Businesswoman Esther Koplowitz, marchioness of Casa Peñalver, has been awarded the Legion of Honour by the French Republic. She accepted the distinction on behalf of all the workers of FCC, its management team, and her family.

The distinction was presented yesterday afternoon at the residence of the French Ambassador in Spain, Bruno Delaye. The Ambassador paid tribute to Esther Koplowitz's merits, in both business and social affairs, and noted that she is the only Spanish woman to have belonged to the boards of directors of two French multinationals, Vivendi and Veolia. He also described her track record of success in what has traditionally been a male industry.

In her acceptance speech, Esther Koplowitz expressed her gratitude to the President of the French Republic and its ambassador in Spain, and thanked the governments of both countries for their unstinting support for Spanish and French companies to ensure the success of their strategic and industrial alliances.

Esther Koplowitz told her own "love story" with France, in which she also reminisced about her parents. Her relationship with France was later strengthened through alliances with French companies, which enabled her to discover that France is great not only because of its history but also because of the skill and personality of its excellent entrepreneurs, who have built exemplary organisations that are competitive at global level.

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