A pride that didn’t prevent him from realizing that, as a result of his experiences traveling the world over the past few decades, Navarra suffered significant losses Regarding countries like Germany, France, UK or USA: “We are poorer and that severely limits the ability to compete with each other because our companies have smaller margins of error”. Nonetheless, he demonstrated an unwavering belief in human qualities and national professional capacities. In that case, he emphasized that every Spanish manager or professional “gives a thousand times for what’s out there”, excellence that includes “training, education, human values, ethics and commitment capacity”. “You have to lose the complex and go out and eat the world. We can and we have to do it,” he said from the podium.

Those are the two main conclusions in Thank-you note where he also makes a special appeal to the new generation. Canales encouraged them to “Go abroad for a bit” and put aside the comforts of home to see the world. “Nothing happens, Osasuna will continue to play and the vermouth at Plaza del Castillo will continue to be consumed. Travel four or five years, see the world. In Pamplona you live wonderfully, but it’s important to have the perspective that being on the outside makes you appreciate what’s on the inside more,” he suggests.

Addressing more specifically the younger PPE members, he dares to give them some tips: “Don’t complicate things, keep it simple: the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, not a curve, even if they bend. You have to speak less and listen a lot to all members of the organization. It’s good encourage the team to make mistakes, because it is a symptom that a decision is being made. It’s true that you should try to make fewer and fewer mistakes, but you shouldn’t be afraid to make them. You should not hesitate to surround yourself with people who are smarter and better than yourself and, ultimately, it is key to making sure that every team member puts everything on the table”.

FAMILY, PILLAR

CEO Viscofan also wanted to highlight the role of his wife, Maria Zubizarreta Delclaux, has played in her professional career, a “bold” woman who left the “easy and comfortable life” to pick up her suitcase and cross the pond to Brazil. The value that has also been shown is “overcoming the difficulties that health sometimes poses”. “Now he has the patience many times to see I came late and have to travel a lot. He is still a very strong pillar to be here. To my whole family too and my friends. How important it is to have good friends!” he exclaimed. He also didn’t forget his son Jaime and daughter Cristina, who traveling surprisingly from the United States to attend the award ceremony.

Referring to this moment, he didn’t want to appear “premonition or disaster”, but he also didn’t avoid the truth in the face of the difficult panorama that lay ahead: “Hard times are coming”. Canales dares to come up with a recipe with four ingredients to deal with impending adversity: education, technology, taxation and energy. Regarding the former, he advocated inculcating among students the value of effort and a spirit of improvement. Regarding technology, he advocates rational use and highlights the “important role” cybersecurity will play. On taxation, he calls for changes to be “more attractive” and in terms of energy, he asks Navarra to be benchmark in green hydrogen production.