Barcelona has become one of the destinations that multinationals choose to locate their technological hubs. This is the case of Nestlé, Ocado Technology and, more recently, Pepsico. Barcelona Talent-ed Summit, an event organized by The New Barcelona Post and the Barcelona City Council, has brought together these three companies to understand what their relationship with the city has been since they opted for it. Five years after its creation, Nestlé's technology center in Esplugues confirms that the Catalan capital "has proven to be the right place to settle," according to Cristina Ghetti, global director of Nestlé's IT Hub.
Ocado Technology, which also celebrates its fifth anniversary in the Catalan capital, and Pepsico have agreed with Ghetti on the suitability of the chosen location. For the director of Ocado Technology's development centers in Barcelona, Bulgaria and the United Kingdom, Guillem Vila Palau, the city offers an essential combination in the current context of a lack of technological profiles: availability of local talent and the ability to attract foreign professionals. "It's the best ecosystem we can have," summarizes Imene Zidi, Pepsico's talent acquisition director in Europe, who also sees the presence of a network of universities supplying talent as very positive.
The round table, moderated by the global business director of Eres Relocation, Julia Meyer-Sommer, has also served to point out weaknesses of the Catalan capital in its attraction of professionals to work in these new hubs. The scarcity of specialized profiles is not benefited by the procedures that must be followed to be able to come and live in Barcelona. The landing process is facilitated by the companies themselves, Vila Palau points out, but, many times it is not enough and it takes too long, causing some workers to give up along the way. "Candidates ask for simplicity," Ghetti emphasizes.
It is also seen as necessary for administrations to encourage the arrival of more companies. None of the three speakers believes that this will lead to more competition, but rather more collaboration to continue developing and strengthening the ecosystem. The presence of more multinationals in the Catalan capital makes it easier for workers to meet more people and grow, a factor they also value when choosing a job, where the salary offered is taken for granted to be good. "They are looking for a place to work and to socialize," defends Vila Palau.
With the pandemic, another issue that workers demand is labor flexibility, allowing them to choose between in-person and virtual work. This demand has translated into adapting offices, "turning them into places where you meet colleagues and don't just send emails," illustrates Zidi. "The hybrid model is essential," adds Ghetti, who emphasizes that offices must be reformulated and that, if they continue to be as they were before, no change in the working model can be encouraged.
After this analysis of strengths and weaknesses, the three companies assure that they still have future plans in the city. More than 600 workers already work at Nestlé's center in Esplugues and Ghetti indicates that they continue to grow, while Vila Palau states that they plan to increase their current workforce and reach 230 workers in 2022. Pepsico, which has been established a few months ago, expects to consolidate a team of 400 professionals in a couple of years. For now, it has already hired 50.