The CEO of CECA, José María Méndez, will become a trustee of the Fundación CEOE to promote public-private collaboration and the commitment of companies to society

CECA represents nine credit institutions that account for 40 percent of the Spanish banking sector and 32 foundations that together account for the largest private social investment in Spain 

José María Méndez will become a new member of the board of trustees of the Fundación CEOE. The CEO of CECA, an association that represents the interests of nine credit institutions (CaixaBank, Kutxabank and Cajasur Banco, Abanca, Unicaja Banco, Ibercaja Banco, Caixa Ontinyent, Colonya Pollença and Cecabank) and 32 foundations, will become a member of the board of trustees of the Fundación CEOE to promote public-private collaboration and the commitment of companies to society.

José María Méndez is CEO of CECA and director of the European Savings and Retail Banking Group (ESBG), member of the Advisory Committee of the Spanish National Securities Market Commission and of the Management Committee of the Deposit Guarantee Fund for Credit Institutions. He is also CEO of Cecabank, the benchmark custodian bank in Spain and Portugal that specialises in Securities Services, Treasury & Global Markets and Payments.

The appointment of the CEO of CECA as a trustee of the Fundación CEOE is recognition of the association's role in the institutional representation of its credit institutions and foundations. It will also encourage the involvement of Funcas in this project, an institution which, as part of CECA's Obra Social, is an independent centre for economic and social research, as well as for the promotion of financial education in our country.

Fundación CEOE is an institution focused on society and the business world, which collaborates with the different social agents in improving social welfare, employability training and access to culture. Within the framework of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals are transversal and essential to the Fundación CEOE's lines of action, with special emphasis on SDG 17 "Partnerships to Achieve the Goals", which encompasses working to promote and foster public-private and civil society partnerships.

Cecabank, committed to society

CECA, chaired by Isidro Fainé, provides consultancy and support to its member entities in their endeavour to offer services that promote financial inclusion and access to credit. This social work by the "CECA entities" is undertaken with a sustainable approach, in which the Obra Social stands out.

The Obra Social of the CECA sector complements the contribution of public administrations to the welfare state. The Obra Social of the "CECA entities" remains at the forefront of private social investment in Spain and is considered one of the main agents in the promotion of social inclusion. The banks, savings banks and foundations associated with CECA earmarked €778 million for welfare projects in 2021.

In the last year, the CECA sector has pooled its efforts, demonstrating the importance of defining public-private collaboration frameworks for the recovery of economic and social welfare, highlighting the different actions to improve financial inclusion in Spain. In addition, together with the traditional public-private partnership, an increasingly greater number of cooperation spaces are opening up with third sector entities that have a multiplying effect in defence of the most disadvantaged, with the aim of reducing the economic and social gap.

CECA and CEOE, close cooperation for economic and social growth

CECA and CEOE are two key institutions in Spain's economic and business fabric that work closely together to combine efforts to stimulate the growth of the economy and boost business activity, with special attention to the financing of innovation, entrepreneurship and internationalisation.

Similarly, since the creation by CEOE in 2020 of the Technical Support Office for European Projects, CECA has closely monitored the evolution of the Next Generation EU project, the implementation of which is yet another example of the efficiency that can be generated by public-private collaboration. This office has been established in the context of the European Recovery Plan, and CECA, together with CEOE, has pushed for recognition of the critical role that banking networks can play in the success of this plan.