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Esther Koplowitz receives Gold Medal from the Spanish Road Association

05/06/2012

Esther Koplowitz receives Gold Medal from the Spanish Road Association

  • The Association presents Ms Koplowitz, Vice-chairwoman and core shareholder of FCC, with its highest distinction in recognition of her business and social achievements
Esther Koplowitz receives Gold Medal from the Spanish Road Association

Esther Koplowitz has received the Gold Medal from the Spanish Road Association (SRA), the most prestigious distinction granted by the non-profit organisation, which was founded in 1949 and focuses on promoting the use of roads. The SRA aims to improve road safety, quality and capacity.

The Association, chaired by Miguel María Muñoz, granted the award to Ms Koplowitz in recognition of her achievements as the first Vice-chairwoman and principal shareholder of FCC Group, a global leader in infrastructure, water, services and energy. The jury praised her sensitivity to social issues within the scope of her business activity, and highlighted her altruism. She is Chairwoman of the Esther Koplowitz Foundation, which is dedicated primarily to social work to help the needy. The Foundation has built, outfitted and donated two retirement homes for elderly people without means: Nuestra Casa, in Collado Villalba (Madrid) and La Nostra Casa, in Fort Pienc (Barcelona); and also a home for adults with mental and physical disabilities: La Nostra Casa - Vall de la Ballestera (Valencia). It is also currently building the El Despertar residence in Madrid for children with mental disabilities.

Actions by the Foundation in the field of research include building and equipping the Esther Koplowitz Biomedical Research Centre in Barcelona, where more than 350 scientists are researching cancer as well as auto-immune and neurodegenerative diseases, among others; the centre seeks to be a leader in its field in Europe.

The Foundation also donated a Da Vinci precision surgery robot to Hospital Clínico San Carlos (Madrid), which has been used for over 1,000 operations to date.

The Foundation has also worked on a tactile vision system with the Complutense University of Madrid and has helped fund other research programmes into diseases, notably cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, drug addiction and sclerosis.

It has provided a large number of grants to students without means and it built, equipped and donated a centre for its grant recipients, benefiting approximately 240 students each year since 2006. The Foundation is financed exclusively by its founder and Chairwoman.

Esther Koplowitz has received numerous awards and distinctions for her social work and entrepreneurship, including the Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit, the Gold Medal of the Civil Order of Solidarity, the Gold Medal of the Madrid Regional Government, the Blanquerna award from the Catalan Regional Government, the Golden Medal of the Spanish Royal Academy of History, and the Social and Corporate Responsibility award from the CCOO labour union. In September 2007, she was named Business Leader of the Year by the Spain-US Chamber of Commerce at a ceremony held in New York.

Other awards
Other awards presented at the event included the International Medal of Merit, which was given to Abdullah Al-Mogbel, Chairman of the International Road Federation (IRF) and Deputy Minister of Transport for Roads in Saudi Arabia, in recognition of his "outstanding achievements in improving road infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, and for defending road interests worldwide".

The Honourable Mention Medal was presented to Julio Senador Gómez, Head of Institutional Relations at FCC Construction, in recognition of his professional track record.

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