Yesterday afternoon, FCC Chairman Esther Alcocer Koplowitz received the Business Growth Award from the Latin American Business Council (CEAL) on behalf of FCC, the Citizen Services Group. Attendees at the event included HRH the Prince of Asturias, Felipe de Borbón; Panama's Minister of Canal Affairs, Roberto Roy; and Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, José Manuel García Margallo.

The CEAL award is in recognition of FCC's expansion in the main Latin American countries, where it has been operating for 15 years through local companies and using local resources, such as its subsidiaries in Panama and Costa Rica. This region accounts for 11.5% of group revenues (1H13 figures), the bulk of which is attributable to infrastructure development.

In his presentation, Mr. García-Margallo lauded Spanish companies' progress and growth, highlighting FCC as "a success story" which "contributes like few others" to strengthening Brand Spain and Spain's image abroad.

Esther Alcocer expressed her gratitude to CEAL for the award "on behalf of FCC, which I have the honour of chairing and which my mother, Esther Koplowitz, has made into one of the world's leading infrastructure and citizen services companies". She added, "For all of us at FCC, this award is an enduring testament of gratitude and homage to those who contribute to social and economic improvements in the continent, and another incentive to further our development here, in Panama and all of Latin America."

CEAL was meeting in Panama City on the occasion of the Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Governments. Founded in Mexico City 23 years ago, CEAL is a network of Latin American entrepreneurs. Its mission is to stimulate the participation of its members in trade and cooperative exchanges in all areas in which the private sector can contribute to strengthening reciprocal ties and the socio-economic progress of nations.