We spoke to Álvaro Matías, director of the Madrid Design Festival and founder of the strategic design consulting agency Almadás; and Marisa Santamaría, design researcher, spokesperson and curator, and strategic director of the Design Network of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum (FMRE), on design as a lever for change in organisations, the company-university pairing, the importance of dissemination or the role of the "Marca España" initiative through events such as the MDF and Valencia WDC22.
You founded Almadás in 2020 after a long career as a cultural manager that has helped to make you aware of how culture and creativity are fundamental elements in carrying out any change initiative. Tell us about your experience in this company-design pairing.
The birth of Almadás, in such a complicated moment like that of the pandemic, allowed us to stop and reflect on how everything we do has an impact and how there are other more well-thought out ways of acting that are less focused on immediacy and the short-term result. After my previous career as a cultural manager, in which I saw how culture and creativity can be an important and differentiating part of any organisation, Almadás was born from my interest in moving away from the purely cultural sphere and approaching companies, organisations and entrepreneurs who are committed to transformation and change from fields as diverse as sustainability, education or construction processes. A way of accompanying them in the development, improvement and change of their projects, using creativity and content as a differential element.
Have you seen any evolution over these two years in the mentality of companies? Are they more aware of the importance of having creative strategies and is there a greater demand for this type of design consulting?
It's an increasingly evident reality but much remains to be done. It is essential for design to become an intrinsic part of the culture of organisations, not only in terms of the final result, but also of the internal organisation, process efficiency and work with people, which has a lot to do with human leadership within companies. Design is the best ally for creating agile organisations with a long-term view and, in order for many companies to incorporate it into their structural organisation, they must make courageous decisions and important changes. Brands like Actiu, Simón or Consentino, which have already internalised design in their DNA, are a good example that can help others understand how investing in design is investing in the company, and festivals like the MDF are perfect showcases to shed light on how these changes are possible.
Regarding the Madrid Design Festival, how has the festival evolved over its five editions and how has the perception of design changed during this time?
During the first five years, the festival naturally managed to find its own way. It was born with a clear idea, as an open and democratic event for talking about design from different perspectives and highlighting its capacity to interrelate different techniques, open to designers and brands, and integrating all sectors and areas. And although Madrid is not a leading city in the field of design and is located on certain tangents, I believe that it is precisely on these design tangents where the most surprising ideas are often found. With designers from all over the world, good transportation infrastructure and with a wide range of cultural activities, the city has an increasing number of initiatives that help create a living ecosystem and make design an active part of the city throughout the year.
What influence has the World Design Capital of Valencia had on the Madrid Design Festival and where is the new edition headed?
The idea of the festival is to build bridges. In this case with Barcelona, the capital of design par excellence in our country, through the Barcelona Design Week; and with Valencia WDC22, as a recognition that makes the economic and cultural activity of a region visible whose main essence lies in creativity and the more artisanal component. For the next edition, we want to continue being the link between brands and companies to develop long-term projects that are committed to redesigning the world.
Although the design industry has always been closely linked to Barcelona and Valencia, for many years it has become increasingly visible in Madrid through events such as the Madrid Design Festival. How is this Valencia-Barcelona-Madrid triangle working? Does it already represent a point of maturity and culture for design in our country?
It is an interesting triangle, but we must not forget about other cities that are developing and making powerful strides with a strong network of designers from all fields and origins, such as Malaga, Seville, Coruña, Bilbao... and I would also point out surprising rural contexts, designers, architects and artisans working on global projects from the "Connected Countryside", such as Loja and its surrounding area in Granada, Allariz in Galicia, or Olot and Bañolas in Catalonia.
From your experience as a spokesperson, how is it possible to use the university/company collaboration to make new talents aware of the fact that there is a future in Spain and there is no need to emigrate to places like Italy or Scandinavia? What stage is this university-company pairing at? Is the collaboration between both sectors sufficient?
There is still a long way to go, companies and entrepreneurs are largely unknown in Spain and universities have historically been somewhat removed from society. It's a matter of breaking this negative circle as soon as possible and understanding that integrating the company into training processes is essential in order to provide knowledge about the new structures and work processes, and to promote entrepreneurial drive. The most interesting phenomenon in recent years is the training and dissemination role of companies, which have realised that it is no longer a matter of simply communicating, but of disseminating and spreading knowledge to professionals and the general public.
What point has been reached with the "Marca España" initiative, both within and beyond the Spanish borders?
In the "Atlas of the Culture of Design in Spain" research project, which I have been working on for two years together with the Madrid Design Festival and the Ministry of Culture, the progress made in our knowledge of the evolution and impact of design on people's lives is clear, which shows that Spain has arrived late to the party, but is making quick progress. But despite the success, exaltation and admiration for Spanish design outside our borders, the projects are individual and not connected to one another through a common identity or narrative thread of what design in Spain means today.
How can the Design Network of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum (FMRE) help to introduce a philosophy of teamwork into our DNA and disseminate Spanish design within and beyond the Spanish borders?
The Design Network of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum (FMRE) is making slow yet steady and decisive progress, and the first to speak about the transformation of their brands through strategic design are the 140 brands that it consists of. Projects such as the Observatory of Design and Brand X Design, together with Valencia WDC22 and the national "Pacto por el Diseño" (pact for design), promote dissemination and demonstrate how sharing knowledge is learning how to learn. An essential contemporary manifestation to help us move forward towards the future in better conditions.
About our Privacy Policy and personal data processing
This Privacy Policy explains what types of personal data ACTIU collects from its clients, contacts, suppliers, collaborators and candidates for job offers, why it collects said data and for what purposes. By way of definition, personal data is any information that can be used to identify a specific (natural) person. The personal data that you are going to provide us will be incorporated into a file owned by our company for the purposes and in the terms set forth below.
This processing is subject to REGULATION (EU) 2016/679 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation), as well as ORGANIC LAW 3/2018, of December 5, on the Protection of Personal Data and guarantee of digital rights and its implementing regulations, in the event that said data refers to Spanish citizens.
Data Controller
The Data Controller responsible for processing your personal data is ACTIU BERBEGAL Y FORMAS, S.A. (ACTIU).
Address: Parque Tecnológico Actiu, Autovía CV-80, salida Onil-Castalla, 03420 Castalla (Alicante).
Company Tax Code: A03137874..
Telephone: +34 966 560 700
You can contact the Data Protection Officer for any questions related to the processing of your personal data at: lopd@actiu.com
What types of personal data does ACTIU collect?
ACTIU collects the data that is strictly necessary to manage the relationships established with its clients, contacts, suppliers and collaborators. In any case, the data collected will be adequate and not excessive for the purpose for which it is processed, and it will be processed fairly and lawfully, and with due care.
The type of information that we could collect will depend on the type of relationship that ACTIU establishes with each user. In general, the most common categories are the following:
Purposes of personal data processing. Why do we need your personal data?
If we collect your personal data, we may need it for various reasons and depending on ACTIU's activities, including the following:
The personal data that you provide through the forms enabled on the website or any other means of contact will be processed in order to respond to your questions and requests. When necessary, we will send your request internally to the corresponding department for it to be managed correctly.
We will use your data to send you communications of interest if you have subscribed to our newsletter, communication of events, offers or any other type of service provided by ACTIU.
The personal data that you provide when you maintain a relationship as an ACTIU client will be processed for the following purposes: client management, product sales, order processing, compliance with tax and accounting obligations, sending quality surveys and communications of interest. In this regard, this group of data subjects also includes the data that is provided of contact persons at companies that is necessary to maintain the relationship.
Lawfulness: The legal basis for the processing of your data is the existence of a contractual relationship and ACTIU's legitimate interest in sending you communications of interest in relation to its sales prospecting activity to generate new business opportunities and customer loyalty, as well as to improve its services.
The personal data that you provide us with when you maintain collaborative relationships and/or as an ACTIU supplier will be processed for the general management of suppliers (registration of suppliers, management of contracts, orders and payments, etc.), for compliance with tax and accounting obligations, and to maintain a database of contacts for future contracts and/or collaborations.
