The event was attended by many alumni of the Master in Human Resources Management and the Executive Master in Human Resources at Centro de Estudios Garrigues, as well as leading professionals from the field of human resources. The discussion centred on the latest trends, the new challenges faced by HR professionals, and the various projects that they are carrying out in their companies.

After welcome addresses by Mercedes de Prada Rodríguez, academic director of Centro de Estudios Garrigues; and Fernando Guijarro del Cura, director of our master’s degree programmes in human resources, various round tables were held to discuss the latest issues in human resources.

The first of them was led by María José Vega Intriago, corporate director of Human Resources & ESG at Urbas Grupo Financiero SA; José Morejón Villanueva, global vice-president of Group HR at Banco Santander; Cristina Cano Asua, executive director for Europe & Latin America P&OD and Corporate Service at EDP Renewables; and Francisco Puertas Bautista, president of Hastee for Spain and Portugal and president of Mérida AD. The topics discussed ranged from the current role of HR and how COVID-19 turned HR departments into key figures within companies, leading to a complete change in their organisation and way of working.

The second round table, entitled ‘Loyalty trends: total compensation and work–life balance management’, included Carlos Saldaña Quero, director of Human Resources at Transfesa Logistics; Paloma Arias-Perero, director of People & Culture at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts; and Alejandro Gómez Rosende, director of Human Resources at CEPSA Exploración y Producción. The round table was led and moderated by Roberto Martínez Fernández, director of Fundación Masfamilia. Participants discussed the importance of companies’ culture and values when it comes to attracting and retaining talent, the priorities of employees, and the most important elements for building employee loyalty: development opportunities, flexibility, wellbeing, training, and diversity and inclusion.

The third round table kicked off with the participation of Ángela del Pozo, director of People at Capital Energy; Marcos Valera Salvador, corporate director of Human Resources at Vincci Hotels; and Jon Gonzalo Torróntegui, co-founder and CCO at hr bot factory. Adolfo Pellicer, country manager at Workday Iberia, led the discussion on the importance of digital transformation and the role of technology in the workplace. This session focused on how organisations have had to evolve in this regard to adapt to recent circumstances and the agility required in an environment as changeable and unpredictable as the one we currently find ourselves in. They concluded the debate with a reflection on the employee experience and on sustainable transformation — two issues that play a key role in terms of employee loyalty.

The day ended with a round table on one of the most representative areas of human resources: learning and development. It featured addresses by Mireya Muñoz Alonso, director of Culture, Organisational Talent, Employee Experience & Diversity at AXA Seguros España; Eloy del Moral Casado, director of Human Resources at Leroy Merlin; and Fernando Jiménez Ruiz, director of Human Resources for Spain and Portugal at Organon. The round table was moderated by Berta Merelles Artiñano, senior director at BTS. Participants discussed the latest projects that are being carried out in their respective companies. They all highlighted the importance of placing people as a whole at the centre of strategy and employees at the centre of learning, ensuring that learning is continuous and individualised. It is an approach that demonstrates the importance of investing in this critical aspect and taking employee experience to the next level.

We at Centro de Estudios Garrigues are grateful to all participants for their contributions and outstanding presentations. We also thank the sponsoring companies and the round table moderators for their support on this edition of HR Innovation Day, which we hope will be the first of many.