«I don’t think seeing a female manager is something extraordinary. In this organization, it simply is not. The one who talks to LA RAZÓN on the other end of the phone is Begoña de BenitoDirector of External Relations and Customer Value Development at Ecoembes. She is part of the 70% of women who make up the company’s Management Committee, a figure that doubles the national average. Only between 34.4% and 37.3% of management positions in Spain are occupied by women.
De Benito manages one of the most complex aspects of the organization: the dialogue with part of the public administration and with companies, the entity’s clients. With 13 years in the house, he continually confirms how the management leadership of some sectors continues to be traditionally masculinized: “The normality of 2026 is not that of Ecoembes,” he points out. «In addition, at the national level data has been given certain decline in parity of management positions by 2025 in relation to 2024. With which, I think we do stand out.
The key? «I see the reality of Ecoembes as a natural consequence of betting on talent and diversity of views, regardless of their gender. Here, men and women compete on equal terms. It’s that basic. The organization in charge of recycling the waste that we deposit in the yellow and blue containers has a staff of about 180 people. 58.20% are women and 41.80% are men. According to De Benito, being a “responsible and equitable” company gives them “authority” and essential “credibility” to coordinate their collaboration ecosystem.
Regarding how they have achieved this, he points out that “this issue of female leadership is not an issue of quotas. Regulations to promote parity in companies are necessary, but not sufficient on their own. What really makes the difference are the internal policies that allow talent to shine on equal terms.” And “saying that talent has no gender only makes sense if it is translated into practices and guarantees within the organization,” he adds. Wheat PinkCEO at the helm from 2023.
“We work with a clear framework to ensure that internal processes such as selection, promotion or remuneration are based on objective criteria,” he adds. Both Equality Plans (one in force since 2018 and the other with objectives for the 2022-2026 period) include monitoring, training and conciliation measures that “help everyone develop professionally under equal conditions.”
With a PhD in Chemical Sciences, the CEO has 25 years in the entity and has worked in areas such as innovation or management of treatment plants. “When I started, the presence of women was also lower in technical positions,” she points out. At that time, the Steering Committee was an almost exclusively male environment: There was only one woman among ten members. Today, that figure has been reversed to reach the current six women and four men. «The organization has been growing and has become professional. Over time, female talent has been organically gaining presence at all levels, including decision-making,” she explains. “That makes me proud, and it is because women have worked hard to make it so,” she claims.
Teresa Gallastegui It is, in part, responsible for making equality policies work. Director of People and Organization since 2015, she has managed the growth of the workforce of a company in which 71% of female managers have been promoted from within. But “policies without culture do not work,” which is why “we have made high-level executive development programs available to all women in the company to provide them with the necessary tools for leadership.”
For her, the most important thing about diverse leadership is that they set an example: “When people in the company see that development is possible and that being a woman does not make it difficult to assume responsibilities, you send the best internal message.” Furthermore, “betting on them is not only a matter of social responsibility, but also an intelligent business strategy.” In his experience, “more diverse teams go further and are more creative.”
Isabel Agúndezdirector of the Financial Department, introduces an especially clear reading from the business logic: “Diversity enriches any opinion, any project and, therefore, the companies.” In a competitive environment, where the quality of decisions makes the difference, “incorporating different views of gender, training or experience allows us to address challenges with greater solvency.”
He knows this because he has been working for more than a quarter of a century for a place that “has nothing to do with the beginnings,” he points out, thanks to the implementation of “many conciliation policies,” such as “more flexible schedules that allow each family to adapt to their needs or a special teleworking package.” They also offer medical advantages, courses, mental health programs, prevention and “infinity” of measures aimed at comprehensive well-being.
Every year, the organization is certified as Family Responsible Company (EFR)consolidating “a model based on the fact that people are above everything and are our main value,” summarizes Agúndez. This has contributed to Ecoembes being recognized as one of the best companies to work for in Spain by Great Place to Work for 13 consecutive years.
«Here we understand that The man has the same responsibility in the family as the woman», he declares, and «the conciliation measures are extended to all employees, regardless of their sex or gender», adds Gallastegui. This avoids the stigma that flexibility is for women, allowing them not to have to choose between their career and their personal life.
This approach, transferred to the business field, contributes to normalizing more equitable and sustainable professional trajectories over time. The case of Ecoembes in Spain demonstrates that, when committed to a stable framework of labor relations based on equal opportunities and meritparity stops being a challenge and becomes the norm, the glass ceiling dissolves on its own and talent, regardless of its gender, finds its way to reach the top.