The country grows thanks to entrepreneurs.

Two sentences are enough to know that Javier Benavente (Vega de Tera, Zamora, 1957) does not yield to anything—“only when I am convinced”—and that he practices entrepreneurship: “When you bet strongly on something and persist, you eventually achieve it.” “In my life and as an entrepreneur, I have always done what I wanted.” He candidly admits to his stubbornness, behind which lies a loyal friend and healthy, strong personal ambition. He studied Economics and Business Administration at the Autonomous University of Madrid, and in 1985 founded the temporary employment agency Alta Gestión, the origin of HumanGroup. Twenty years later, as one of the leading human resources groups, with a workforce of 25,000 and nearly €300 million in revenue, it was acquired by Adecco. Meanwhile, in 1999 he began shaping Grupo Alares, which provides companies with work–family reconciliation services and established its own foundation in 2006. With the support of the European Commission and the Ministry of Health, he promoted the Foundation for Diversity in 2009. Since that year, he has chaired the Spanish Association of Personal Services Companies (AESP). Benavente is also a member of the CEOE board of directors.   Read the full interview