Cristina Blanco, CEO of Antolin, stars in a new edition of the Chair for Smart Industry's "Breakfast with CEOs"

The event was opened by the Rector of Comillas Pontifical University, Antonio Allende SJ, who proudly highlighted the university's position among the top ten in Spain, reaffirming its commitment to academic excellence and the training of leaders with a vision for the future.

The co-director of the chair, Bernardo Villazán, then introduced the speaker, highlighting her brilliant professional career and her role at the head of a company that, with 75 years of history, has managed to evolve from a garage in Burgos to become a global benchmark present in one out of every three vehicles in the world.

During her speech, Cristina Blanco offered a clear and motivating vision of the challenges and opportunities currently facing the automotive industry. In a context marked by electrification, digitalisation, new regulations and geopolitical tensions, Blanco highlighted how Antolin has been able to adapt and lead from within the vehicle, committing to technological innovation, sustainability, operational excellence and digitalisation as the pillars of its ambitious Transformation Plan.

One of the highlights of his speech was the firm commitment to artificial intelligence, which is already applied transversally in areas such as production planning, quality control, logistics and component design. "AI is not a future promise, it is an industrial reality that is already transforming the way we work," said Cristina Blanco.

She also highlighted the investment in talent and continuous training, pointing out that a large percentage of the workforce works in technological areas. With a large majority of permanent contracts, Antolin is positioned as a company that is committed to professional development and job stability.

Cristina Blanco concluded her speech with an inspiring message aimed especially at young people: "Industry is not only an economic engine, it is also a source of innovation, social cohesion and real opportunities for growth. We need you to build the future of mobility".

The Chair of Intelligent Industry thanked all the attendees for their participation and reaffirmed its commitment to continue promoting meetings between universities and companies to face the challenges of the industry.