On 17 July, Miguel Ángel Leal, Board Director of CL Grupo Industrial, assumed the presidency of the Extremadura Association of Family Businesses (AEEF) with the aim of contributing to regional and national development.
During his appointment, Miguel Ángel referred to the “necessary reindustrialisation that Spain needs after the COVID-19 pandemic”. The event was attended by the Regional Minister for Economy, Science and Digital Agenda of the Regional Government of Extremadura, Rafael España, and the Regional Director of Banco Santander in Extremadura, Justiniano Cortés, among other figures. Leal explained the need to “create business activity beyond the major urban centres” throughout a speech in which he stressed that “the jobs with the highest added value will be the ones that allow us to retain the population in our towns and cities”.
The AEEF is a key institution in Extremadura’s business sphere, promoting the creation of wealth and new opportunities for the region. Miguel Ángel explained that “the Spanish economy cannot depend so heavily on tourism and, therefore, we need to reindustrialise in order to generate wealth in other sectors”. To this end, he is committed to strengthening the Extremadura Association of Family Businesses as a fundamental agent in this work and as a “qualified interlocutor for the Administration on matters of business and economic policy”. Always with the aim of “continuing to improve and creating new opportunities and alternatives”.
During his speech, Miguel Ángel paid tribute to the previous chairman, José Piñero, highlighting his “work and dedication”. He also expressed his gratitude for Banco Santander’s sponsorship. He also took the opportunity to announce “different initiatives that will help drive the reactivation of Extremadura’s economy” on the part of the AEEF. One of these is ‘Driving Extremadura Forward’, a plan aimed at supporting and giving visibility to businesses in the region.
Miguel Ángel’s speech made constant reference to the need to build a region that becomes a benchmark in Spain, both quantitatively and qualitatively. He pointed out that one of the main objectives of the Extremadura Family Business Association is to prevent “Extremadura from becoming depopulated, and for that we will contribute through our efforts as family business owners”. He concluded his speech by thanking the AEEF members for their trust and committing himself to young people, in order to provide them with “good opportunities” through which they can build “a hopeful future”.