The EDUCA EDTECH Foundation marks 8 March by highlighting in-house talent
On 6 March, the EDUCA EDTECH Foundation held an event to mark International Women’s Day under the title “Leadership with impact: talent, shared responsibility and the future”. This initiative encouraged participants to pause for a moment to reflect and recognise the talent that drives the day-to-day operations of the EDUCA EDTECH Group.
The proposal was based on a simple idea: to create a space for discussion where professionals from different fields could share their experiences, talk openly about their career progression within the organisation, and reflect on how leadership is developed in today’s context.
Rather than a round-table discussion, it was an open conversation about professional development, shared responsibility and team culture.
The talent driving the group’s growth
The event began with a speech by Viridiana López, director of the EDUCA EDTECH Foundation, who highlighted a statistic that reflects the organisation’s progress in recent years: currently, 55% of the leadership positions within the company are held by women.
Beyond the figure itself, she wanted to highlight the significance behind it: women who lead teams, drive projects forward and have become role models within the organisation.
“Today, 55% of the leadership positions in our company are held by women. This is not just a statistic: these women are role models and go-getters.”
— Viridiana López, Director of the EDUCA EDTECH Foundation
The roundtable was attended by professionals from various areas of the group, reflecting the diversity of profiles that drive its growth: Cristina Bullejos, Product Manager; Jennifer Contreras, Executive Operations Coordinator; Laura Rodríguez, Head of the Collections Team for Spain and Latin America; Sandra Vargas, SEO Manager at EDUCA EDTECH Group; and Noelia Arco, Manager of the Pedagogy Team.
Although they came from very different backgrounds, they all shared a common vision: leadership is built on experience, continuous learning and teamwork.
Leadership also means learning
Throughout the conversation, several key moments emerged that shaped the participants’ professional development. Jennifer Contreras recalled how one of the challenges that had the greatest impact on her career was taking on the role of coordinating a team entirely online.
That experience, which initially caused some uncertainty, ultimately turned out to be an opportunity for growth.
“Do it even if you’re scared, but do it.”
— Jennifer Contreras
The ability to adapt to change was also highlighted as one of the key skills in today’s environment. For Noelia Arco, the pace at which society and organisations are evolving makes it essential to develop a flexible mindset that is open to continuous learning.
From another perspective, Laura Rodríguez shared some thoughts on the value of one’s career path. Having spent more than a decade with the organisation, she explained that every experience — including her mistakes — has been a fundamental part of her development. Ultimately, every stage is part of the learning process.
Leading people: empathy, trust and responsibility
One of the messages that came up most frequently during the round-table discussion was that leadership is not just about managing tasks or results, but about supporting the people who make up the team.
In this regard, Cristina emphasised that, in environments where people from very diverse backgrounds work together, empathy becomes an essential skill for coordinating teams and moving towards common goals.
“There are certain skills that are essential for leading teams, and one of the most important is empathy.”
— Cristina Bullejos
Trust was another theme that ran through the conversation. For Laura Rodríguez, communication within a team only works when there is reciprocity: trusting others and creating an environment in which people can also trust their leader.
From the digital sphere, Sandra Vargas offered an interesting insight into the responsibility involved in leading teams. She explained that, very often, leaders are not fully aware of the influence they exert over the people they work with. Leadership involves listening, dedicating time and building relationships based on trust.
The challenge of sustainable leadership
Another issue that arose during the meeting was the need to build leadership that is sustainable over time, capable of striking a balance between professional responsibilities and personal life.
Jennifer Contreras pointed out that one of the keys lies in identifying where real value is added and accepting that it is not possible to cover everything.
“You have to ask yourself where you really add value. You can’t do everything.”
— Jennifer Contreras
Learning to prioritise, delegate and set boundaries is also part of the leadership process. In this regard, Cristina pointed out that there is often a tendency to try to take on all responsibilities alone. However, when responsibility is shared and trust is placed in the team, people feel part of the projects and can grow within the organisation.
Leading to expand opportunities
The discussion also provided an opportunity to reflect on the role organisations play in developing internal talent. Promoting training programmes, identifying potential and supporting people in their development are key aspects of building strong teams that are prepared for the future.
In this regard, Sandra Vargas highlighted the importance of committing to practical plans that enable internal talent to become key figures within the organisation itself.
“Leadership does not limit opportunities; it expands them.” — Sandra Vargas
An idea that sums up the spirit of the conversation well: leadership is not about occupying a position, but about creating opportunities so that others can also move forward.
A path we are continuing to build
The meeting concluded with some closing remarks from Viridiana López, who pointed out that, although significant progress has been made, there is still some way to go before balanced representation is achieved in many leadership roles.
In this context, he emphasised the importance of continuing to invest in talent, perseverance and collective learning.
Before concluding, she also wished to pay special tribute to those women who, often working behind the scenes, have played a vital leadership role in the lives of many people: mothers, grandmothers and aunts who have been examples of hard work, resilience and the ability to inspire.
Through initiatives such as this, the EDUCA EDTECH Foundation continues to create opportunities for dialogue that help to highlight internal role models, share lessons learnt and reinforce an organisational culture based on collaboration, talent development and shared growth.