Legal standing: The legal basis for the processing of your data is the existence of a contractual relationship.
The personal data that you provide us with when you sign up for a contest or event will be processed to manage the event (registrations, participation, voting, giveaways, event logistics, publication of information and images and related activities), and to send information related to the event or communications about future events and activities of interest. Keep in mind that, if you register to participate in an event, ACTIU may share basic information about the participants (name, company and email address) with other participants in the same event for the purposes of communication, exchange of ideas and networking.
Legal standing: The legal basis for the processing of your data is the consent that you give us when you register for the contest or event and ACTIU's legitimate interest in keeping you informed in regards thereto.
In these cases, a specific Privacy Policy may be established depending on each event, which you will be informed of at the time of registration.
ACTIU may invite you to participate in questionnaires and surveys. These questionnaires and surveys will generally be designed in such a way that they can be answered without adding any personal data. If, despite this, you include any personal data in a questionnaire or survey, ACTIU may use it to improve its products and services.
Legal standing: The legal basis for the processing of your data is the consent that you give us when you complete the survey or questionnaire and ACTIU's legitimate interest in improving its products and services.
To access the facilities of the ACTIU GROUP companies, we may request that you identify yourself in the visitor log. The purpose of the processing of your data is to control visitors and manage external personnel who access the buildings.
Legal standing: The legal basis for the processing of your data is ACTIU's legitimate interest in controlling access to its facilities and their security.
ACTIU has closed-circuit video surveillance cameras. The purpose of processing your image is the video surveillance and security of its facilities.
Legal standing: The legal basis for the processing of your data is ACTIU's legitimate interest in protecting the security of our facilities.
The data that you provide us when you apply for a job offer or when you send us a curriculum vitae (CV), will be processed for the following purposes:
Legal standing: The legal basis for the processing of your data is your own consent, which is granted by sending your resume and accepting the privacy conditions
At ACTIU we will process your personal data with strict confidentiality, promising to keep it secret and guaranteeing the duty to protect it, adopting all the necessary measures to prevent its alteration, inappropriate loss, unauthorised processing or access, misuse, access, disclosure or destruction, in accordance with the legal obligations that apply to us as the controllers of your personal data. To protect this personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry best practices.
Data retention
The data will be kept, in the case of clients or suppliers and their employees, for the duration of the contractual relationship and, subsequently, during the legal terms established by law for the prescription of contractual obligations, as well as for issues related to accounting and tax legislation. In all other cases, the data will be kept based on the conditions established for its collection, for the amount of time that is required to achieve the purpose for which it has been processed or until you withdraw your consent, object to the use of the data or inform us of your wish to erase it from our database.
In the case of images captured by our video surveillance systems, said images will be kept for a maximum period of one month.
In the case of sound, video and other image recordings, they may be kept for educational, informational and/or promotional reasons (internally and externally) for a longer period of time, especially if they have been published on portals, networks or other media. In such case, the personal data will be restricted to that which is strictly necessary for the maintenance of said information.
Disclosure
We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you violate our terms of service.
When your consent is required to communicate your personal data to third parties, in the data collection forms we will inform you of the purpose of the processing, of the data to be communicated as well as the identity or sectors of activity of the possible recipients of your personal data.
Data processing by third parties
We inform you that ACTIU's service providers may have access to your data when necessary for the management of the services provided or contractual relationships established with ACTIU, as well as for the maintenance of its systems (financial entities, data storage, computer support and systems maintenance, and legal, tax or accounting consulting services). Some of these companies could be located outside the European Union, so we will make sure that these providers comply with the guarantee requirements demanded by the applicable regulations on the protection of personal data. If you wish to request information about the providers with access to your data, you can contact us at lopd@actiu.com.
In the event that you contact us through one of our forms, either to request information of any kind or to purchase any of our products or services, in order to answer your questions or analyse your needs in a personalised way, we can answer you directly or through the members of our network of distributors or collaborators in your place of residence.
