Recently, in a meeting with the person of contact at one of the foundations we collaborate with in Globalvia, during which we were brainstorming the best way to accommodate different volunteer initiatives, this person asked me, “Cristina, what exactly do you do at Globalvia?”

Ready to repeat the corporate speech, I began, “At Globalvia, we manage transportation infrastructure and mobility services. We are present in twelve countries, and…”

She stopped me right there and interrupted, saying, “OK, I know that, I meant in a deeper sense, genuinely, what would you say is Globalvia’s raison d’être?”

At that moment, I paused, remembering the wonderful exercise we had completed as a team a few years ago during the Globalvia rebranding process, and I proudly replied that what we do is connect people with their possibilities. This beautiful claim, of course, required a more detailed explanation, with further context so as not to remain empty words.

So, I went on to tell her, “Connecting people with their possibilities” at Globalvia involves making easier the day-to-day of our infrastructure’s users, helping them reach their destination, commute, go to university, meet with their family, visit the neighbouring town… It often involves reducing travel time compared to alternative routes; building bridges between tourist and industrial areas in different regions; fostering the development of neighbouring communities that, thanks to our assets, enjoy faster and more direct access; and contributing to the development of communities as drivers of employment by prioritising the hiring of local people.

The important thing here is to remember, and I invite you to reflect on this, that each of us, as part of the organisation, as cogs in a machine, contribute to actually making the claim “We connect people with their possibilities” meaningful and happen. Although sometimes we may not see the forest for the trees, especially when we are sitting in front of our computer at the office every day. Perhaps keeping this mantra in mind will help us stay focused.

It is a focal point that, in the Globalvia CSR teams, is a little easier for us to keep in mind on a daily basis due to having a more comprehensive view of all the social initiatives promoted and carried out by the Group’s various companies and which, definitively, help and contribute to social well-being: programmes that focus on the education and well-being of children with few resources; initiatives that promote environmentally responsible practices through waste collection, planting and reforestation; protocols that contribute to the care and rescue of wild and domestic animals that live near our assets; and actions that raise awareness and promote road safety among both our direct users and society. This, in addition to the support provided to local initiatives that drive the communities’ economic development and, of course, the long-term collaboration with social entities that strive to build more inclusive and equal societies by helping the groups most in need.

All this to tell you that when we talk about promoting the development of the communities where we operate, we do not mention it because it is a great news story, but because we truly believe that supporting society is also a strategic part of our business.

Finding purpose in what we do on a daily basis can sometimes be difficult, which is why I invite you to remember this opinion piece when you feel like you have lost focus on what you do in the organisation. I also encourage you to keep this in mind the next time someone asks what your company does and you become tempted to answer as I did at my meeting.

Let’s continue giving our best every day, with the aim of providing the best service to the people who choose us. May we all be able to proudly say that at Globalvia, we connect people with their possibilities, because at Globalvia, we transform.
We transform journeys into opportunities, roads into connections and infrastructure into driving forces of development. And we do so with purpose, convinced that every decision, every project and every gesture contributes to building a more connected and sustainable world.

So the next time someone asks you what we do at Globalvia, do not hesitate: we should proudly say, “We connect people with their possibilities”. And that, together, we not only change the world a little: we genuinely change it.

 Cristina Prieto Rizo – Communication and CSR Manager at Globalvia