The Banco Sabadell Foundation yesterday hosted ‘The Culture of Talent’ (La Cultura del Talento) event in Barcelona – a gathering that brought together around 300 participants, including young role models, researchers, entrepreneurs, creators, and collaborators from across the cultural, educational, and social ecosystem.
The event’s success, reflected in strong attendance and active participation, solidifies the Banco Sabadell Foundation’s role as a driving force for social, cultural, and economic change through young talent.
The event, devised as a space for dialogue and reflection aimed at fostering knowledge and connections among young people, was structured around four interest areas: technology, wellness, creativity, and international relations. The event concluded with an inspirational talk by Alex Boisset, cofounder of B3tter Foods and social media content creator.
The Foundation’s aim for this event was to create a space for young people interested in enterprising, creating, researching, and making a positive impact on society. Therefore, the first panel discussion, focused on the use of technology, shone a light on the use of technology for social good, with insights from Guillermo Gauna-Vivas, founder of Ayúdame 3D, an entity engaged in the design and manufacture of 3D prosthetic hands and arms, Lucile Favero, PhD student at ELLIS Alicante, who underscored the need of applying critical thinking when using AI, and Edgar Pons, entrepreneur and participant of the Celera 2019 programme, who encouraged young people to harness technology in their entrepreneurial pursuits.
The second conversation aimed to equip young people with tools to Understand the world, featuring insights from Antoni Sastre Bel, an expert in conflict resolution and peace mediation, and winner of the fourth edition of CIDOB’s Global Talent Programme, and from Javier Ivars, research assistant of common foreign and security policy at the Real Instituto Elcano, who emphasised the importance of staying informed with a critical mindset.
Also noteworthy were the talks focused on wellness and mental health, given by Claudia Tecglen, psychologist and founder of Convives con Espasticidad (Living with Spasticity), who made it clear that cerebral palsy has not stopped her from helping others, and Juan Pablo Villani, founder of Aquí Estoy Chat (Here I Am Chat) – a project that offers emotional support to young people battling mental health issues. These two social projects were finalists of the B-Value social innovation programme promoted by the Banco Sabadell Foundation and the Ship2b Foundation.
The arts, culture, and creativity could not be left out of this event. Artist Carlota Pérez Castro, together with Alejandra Queizán, Head of Sponsorship, Patronage, and Friends at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, championed the idea of daring to create and explored ways to connect young people with artistic spaces.
“Talent is momentum, a driver for change, especially when it is multiplied and connects communities. With ‘The Culture of Talent’ event, we want to showcase everything we have built with generosity, vision, and commitment, and to reinforce the idea that investing in talent is not only a philanthropic action, but also a catalyst for change and for social, cultural, and economic impact”, says Sonia Mulero, Director of the Banco Sabadell Foundation.
With this event, the Institution, whose mission is to promote young talent as a driver of transformation and collective progress, seeks to reinforce this purpose and highlight its role as an active agent and driving force for young talent, creativity, and innovation.
In fact, around 60% of the Banco Sabadell Foundation’s annual budget is allocated to projects and organisations committed to supporting talented young individuals, creating opportunities for training, creation, and research across various fields.
Thanks to this commitment, the Foundation has positively impacted more than 57,600 people over the past four years and expects to reach over 16,300 beneficiaries of social impact programmes by the end of 2025. Furthermore, in 2024, it granted over 450 awards and grants to promote talent, solidifying its prestigious awards to young researchers through the Banco Sabadell Foundation Awards for Economic Research, Biomedical Research, Science and Engineering, and Marine Sustainability, which are highly regarded in their respective areas.