All the entities referred to in this section will use this data for the same purposes and subject to the same conditions specified in this Privacy Policy.
ACTIU undertakes to maintain the confidentiality of the personal data provided, as well as to apply the security measures provided for in Spanish and European regulations, and to require third parties to whom the data is communicated to adopt identical measures.
Location of the information
All personal data related to the organisation and management of events is stored in computer apps and on secure servers, as well as in specific electronic folders accessible only to authorised persons. ACTIU's systems and servers are password protected and require an authorised username and password to access them. The information is stored securely to safeguard the confidentiality and privacy of the data it contains. Paper documents are kept in secure cabinets or files.
Likewise, all persons who handle personal data within ACTIU sign a declaration of confidentiality.
User rights
Your rights as a user in relation to the personal data that you have provided us with (commonly known as ARCO-POL rights) are the following:
These rights differ depending on the local data protection laws in each country, state or territory. However, they may include more or fewer of the above rights.
If you believe that ACTIU is not processing your personal data in accordance with the requirements specified in this Privacy Policy or in the applicable data protection legislation, you can file a claim with the Spanish data protection authorities (Spanish Data Protection Agency).
Links to other websites
Our website or any of our social media postings may contain links to websites outside of our company. In these cases, ACTIU is not responsible for the privacy policies or the content of such sites. We recommend carefully reading the privacy conditions of such websites and social networks.
Changes to the Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time and without prior notice, especially due to possible changes in legislation, case law or the criteria used by the competent authority or the Spanish Data Protection Agency, therefore we recommend visiting this policy frequently. Changes and clarifications will take effect immediately after their publication on the website. If we make material changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated.
Questions and contact information
For any questions or concerns, you can contact us through any of our available communication channels.
However, to exercise your ARCO-POL rights or to register a complaint, you can contact our DPO at lopd@actiu.com, or by postal mail to ACTIU BERBEGAL Y FORMAS, S.A., Parque Tecnologico Actiu, Autovia CV.80 - Salida Onil-Castalla P.O.BOX, 11, 03420 Castalla (Alicante).
Cookies Policy
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JOB SELECTION PROCESSES
Deletion period
The data will be kept for a maximum period of 2 years from its incorporation into our database or from its last update or modification carried out or requested by the candidate, being subsequently deleted or disabled on our servers to the extent that the security and data management system so allows it. We inform you that you can update or modify your resume in our database at any time by re-entering it or by notifying us in writing.
Data processing by third parties
We inform you that ACTIU's service providers may have access to your data when necessary for the management of the services provided or contractual relationships established with ACTIU, as well as for the maintenance of its systems (data storage, computer support and systems maintenance, legal, tax or accounting consulting services, travel agencies or travel companies). Some of these companies could be located outside the European Union, so we will make sure that these providers comply with the warranty requirements demanded by the applicable regulations on the protection of personal data. If you wish to request information about the providers with access to your data, you can contact us at lopd@actiu.com.
All the entities referred to in this section will use this data for the same purposes and subject to the same conditions specified in this Privacy Policy.
ACTIU undertakes to maintain the confidentiality of the personal data provided, as well as to apply the security measures provided for in Spanish and European regulations, and to require third parties to whom the data is communicated to adopt identical measures.
Acceptance of the Privacy Policy
The submission of your resume or your candidacy for any position published on our website implies that you have read, understood and accept ACTIU's Privacy Policy, giving your consent for Actiu to process and transfer your personal data according to the conditions indicated in this Policy. For this purpose, if you use our web portal, you must mark the acceptance option prior to sending your resume and/or application. In the event of submission or remittance by other means, this Privacy Policy will apply to you, hereby informing you that you can exercise your rights as described in the "User rights" section.
We inform you that your refusal to provide the required data or your non-consent to its use in accordance with this policy will prevent us from managing your request.
For Data Controller, Purposes of personal data processing, User Rights and Changes to the Privacy Policy, we refer to the general part of the ACTIU Privacy Policy.
Date of last update: February 2023