II Casa de México in Malaga and Andalusia Awards Ceremony

The Casa de México in Málaga and Andalusia held its awards ceremony to recognise talent, leadership and innovation. 

This is the second consecutive year that the ceremony has taken place and it has been made possible thanks to the affection of the Andalusians who support all the activities carried out by this private organisation.

The Casa de México in Málaga and Andalusia provides a wide range of services for anyone who needs them, including immigration, legal and tax advice, student grants, a job bank, and export and import services between Mexico and Spain, and contributes to the establishment of Mexican companies in Andalusia, as well as promoting investment in the region. Furthermore, thanks to its initiative, the International Forum ‘Business Moves the World’ has been created, to which 30 Spanish business associations are affiliated. 

Its president, Claudia Luna Palencia, thanked the Asociación Económica de Amigos del País, directed by José María Ruíz Povedano, for providing the venue for the awards ceremony.

The Spanish-Mexican writer and journalist emphasised, before a packed audience, the importance of the work carried out by the Casa de México in Málaga and Andalusia: ‘In the last two years, we have advised several companies on setting up not only in Málaga, but also in other parts of Andalusia; we have helped to find investors and joint ventures and to expand franchises’.

‘We have also helped people find employment with our job bank. We do a very diverse range of work and I can say that I am proud to serve as a bridge between Mexicans and Andalusians,’ she reiterated with conviction. 

This edition of the awards was hosted by the journalist Isabel Gómez Fuentes and included on the panel of honour Isabel Pascual, general director of Participation, Migration, Foreign Action and Cooperation of the City Council of Malaga.

The first award went to the Mayor of Marbella, María Ángeles Muñoz Uriol, who received the Leadership Award in recognition of her excellent professional work. 

‘We are pleased to present you with this award for your ability to lead the transformation of a city that has ceased to be just a retirement or holiday destination for pensioners, and has become a magnet for important global businessmen,’ said Luna Palencia.

María Francisca Caracuel, vice-president of the Provincial Council of Málaga and deputy mayor of Marbella, collected the award on behalf of the mayor.

‘On behalf of the mayor of Marbella, María Ángeles Muñoz, I would like to express my gratitude for this award from such an important organisation that does great work in Spain,’ said Caracuel.

In another speech, the journalist Isabel Gómez Fuentes emphasised that the work carried out by the Casa de México in Málaga and Andalusia is not only aimed at promoting business relations between Mexicans and Andalusians: ‘It also helps many Mexicans and people from other countries to regularise their situation; as well as helping businessmen and their families to make it easier for them to comply with all the legal requirements to reside in Spain in any of the legal ways that exist’.

Another of the awards, the Solidarity Award, went to the lawyer, Martina Atanasova Dunkova, recognised for her vocation for social service, her professional integrity and her perfect knowledge of her work, which has allowed Mexicans and people of other nationalities to have their paperwork processed quickly and efficiently.

Over the last two years, the Casa de México in Málaga and Andalucía has organised a series of networking events that are now a regular feature not only in Málaga, but also in Marbella, and this year they will begin to organise networking events in Granada, Seville and Córdoba.

The aim is to showcase business talent, and it is precisely in this area that the Innovation Award went to Madrid entrepreneurs Verónica Bolívar García and Martín Fernández Aranega, for founding and promoting their brand Keyzen as a symbol of food quality and creativity.

Both entrepreneurs left Madrid for Málaga, although at first they were not sure which sector they would be in until they saw the opportunity for a healthy food and drink business, especially in the area where they live in Málaga.

‘Keyzen comes from the play on words Key and Zen which together mean improvement, that is, achieving beneficial change that is reached step by step; the business philosophy is also a philosophy of life with healthy lifestyle habits and creating a positive and fruitful environment’, remarked Bolívar García when collecting the award.

The latest Amor por México Award went to Mexican businesswoman and chef, Bárbara Rodríguez, CEO of the Tecolote Antojitos Restaurant based in Córdoba and which has become a favourite with the people of Córdoba. Bárbara was born in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico. It is a state with magnificent food and Guadalajara is the venue for the International Book Fair. 

‘Since I was little, I was always drawn to the smells and colours of Mexican food and I have special memories of the Mercedarian nuns at my primary school who sold sopes at break time and made them delicious,’ said Rodríguez.

She also recognised how much her mother influenced her love of cooking, teaching her the art of Mexican cuisine when she was 15: ‘I studied business at university and that's where the idea of a gastronomic business came from’.

To bring the event to a close, Claudia Luna Palencia, head of the organisation, thanked Sandra Fajardo and Ivonne Cuevas for being part of a first-class management team; she also thanked Mexican singer Pathy Castillo for livening up the gala with beautiful Mexican songs; also to the businessman Sergio Gil, from the Malaga-based company Lo Mejor, for the design of the awards, and to the businesswoman Inmaculada Rosa, CEO of Eventos y Vinos, for presenting each award winner with a box of wine and a glass engraved with the symbol of the Casa de México in Malaga and Andalusia and the name of the distinguished individuals.

Finally, Luna Palencia presented a diploma in gratitude for their collaboration to the photographer Flavia Martínez and to Mari Carmen Rovira, for giving the award winners beautiful pilgrim images painted with various allegories.

‘I want to thank all the people who have joined us at this awards ceremony. We like to reward excellence, dedication, effort and tenacity, all of which are principles that we practise at the Casa de México in Málaga and Andalusia,’ said Luna Palencia.