11 March 2026
Madrid
Clara Fontán, Director of Intelligence and Operations at Corporate Excellence, received the first prize; María Porta, Director of Talent, Communication and CSR at Globalvia, was awarded the runner-up prize of a 60% tuition bursary; and Teresa Sanjurjo, Director of the Princesa de Asturias Foundation, received the prize for an outstanding professional career.
The Women and Leadership Award held the gala for its fourth edition on 11 March at the Arrupe Campus of Deusto Business School in Madrid.
With the support of the Cinco Días newspaper and Banco Santander, these awards aim to recognise professional women with high potential to advance in their careers through education. Winners are offered the opportunity to enrol in any of the executive programmes of their choice at Deusto Business School.
The jury, composed of Almudena Eizaguirre, Director General of Deusto Business School (President), Ricardo de Querol, Deputy Director of El País and Director of Cinco Días, Carlos Prieto, Regional Director for the Basque Country at Banco Santander, Manuel López Donaire, President of Delaviuda Confectionery Group, Marta Beltrán, Director of ADEFAM, and Mercedes Oblanca, President of Accenture Spain and Portugal and winner of the previous edition’s Career Achievement Award, agreed to award the first prize of this fourth edition to Clara Fontán, Director of Intelligence and Operations at Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation Leadership.
The prize was awarded in recognition of her outstanding professional career, commitment to innovation and organisational transformation, and inspirational leadership in developing diverse and sustainable teams. Her ability to drive projects with social impact, along with her example of excellence and strategic vision, fully reflects the values promoted by this award. Clara Fontán received her award from Ricardo de Querol, Deputy Director of Cinco Días.
For her part, María Porta, winner of the runner-up prize, received her award from Miguel López Valverde, Regional Director for the Basque Country at Banco Santander.
María Porta was chosen by the jury for her outstanding professional career, her ability to lead with integrity and empathy, and her contribution to promoting female talent in demanding business environments.
The third of the award winners at the ceremony was Teresa Sanjurjo, Director of the Princesa de Asturias Foundation. Sanjurjo was chosen for her exemplary representation of the values that inspire both the award and the educational project of Deusto Business School, having carried out highly significant work in promoting the universal values of excellence, dialogue, international cooperation, and service to others. Her career embodies the principles of humanistic leadership, showing that it is possible to lead with humility, inspire through authenticity, and create impact through integrity. In short, Teresa Sanjurjo serves as a model of leadership aligned with the values of Deusto Business School, providing an example for other women in their professional careers.
In her case, Teresa Sanjurjo received her award from Mercedes Oblanca, President of Accenture for Spain and Portugal, who was the winner of the previous edition of the award in the same category for established professional women and serves as an example for new generations.
All three winners delivered moving speeches to the large audience, in which they thanked the organisers and highlighted the importance of female role models who can serve as a guiding light in the professional development of other women
The event was opened by the Dean of Deusto Business School, Macarena Cuenca, who emphasised that we are living through a period of profound change, where global challenges, from sustainability to the technological revolution, demand a new way of leading. It is no longer enough to manage; you have to inspire. In this context, women’s leadership is not just a matter of equity but of strategic excellence.
The closing speech was delivered by Director General Almudena Eizaguirre. In her address, she emphasised that in the Executive Education area of the University of Deusto Business School, “we do not only teach finance, strategy or technology. Our true focus is on Humanistic Leadership,” she stated.
The awards ceremony concluded with a performance by the Sierra Leonean singer-songwriter and activist Anthony Seydu Zachariah Jalloh, known as Seydu. His personal story is as inspiring as his music. He discovered his craft thanks to his grandfather, who taught him to make instruments from recycled materials—a survival luthier able to draw magic from almost anything. Meanwhile, from his mother Fatmata Jalloh, he learned the subtlety of Fullah Mandinga songs. Both experiences helped shape his identity.
The «diamond war» left thousands of child soldiers homeless, the result of one of the most savage recruitments. Seydu has left a mark not only on music but also on the lives of many of these children. In 2004, he founded the NGO Diamond Child School of Arts and Culture, a workshop-school in Freetown for war orphans, amputees, and former combatants.
Seydu encouraged this «back to school» for those children who had grown up with brutality as the norm, facing genuine difficulties integrating into civilian society. They swapped the Kalashnikov for a guitar. Seydu uses music and education as a tool for healing and social reintegration.
Seydu's performance was followed by a networking cocktail party, but not before announcing the opening of the fifth edition of the Women and Leadership Award.
