21 October 2025
San Sebastian Campus
Deusto Business Alumni, in collaboration with BBVA, held a meeting on Tuesday, 21 October in San Sebastian to discuss how data intelligence has become an essential tool for transforming customer relations and offering more personalised, agile and relevant experiences. Under the title "Data intelligence in the service of customers", the event brought together representatives from leading companies across various sectors, who shared their experiences and strategies on advanced analytics and intelligent information management. The session was opened by Maider Dorronsoro, Board Member of Deusto Business Alumni, who welcomed participants and highlighted “the importance of data as a strategic asset for organisations”. In her words, “the ability to interpret, analyse, and transform them into useful knowledge is today a key driver of innovation and, above all, for delivering more personalised, agile, and relevant experiences to customers”. Dorronsoro also underlined the objective of creating a space for reflection and exchange of experiences between professionals and companies from different sectors, "who are leading this transformation based on data intelligence".
Following her remarks, she introduced Marta Alonso, Director of BBVA’s Northern Region. Alonso opened her remarks by thanking Deusto Business Alumni and all attendees for their participation. She emphasised that events like this provide an opportunity to reflect on the role data intelligence is playing in transforming organisations and creating value for customers. As she explained, “if there is one thing that truly defines transformation, it is the ability to generate, analyse, and use data to deliver real value”. In this regard, she noted that data intelligence has become a key driver of transformation, capable of anticipating needs, fostering innovation, and building lasting relationships with customers. As an example of this commitment, Marta Alonso highlighted the BBVA app, which integrates artificial intelligence and data analytics to offer each user a personalised experience tailored to their financial needs. She also spoke about ADA, BBVA’s comprehensive platform, whose name stands for Analytics, Data, AI (Artificial Intelligence). It is a global data platform, cloud-native on Amazon Web Services (AWS), which has enabled the unification of all the group’s information and the management of over 40,000 daily processes. Alonso emphasised that this progress is the result of work carried out since 2019 by multiple teams within the organisation, with the aim of being prepared to offer the best solutions to customers while ensuring security and protection against potential future threats.
The event featured Cayetano Gea-Carrasco, Global Head of the Analytics Transformation Unit at BBVA; Daniel Domínguez, Director of Advanced Analytics at Euskaltel / MásOrange; Imanol Torres, Head of Data Governance and Advanced Analytics at Eroski; and Jesús López Lobo, Head of Artificial Intelligence at Faes Farma. The session was moderated by José Luis González Pernía, Professor of the Department of Management at Deusto Business School.
The shift towards a data-driven culture
The debate began with the question of when companies recognised the strategic importance of turning data into intelligence. Daniel Domínguez explained that, in the case of Euskaltel / MásOrange, “six years ago we committed to Google and started building a data layer that has allowed us to integrate information within a single environment. Today, we have over 300 analysts and a robust structure that enables us to generate value from data”.
For his part, Imanol Torres noted that the major leap at Eroski came in 2012, “when we strategically deepened our relationship with customers through the creation of Eroski Club and the first advanced marketing tools”.
From Faes Farma, Jesús López Lobo acknowledged that “until recently it was not a priority, but we have realised the need to bring order and structure. In 2025, our goal will be precisely to organise the data in order to use it effectively”.
In the case of BBVA, Cayetano Gea-Carrasco emphasised that the process has been continuous and very rapid: “From the outset, we have relied on data intelligence as a strategic tool. Our interaction with users through the website and internal channels has allowed us to move towards systematised and automated processes”.
Alignment with business strategy
The speakers agreed that data intelligence must be fully integrated into companies’ overall strategy. For Imanol Torres, “if we want to offer more personalised proposals to customers, alignment between corporate strategy and the use of data is essential”.
In the same vein, Jesús López underlined that "our current challenge is to integrate SAP data with process data, so that we can later leverage it collectively”.
Meanwhile, Cayetano Gea-Carrasco stressed that at BBVA “everything is focused on personalisation and automation, which requires perfect alignment between business strategy and information management”.
Customer insight and new opportunities
Data analysis allows companies to better understand their customers and anticipate their needs. Jesús López explained that "thanks to analytics we have been able to identify improvements both in sales and in the selection of patients for clinical trials".
In the case of Eroski, Imanol Torres pointed out that "we have millions of customers and, thanks to the analysis of their shopping receipts, we can gain in-depth knowledge of their habits and segment them according to their interests. We currently work with up to 25 different segments”.
From Euskaltel, Daniel Domínguez added that “data analysis, such as call centre transcripts or information derived from router usage, always within privacy limits, allows us to better understand the customer and provide a more tailored service”.
Innovation, trends and talent
Data intelligence also drives innovation and the identification of new opportunities. Daniel Domínguez pointed out that "having an industrialised data environment allows us to generate new business units".
Imanol Torres mentioned that “the insight we have into our customers has helped us develop areas such as ready-made meals, which is currently one of the fastest-growing segments”.
According to Jesús López, “artificial intelligence is applied to specific processes, for example, in the promotion of over-the-counter medicines”.
Finally, Cayetano Gea-Carrasco noted that "digital payments and automated agents are transforming the way we interact with customers, and this is only just beginning”.
The role of talent and data ethics
At the panel discussion, the importance of talent and ethics in data management was also discussed. Imanol Torres emphasised that “artificial intelligence will be present in all professions, so education and training at all levels is essential”.
He also explained that Eroski has a dedicated customer relations team responsible for “humanising data and making visible the improvements that translate into a better experience for the consumer”.
Cayetano Gea-Carrasco, in turn, noted that “the leaders of the future will be those able to integrate artificial intelligence into existing processes,” adding that “talent is scarce, especially in Europe, where we need to strengthen specialised training”.
The event provided an opportunity to compare experiences across sectors as diverse as finance, retail, telecommunications, and the pharmaceutical industry, highlighting that intelligent data management is now a cross-cutting and decisive factor for business competitiveness.
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