Team talent is one of the main drivers of corporate growth. Its contribution depends on each organization’s ability to develop it and align it with its objectives. In an environment of technological transformation and global competition, preparing teams to take on new challenges and fostering collaboration across departments are among the decisions that enable companies to innovate, improve performance, and open up new business opportunities.
This relationship between talent and strategy will be the focus of Aragón Business Summit 2026, to be held on November 17 at the World Trade Center Zaragoza. Organized by the Government of Aragon through the Aragonese Development Institute (IAF), the event will bring together the business community under the theme “Talent, a key element in business growth.” Featuring nearly 20 speakers, the program will offer practical experiences and tools to explore how leadership and team development contribute to corporate competitiveness. The event will combine executive workshops in the morning with a conference in the afternoon, providing two formats for learning from other management experiences and examining decisions that affect business performance.
The event has eight ambassadors from different sectors, who will contribute their experience and perspectives on the challenges facing companies in Aragon.
They include Alicia Asín, co-founder and CEO of Libelium, who highlights the importance of teams in turning strategy into action: “Given the same strategic plan, two different organizations will achieve entirely different results.” In her view, leadership requires that strategy to be embraced and shared across the organization.
Benito Tesier, president of CEOE Aragón and general manager of Brembo Iberia, also an ambassador for this year’s event, focuses on the role of management teams in driving the growth of Aragon’s business base. “We need the executives at our companies, particularly small and medium-sized businesses, to help us increase their scale and reach through effective internationalization and innovation,” he says.
Talent as part of integrated management
The Aragón Business Summit approach builds on the Business Competitiveness and Innovation Management Model, developed by the IAF and introduced at the 2025 edition. Tailored to Aragon’s business community, particularly SMEs, it proposes analyzing the organization as a whole, recognizing that decisions made in one area also affect others.
The model is structured around four dimensions: Strategy and Governance, Operations and Customers, Resources and Talent, and Transformation and Innovation. It includes indicators and self-assessment tools to identify opportunities for improvement. Team development is therefore linked to strategy, day-to-day operations, and companies’ capacity to innovate.
Putting talent into practice
This year’s program will examine leadership and business management through perspectives as varied as music, technology, and industry. Conductor and composer Inma Shara will deliver the keynote address on talent management and leadership. Her career will offer insight into how to coordinate different capabilities to achieve a common goal—a challenge that is also part of the everyday work of business leaders.
Technology will take center stage with NVIDIA engineer Javier Gamazo, who will use the Rubik’s Cube to illustrate the relationship between an organization’s decisions. The puzzle will also serve as the image of this year’s event, as a metaphor for a business model in which all pieces are connected and every move affects the whole.
Business experiences will feature prominently in a discussion between Gemma Moral, Human Capital partner at PwC Spain, and Esther Velasco, manager of HRE Automation, winner of the 2026 CEX Award. Meanwhile, Heidi Van Woestyne, People & Culture director at Sanofi Iberia, will speak with Daniel Rey, managing director of the IAF, about team management within organizations.
The event will include presentations of four business best practices developed in Aragon and linked to the Institute’s model. Aragonese actor and comedian Rafa Maza will offer a different perspective on talent and business management.
Five simultaneous executive workshops for small groups will be held in the morning, covering sales, finance, open innovation, business geostrategy, and talent. They will be led by professionals from Black Limba, ESADE, Ineco, AFI, and Future for Work Institute. These sessions will provide an in-depth look at different areas of management, with tools that companies can apply to their own operations.
The conference will begin at 4:00 p.m. and conclude with an opportunity for companies to network and exchange experiences. Collaboration will be a key part of a day designed to share knowledge and find answers to common challenges.
Alicia Asín hopes that this reflection will continue within companies. Her proposal is for each organization to leave the event with a concrete decision on how to develop the talent of its teams, rather than waiting for the perfect plan.
The president of CEOE Aragón, meanwhile, underscores the need to attract new professional profiles to address companies’ technological transformation. “We need to attract talent that can help us with digitalization, technology, and the implementation of artificial intelligence,” he says. He links this goal to his vision for the region’s future: “We need the Aragon of the future to be a modern, innovative Aragon, with talent and development, capable of meeting the challenges ahead.”
ARAGÓN BUSINESS SUMMIT 2026
Date. November 17, 2026.
Venue. World Trade Center Zaragoza.
Time. Begins at 4:00 p.m.
Organizer. Instituto Aragonés de Fomento (IAF). Government of Aragon.
Further information and registration. www.iaf.es.
