of Valencia was awarded in Sustainability for the Sustainable Local Business program, aimed at reducing energy consumption and the environmental impact of local businesses. And the Chamber of Gijón received the Award for Social Leadership for the International Fair of Exhibitions of Asturias, which in its last edition gathered nearly 750,000 visitors and almost 800 exhibitors, generating more than 12,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The jury was also composed, in addition to Bonet, by Inmaculada Riera, General Director of the Chamber of Spain; Eduardo Montejo de Ayala, representing Iberdrola; María José Lanuza, for Telefónica España; Isabel Puig, for Banco Santander; Santiago Martínez Lage, for Inditex; Carlos Cabanas Godino, for El Corte Inglés; and Eva Piera, for MAPFRE. Acting as secretary was Adolfo Díaz-Ambrona Medrano, General Secretary of the Chamber of Spain.