FemCAT sees geopolitical conflicts, immigration, and AI as challenges for 2044

FemCAT has turned 20 and is already looking at how it will fare when it reaches 40. The private association, which brings together more than 500 Catalan companies, has set about reviewing the pending issues they marked at its foundation, and some remain unresolved, such as improving infrastructure, moving towards a more agile administration, achieving the transfer of knowledge from universities to industry, and providing more funding to startups. "We have dedicated ourselves to doing and to ensuring things get done, without the intention of taking any credit. What we want is to promote the country's development," summarizes FemCAT's president, Oriol Guixà, also president of the La Farga group.

What they are satisfied with is the international projection that Catalonia has achieved over these two decades, although, according to Guixà, they see its culture endangered because they believe that the integration of immigration is failing. In a global context where xenophobic discourses are proliferating, FemCAT wants to address the immigration debate from the companies' point of view. "We believe that the business world and the third sector must come together. The only way to integrate is through work and the transmission of Catalan culture and entrepreneurial spirit," he stressed.

They also point out that Barcelona needs to strengthen itself as the capital of Catalonia to make better use of all its resources. "If Barcelona positions itself as the capital of Catalonia, it will be stronger," Guixà defended. Many pending issues are added to those generating current debates, such as the reduction of the working day proposed by the Government, to which the president of FemCAT asks to focus on gaining more competitiveness and not forgetting to raise salaries: "What people cannot do is pay." But also the hostile takeover bid by BBVA against Banco Sabadell, which could lead to a loss of financial talent if it goes ahead, according to Guixà, as he emphasizes already happened with the merger of CaixaBank and Bankia.

Against this backdrop, the foundation, which represents companies with a turnover equivalent to 10% of Catalan GDP, has designed a conference for November 12 to prepare for a future in which geopolitical conflicts are expected to impact industry, as they already are, as well as the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI). "We have to leave here with homework," said FemCAT's general director, Muntsa Vilalta. To do this, they will be accompanied by Catalan professionals who have succeeded abroad, "one of the best legacies," Vilalta remarks, with the aim of helping to draw the lines to follow to make Catalonia more prosperous by 2044.

Under the slogan Catalan legacies: Projectem la Catalunya del 2044, FemCAT's thirteenth forum expects to gather an audience of 400 people and will feature speakers such as human rights lawyer and expert Peter Sahlas, Ficosa's CEO in North America, Joan Cañellas, Amazon Web Services' head of generative AI analyst relations, Albert Esplugas, World Cities Culture Forum director, Laia Gasch, Engine Ventures president and former MIT executive vice president, Israel Ruíz, and Google's vice president and AI product team leader, Xavier Amatriain. The President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, will close the conference, which will be held at the Palau de la Música.