Talent and digitalisation, protagonists of the X Strategic Immersion of the Catalan Water Partnership
On 14 October, the Catalan Water Partnership held the tenth edition of its Strategic Immersion, a benchmark meeting for the water sector that this year focused on two major vectors for the future: talent and digitalisation. The event brought together companies, institutions and knowledge centres to reflect on how these drivers can boost the competitiveness and sustainability of a key sector in the green and digital transition.
The day opened with a welcome from the president of the CWP, Jordi Cros, who underlined the importanceof planning and immediately addressing the two major challenges facing the sector: digitalisation and talent management. The event also had the institutional participation of Joan Plana, Member of Parliament and Second Vice-President of the Costa Brava Girona Tourist Board of the Girona Provincial Council, who stressed that valuing efficient water management is essential to guarantee a basic resource for everyone, and that technology only makes sense if it goes hand in hand with human talent.
Subsequently, the director of the CWP, Xavier Amores, presented the ongoing projects and the next initiatives that the entity will carry out. In addition, he highlighted the trajectory of the Strategic Immersion, which over the years has established itself as a key event for CWP members. In this tenth edition, an analysis of the course of this event throughout its ten editions was also carried out, highlighting its evolution and the main themes addressed.
The first block featured a lecture by Esteve Almirall, ESADE professor and expert in digital transformation, who gave a presentation entitled “How to compete in times of AI”. In his speech, he analysed the challenges of business competitiveness in a context marked by the emergence of new technological paradigms and, especially, by the advance of generative artificial intelligence. He also stressed that this technology will become a key factor in maintaining and strengthening the competitiveness of companies, providing concrete examples of how this technology can help them save time, optimize processes and increase efficiency.
The day continued with a round table entitled “A new look at attracting talent: digitalisation as a turning point“. The debate was attended by Esther Costa, director of operations of Aigües de Manresa; Mònica Pérez, academic director of the Veolia Spain School; Laia Llenas, deputy director of the BETA Technology Center; and Jorge Molinero, general director of Amphos 21. The session was moderated by Quim Comas, coordinator of the Master’s Degree in Science and Technology of Water Resources at the University of Girona. The speakers shared experiences and perspectives on how digitalisation can become a key element in attracting, retaining and developing talent in the water sector.
Next, Núria Salán, professor at the UPC-Terrassa and vice-president of the Catalan Society of Technology, gave the presentation “The invisible talent of water“, in which she vindicated the historical role of women in the water sector. Salán recalled that, over time, women’s contributions to science and technology have often been made invisible, despite their relevanceto the progress and well-being of society. During her speech, she stressed the need to give visibility to female talent in order to offer references to the new generations and encourage the incorporation of more women into the sector, moving towards a more balanced and equal society.
The closing, by Jordi Cros, highlighted the CWP’s commitment to continue working as a strategic platform that boosts the global competitiveness of its members, integrating talent and digitalisation as fundamental axes to face the challenges of the future. With this tenth edition, the CWP’s Strategic Immersion is consolidated as a key meeting point for the water sector, generating debate and inspiration to move towards a more innovative, sustainable and competitive model.
