Last June 1, the Official College of Commercial Agents of Barcelona celebrated a new edition of the COACB Awards that recognize the work of the commercial sector in Catalonia. The event, held in the Joan Miró Foundation Auditorium, was attended by various political representatives and Catalan civil and business society, among whom was Albert Castellanos, Secretary of Business and Competitiveness of the Generalitat from Catalonia; Josep Maria Vilarrúbia, Secretary General of the Department of Economy and Finance of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Jordi Torrades, Director of Commerce; Inmaculada Barral, general director of Law, Legal Entities and Mediation; Fabian Mohedano, president of the Catalan Vocational Training Council and Manel Vázquez, director of Commerce, Restaurants and Consumption of Barcelona City Council.
The event, conducted by the journalist Xavi Coral, began with a brief projection of the services, advantages and agreements highlighted during this last year, and with the welcome speech of the president of the COACB, Ricard Penas, who pointed out that "the agents commercials we are the first to detect how the economic environment is".
The winners of the 2023 edition were:
Trajectory Award
José Romero. Registered for more than 12 years and with 32 years of experience working in the Food sector where he knows the market thoroughly. During his career he has evolved, starting with self-sales, passing through pre-sales, being head of sales, commercial director and finally creating his own commercial representation business.
Innovation Award
Pedro Ramón Villarroya. Registered since 2019 with experience in the household goods, carpentry and drugstore sector. It stands out for its flexibility and innovation in techniques to adapt to its customers and for its constant search for ecological, sustainable products that respect the environment. In addition, it is a pioneer in having the EN71III and IBR certificates in Spain in the sector.
Company Award
YORUBA FOODS. Company in the Food sector that is dedicated to the import and distribution of African products in Spain and Europe. The award was given to member Jaume Obradors, co-founder of the company for his capacity and ability to create an international company with a network of clients that expands throughout Europe.
Young Professional Award
Gerard Morales. The novelty of the 2023 COACB Awards has been the creation of this new category aimed at members under the age of 35. The winning colleague has worked in different companies and positions until he ended up as an independent commercial, which has allowed him to be linked with one of the companies represented and dedicate himself to the creation of his own project: a renovation company oriented to the design of kitchens and bathrooms. Your capacity in the innovation and digitization of your project has been valued, which has favored the increase in the agility of orders and customer loyalty.
During the event, awards were also presented to colleagues who are celebrating 50 years of association this year: Carlos Campos Marques, Francisco Carrillo Mateo, Manuel Egea Llaneza, Enric Enrech Artal, Jesús Fernández Lavilla, Miquel Ibern Rivero , José Ramon Losa Montón, Miguel Morales Nuñez, Miguel Olmo Pardo, Francisco Javier Pozo Pujol, Licia Riccardo Papagni, Juan Marco Staheli Corral, Jose Sumalla Suñe and Josep Maria Vergés Prat.
Thanks to the sponsors of the Awards, attendees took part in the draw for three CEPSA fuel cards, valued at €100 each, courtesy of CEPSA; two ViaT gift vouchers valued at €150 each, courtesy of Saba Aparcaments, an iPad Air 64 GB tablet, and Bang&Olufsen headphones, courtesy of Banco Sabadell and a voucher for 4 people to travel by boat to any Barcelona-Balearic destination, courtesy of Trasmed of the Grimaldi Group.
The event ended with a cocktail in the North Patio of the Museum, with views of the city, live music by the duo Duo22 and magic shows.
Sponsors of the 2023 COACB Awards:
