Let's Lead awards Dídac Lee, Nadia Ghulam, and the founders of Fabbric, Nude Project, and Eholo

"Talent and leadership is the future of the country." This phrase from the president of Lideremos, Tomàs Güell, perfectly summarizes the spirit that drives this youth organization born in Barcelona just two years ago and which already has 5,000 members throughout Spain. Its objective is to give visibility to young talent, connect it with the current leaders of the country and become the reference pressure group when it comes to making the voice of young people heard and influencing public policies. With the challenge of recognizing talent and young people who take risks, Lideremos presented its first awards for youth talent and leadership this Thursday night in Barcelona, in an event that brought together more than 500 people at CosmoCaixa and featured musical performances by Alfred Garcia and Sofia Ellar.

The awards recognized the Girona-born entrepreneur and investor Dídac Lee, the Afghan activist Nadia Ghulam, and the young founders of five startups: Nude Project, Fabbric, Eholo, Genotipia, and Rated Power. "The seven award winners are an example for many young people and show that new generations come with great strength," Güell highlighted, after encouraging the audience not to stop "pursuing dreams" despite the many difficulties along the way. "We know that many times it is not easy. It is difficult to undertake, it is difficult to become independent and it is difficult to start a family, that is why a movement like ours is needed, which allows young people to have more strength," said the leader of Lideremos.

According to Tomàs Güell, projects like those launched by the award winners show that "there are reasons to be optimistic." "They are based on the values of sacrifice, perseverance, merit, work and equal opportunities," he reflected, after pointing out that instead of giving free rein to complaining, what needs to be done is to "support those who take risks and get socially involved," opting, for example, for volunteering.

Along these lines, the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, who participated in the awards ceremony alongside the Minister of Social Rights, Carles Campuzano, referred to the fact that "it is totally compatible to want to be a leader and undertake, with having a social and political commitment, and with pursuing a purpose in favor of the common good." "You are made in Barcelona," the mayor recalled with satisfaction, after pointing out that "it was about time that an initiative born in the city ended up succeeding throughout the country." "Barcelona is back, to share and to compete," he noted, after committing to the young people of Lideremos to make "access to housing a priority" for Barcelona. "This is the issue that most affects young people and middle-class workers. It cannot be that emancipating oneself or leaving home means having to leave the city," lamented the mayor.

According to Lideremos, the creation of these awards seeks to "recognize talent and those who take risks" and highlight the ability of young people to lead initiatives that generate a positive and real impact on society. Dídac Lee, co-founder of Galdana Ventures, received the Leadership Award for his career and his permanent commitment to investing in young talent. "The only secret in life is to dedicate many hours to doing something you like and to be well accompanied," Lee reflected in his acceptance speech.

For her part, Nadia Ghulam, activist and president of Ponts per la Pau, a non-profit organization that promotes education and the culture of peace, received the award in the Social Impact category. "I fight from Catalonia for rights, for freedom, for social justice, for gender equality and for peace, because peace is like oxygen, without peace there is no life," Ghulam stated after recalling how she lost her voice and all basic rights when she lived in Afghanistan.

In the Innovation category, the award went to Loreto Crespo, co-founder and CEO of Genotipia, a digital platform for updating and training on Medical Genetics and Genomics applied to health for professionals, students, and institutions. The Sustainability award went to Andrea Barber, CEO of RatedPower, a platform that helps companies discover smarter ways to maximize the potential of a photovoltaic solar plant.

For her part, Alba Rocafort has been the winner in the Fashion category for being the co-founder of Fabbric, a platform that enables anyone to create and launch their own fashion collection by digitizing the entire process of design, production, and storage of garments. Lideremos has also created an award that recognizes initiatives that improve the field of Mental Health. In this first edition, the award went to Sonia Torras, co-founder of Eholo, a software that simplifies the lives of psychologists, as it automates the entire process related to appointments, invoice issuance, and collections. The platform is already used by 7,000 mental health professionals. Finally, Bruno Casanovas, one of the two founders of Nude Project, took home the Entrepreneurship award for having created, at just 19 years old, one of the fastest-growing urban clothing brands. The firm, which more than doubled its turnover in 2023, has opened stores in Milan, Lisbon, and various Spanish cities in the last year and has gone from selling only sweatshirts to marketing all types of garments.

Throughout the awards ceremony, Lideremos explained the various milestones achieved by the organization, such as having reached 5,000 members, successfully implemented in Madrid, and held more than 250 meetings with leaders from the business, political, and social spheres. In addition, Lideremos has presented an ambitious proposal for a new Mental Health Law that includes a national suicide prevention plan; campaigns to combat the stigma associated with mental illnesses; and the implementation of a mandatory emotional education subject in schools. The reduction of bureaucracy is another of the objectives Lideremos is working towards, and this year, it has set itself the challenge of implementing itself in all autonomous communities.

The event was attended by entrepreneurs and executives such as Chema Casas (Telefónica), Alfonso Méndiz (UIC), Lluís Sans (Santa Eulàlia), Josep Sánchez Llibre (Foment del Treball), Josep Martínez Vila (Saba), Jordi Urbea (Ogilvy), Enrique Tomás, Helena Torras (Hans(wo)mengroup), Josep Arcas (GBfoods), Ignasi Marull (PwC), Sergi Loughney (Fundación Bancaria La Caixa), Maite Casademunt (Lola Casademunt), Salva Tasqué (Fundación Princesa Girona), Enrique Lacalle (Círculo Ecuestre), Oriol Alba (Cecot), Gerard Guiu (Andema), Nacho Corredor (BeBartlet), Teresa Copano (Tous), David Cortacans (Bestinver), Olga Suanya (Tinkle), Laura Diéguez (Bayer), Igone Bartumeu (Coca-Cola Europacific Partners) and, among others, Juan Rosell, former president of the CEOE. From the political sphere, the Deputy Mayor of Barcelona, Maria Eugenia Gay, the mayor of Badalona, Xavier García Albiol, and Josep Rull, among others, attended.