EU Business News- European CEO of the Year Awards 2025 AIM-Jun25141 Sustainable Manufacturing CEO of the Year 2025 (Spain): Coral Erum Q. Tell us more about Erum Group, the work you do, and the types of clients with whom you work. What is your area of expertise and what are your values and goals? A. I am the co-CEO of Erum Group and its director of strategy and corporate governance. I have more than 15 years of experience in sustainability, circular economy, and innovation and technology. I along with a choice few others, have led the international expansion of the Group, strengthening key alliances and consolidating our global presence. Erum Group is today a world leader in sustainable plastic injection solutions, circular economy/waste management, and environmental consulting. Our products and services are present in sectors as diverse as retail, automotive, road safety, household, logistics, and energy, amongst others. Backed by 85 years of history, Erum Group comprises numerous independent companies united for a larger purpose: leadership in industrial sustainability. Today, the Group operates atop such impressive statistics as an international presence in 96 countries, 3,000 employees spread across five continents, and 22 production plants. Now into its fourth generation, Erum Group is spearheaded by four members of the founding Erum family, including Coral Erum. On the back of her recognition with this award, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Coral for an in-depth interview. We are driven by a clear purpose: to generate a positive environmental and social impact through resilient and innovative solutions integrated throughout the value chain of our customers. We are committed to building a sustainable legacy for future generations. Q. Talk us through your previous roles and how you came to achieve your position as co-CEO. How have you used your experience to succeed? A. I grew up within Erum Group. After graduating in business administration from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, with a specialisation in industrial engineering and a master’s degree in senior management and family governance, I officially joined the company, starting in more operational areas. Later, I assumed the leadership of our implementation in Asian markets, which allowed me to know the business in great depth, understand the people who make it up, and connect directly with the needs of our customers. In addition, throughout my career I have complemented training with various programmes in advanced injection moulding techniques, innovation in materials and nanotechnology, new technologies, operational processes, methodology, and communication. All of this learning was key to assuming the role of co-CEO with a strategic, human, and global vision, which has allowed me to anticipate challenges, build solid teams, and make decisions from a perspective of sustainability, profitability, and purpose. I currently lead a team of over 1,600 people directly, united by a shared purpose: to drive sustainability, technological development, and alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). I promote initiatives focused on environmental sustainability, good corporate governance, and social and solidarity actions, with a clear emphasis on energy efficiency, responsible innovation, and emissions reduction. Q. How do you approach new projects and ensure they are seamlessly carried out from beginning and to end? And how do you build relationships with clients? A. We approach each project through active listening, understanding the client’s challenges in depth. We work collaboratively with our clients – betting on lasting relationships based on trust, transparency, and shared value – as seen through our solutions being delivered on a one-to-one basis. We have our own production, a multidisciplinary technical team, and a solid know-how that allows us to guarantee traceability, quality, and efficiency in each phase of the process. The experience accumulated in sectors such as engineering provides us with a structured and rigorous vision, which we apply to the design of optimised and sustainable solutions. Furthermore, working in an international and multicultural environment, in countries such as India, Morocco, and Turkey, has allowed us to develop key skills such as adaptability, intercultural empathy, and the ability to manage complexity in diverse contexts – enriching our way of leading global projects. Q. Tell us about Erum Group’s ongoing strategy. What techniques do you employ to ensure you achieve it? A. Our strategy focuses on three pillars: sustainable innovation, internationalisation, and talent development. To achieve this, we implement agile methodologies, use data intelligence, and promote strategic alliances that allow us to adapt with agility to market changes and stay ahead of the curve. Thanks to a strong operational architecture and the application of advanced engineering principles, we are able to scale our solutions efficiently, ensure end-to-end traceability, and optimise production processes. This technical integration not only boosts internal efficiency, but also enhances our ability
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