Jesus Cruz and Fernando Fregeneda, founding partners of Agro Livestock Management and Quesería La Antigua have received in the Mapfre Foundation in Madrid on Cum Laude award in the primary food and commerce sector, granted by the University of Salamanca through the Association of Alumni and Friends of the University of Salamanca.
Within the framework of the first business networking event organized by the Economic and Social Council of Castilla y León (CESCYL), and Alumni – USAL, these awards were presented to recognize the work, achievements and ability to be an example of entrepreneurs and managers linked to the University of Salamanca.
More than a hundred businessmen and executives linked to Castilla y León, as well as political leaders and leaders of economic and social organizations, attended this first meeting whose main objective is to reinforce or relaunch common business and social projects, generating interaction between the university and society. All this with the purpose of improving the field of knowledge transfer and employability, innovation and entrepreneurship.
The event included speeches by the president of MAPFRE and Alumni-USAL, Antonio Huertas; the president of CESCYL, Enrique Cabero Morán; and the vice-rector of Economics of the University of Salamanca, Javier González Benito, as well as Sergio Martín, RTVE journalist and member of the Board of Directors of Alumni-USAL, who acted as moderator.
Jesús Cruz wanted to thank the University of Salamanca for this recognition, which will become part of our company’s history. Cruz said that “this award has an emotional component and as such already has a prominent place in our hearts. Cruz wanted to dedicate this award first of all to his wife Inés and affirmed that “this award belongs to the entire La Antigua team, from the shepherds to the new generation that has been stepping up to lead the company and continue the work of continuing to thrill the world with experiences”.
For his part, Fernando Fregeneda recalled how, more than a decade ago, the relationship between Quesería La Antigua and the University of Salamanca began through the La Antigua Educa program, through which more than 27,000 schoolchildren have learned to make cheese thanks to the Fundación Empresas Amigas. He then continued the training through the IME and today “we are still related through a collaboration agreement with the Alumni Association of the University of Salamanca, Alumni-Usal”. Fregeneda thanked the jury for this award, which he also wished to dedicate to his family and to the generational succession that is preparing to take over the management of a company that already has almost fifty workers who make it possible for tasting a cheese to become a sensory experience.
Awardees in 2022
The winners of these awards had the opportunity to make a speech to express their gratitude for receiving this recognition. In this first edition, the winners were:
- Summa Cum Laude Award – businessman/manager of the year to Bernardo Hernández, investor and advisor. Currently owner and director of Solón Inversiones S.L.
- Magna Cum Laude – Institution of the Year Award to Cruz Roja Salamanca, collected by Jesús Juanes, president of Cruz Roja.
- Cum Laude Award to Javier Amantegui, partner at Clifford Chance.
- Cum Laude award in the financial sector-business consulting to Isabel Martin Arija, general manager of Caja Rural de Salamanca.
- Cum Laude award in the communication and marketing sector to Alberto Cagigas and Luisa Alcalde, founders of the magazine Castilla y León Económica.
- Cum Laude Award in the primary sector – food and commerce to Fernando Fregeneda and Jesús Cruz, founders of Gestión Agro Ganadera and Quesería La Antigua.
- Cum Laude Award to Carlos Bernabéu González, CEO of Arborea Intellbird S.L (Aracnocóptero).
- Cum Laude Award to Ricardo Jara Acevedo, CEO of Immunostep S.L., in the bio-health-pharma sector.
- Cum Laude award in the tourism-horeca-sports and leisure sector to Jorge Recio, president of the basketball club Perfumerías Avenida.
- Cum Laude award in the industrial-construction sector to Adriana Casillas, CEO of Tebrio.
Master Class
This was followed by a master class on business transformation and digitalization by Bernardo Hernández, an expert, entrepreneur, investor and executive in the technology sector. He has held numerous prominent positions including director of Flickr at Yahoo!, product manager at Google and CEO of Zagat. He is currently owner and director of Solón Inversiones S.L.
The event was attended by representatives of leading companies such as MAPFRE, CEPSA, Telefónica, Banco Sabadell, White & Case, Simmons & Simmons, BNI, Business Network International, Mediaset, NTC Pharma, among others.
Given the success of this first edition, a second edition of the event is planned for March 2023 to foster the development of new business collaborations.
