Cecot has once again made public its most influential, innovative, and important entrepreneurs in the 31st edition of its awards. This year's main institutional recognition, the Cecot Recognition for Professional and Business Trajectory 2026, has been awarded to Joan Font, founder, president, and CEO of Grup Bon Preu. According to Cecot in a statement, the employers' association wanted to distinguish "a business trajectory of more than fifty years marked by entrepreneurial vision, commercial innovation, sustained growth, and the ability to build one of the main Catalan food distribution groups while maintaining territorial roots, its own identity, and commitment to the country." This year, moreover, Cecot has launched a new model for selecting winners, which falls to specialized technical commissions to "reinforce the rigor, expert knowledge, and traceability of the process."
As every year, Cecot has once again brought together high-level entrepreneurs in awards that leave no one indifferent. This 2026, the awards will be presented during the 31st Nit de l'Empresa, on October 8 at the Emma Vilarasau Theater-Auditorium in Sant Cugat del Vallès, but the employers' association has already made the awards public. The highest recognition has gone to Joan Font. Born in Torelló in 1951, the entrepreneur opened his first supermarket in Manlleu in 1974. That was the cornerstone of the Catalan supermarket empire, Grup Bon Preu. Since then, Font has never disassociated himself from his creation and has remained at the forefront of the group's evolution, turning it into a reference company that has given life to brands such as Bonpreu and Esclat and has subsequently expanded its activity into the fields of fuels and energy.
Beyond the award to Font, Cecot has recognized eight influential companies in the different competitive categories and two institutional recognitions agreed upon by the organization's Executive Committee. Thus, Roca Group, Smilics, Columat, Culinarium, Envio x Envio, Anudal Industrial, Establiments Viena, Grup Zanini.
Regarding the Cecot Recognition for Collective Contribution 2026, the distinction has been awarded to the Fundació Catalunya Cultura "for its work connecting business and culture, promoting alliances, patronage, and shared projects that contribute to the cultural and social development of the country," the employers' association specified. In fact, in the statement, Cecot highlighted "its ability to generate shared value and to mobilize companies, institutions, and cultural initiatives around a common goal."
On November 8, Cecot will present the awards to the winners in Sant Cugat del Vallès. The 31st Nit de l'Empresa is an event that seeks to celebrate the innovative and business ecosystem of Catalonia. It is a celebration that brings together a large number of collaborators, including the Sant Cugat City Council, Aura Auditors, Bidons Egara, CaixaBank, CCAM, Cerezo, Consorci Zona Franca Barcelona, Damm, Ebro, Ediversa, Emccat Grup, Endesa, Forvis Auditoria, Frit Ravich, Grupo Preving / Vítaly, Guinotprunera, HP, Masachs, Mercadona, Movento, Mútua Terrassa – L’asseguradora, Nectios – Senda, Novapress | Diari de Terrassa, Occident, Port de Barcelona, Saba, Sanmy, Servaigua, SMSavall, The New Barcelona Post, Veolia and Via Empresa.
Awarded companies at the Cecot Recognitions for Business Progress 2026
Recognition for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability (sponsorship by Port de Barcelona): Roca Group, which Cecot highlights for its industrial decarbonization strategy based on electrification, energy efficiency, and the use of renewable energies, with measurable results in emissions, energy consumption, water, and waste.
Recognition for Digital Transformation | Industry (sponsorship by Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona): Smilics, for integrating industrial IoT technologies, data analytics, and machine learning aimed at improving efficiency, predictive maintenance, and industrial competitiveness.
Recognition for Digital Transformation | Services: Columat, for a business model based on smart lockers, proprietary software, process automation, and real-time monitoring.
Recognition for Innovative Commerce (support from CCAM – Generalitat de Catalunya): Culinarium, which stands out for the renewal of its commercial model, its commitment to omnichannel, automation, and advanced customer relationship management.
Recognition for the Best Young Business Initiative (sponsored by Occident | Promoted by: Cercle Cecot de Joves Empresaris): ExE Global Forwarders (Envio x Envio), for the young leadership of the project, the digitalization of transport, sustained growth, and its international scalability.
11th CaixaBank Recognition for Responsible SME: Anudal Industrial, for integrating social responsibility into its business strategy and generating a positive impact on its stakeholders.
9th Vítaly Award for Healthy Company: Establiments Viena, which stands out for integrating health and occupational prevention into the daily life of the organization through health promotion programs, adaptation of workplaces, continuous preventive monitoring, and corporate health tools accessible to the entire staff.
1st edition of the Recognition for Talent Management (Promoted by: IFEP): Grup Zanini, for its sustained commitment to the development of internal talent, professional promotion, international mobility, and continuous training.