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Tags: Rafael del Pino, Royal Academy of Engineering of Spain
Rafael del Pino invested as Numerary Member of the Royal
Academy of Engineering of Spain
Madrid, 16 December 2014. At a solemn event held at the Royal Academy of Engineering of
Spain, Rafael del Pino, who is Chairman of Ferrovial and holds a civil engineering degree from
the Technical University of Madrid, was invested a Numerary Member of the Academy, with a
lecture entitled "Twenty years of engineering in the internationalisation of Spanish business".
The newly-appointed Numerary Member was welcomed by Javier Rui-Wamba Martija, a fellow
civil engineer who is also Member of the Royal Academy.
In his inaugural lecture to his new Royal Academy of Engineering colleagues, Rafael del Pino
noted that "in barely 20 years, Spain has become a strong investor, ranking among the world
leaders in this connection, alongside such countries as the UK, Germany and Canada. The
increase in Spanish investment in other countries goes hand in hand with, and is partly the
result of, the notable transformation and economic growth experienced by Spain in that period.”
Ferrovial's chairman also paid tribute to the generations of engineers who combined "extensive
technical expertise with great skill in business". "These engineers played a decisive role in
developing public works in Spain and created companies that have become global leaders in
their fields", he added.
During his inaugural lecture, Rafael del Pino referred to the internationalisation of infrastructure
companies, noting that "we have grasped the need to further internationalise our activity, and I
would go so far as to predict that, even when domestic demand recovers, companies will
continue to focus on further conquering the international market.”
Del Pino highlighted the main milestones of Ferrovial's history, from its inception in 1952 to its
most recent projects in Texas, which were inaugurated ahead of schedule and within budget.
"The experience obtained abroad, in developing engineering and construction projects,
estimating traffic, managing tolls and funding greenfield projects, is the cornerstone of the
company's future development.”
He concluded by underscoring their duty as academicians to "ensure that Spain continues to
produce new generations of quality engineers so that our growth potential continues to expand
going forward.”
At the end of the investiture ceremony, the President of the Royal Academy of Engineering,
Elías Fereres, presented Del Pino with the medal and diploma accrediting his appointment.
Said Fereres: "in its role as a think tank at the service of engineering, engineers and Spanish
society, the Royal Academy of Engineering is doubly fortunate to have a professional of the
calibre of Rafael del Pino. Firstly, because he is at heart a civil engineer, and secondly, because
of his track-record at the helm of Ferrovial, after graduating from MIT Sloan School of
Management.” Fereres also noted that "Del Pino is the best example of a new style of engineers
in which the Royal Academy is interested—engineers who combine technical knowledge with
business skills.” A clear example is Ferrovial, the company founded by engineer and
entrepreneur Rafael del Pino y Moreno, to whom the Academy pays tribute for his role in the
modern history of Spain, and whose outstanding track record is being continued by the newlyappointed Academician, with the result that Ferrovial is a prime international example of
engineering and the work of Spanish engineers.
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Academician Javier Rui-Wamba referred explicitly to civil engineers, “a profession to which both
Rafael and I belong, but we cannot ignore the many other branches of engineering and
architecture that comprise our Royal Academy.” According to Rui-Wamba, "Engineering is a
profession of nomads which is incompatible with geographic or intellectual sedentarism. In
engineering, as in life, one must move and evolve. And Ferrovial is a paradigm in this respect.”
Rui-Wamba added: "Its capacity to evolve has been decisive. Darwin could explain it very well if
he were with us.”
Last year, Spain's Royal Academy of Engineering voted unanimously to grant the Academiae
Dilecta 2013 award to Ferrovial in recognition of its position as a Spanish engineering firm that
is a global leader in transport infrastructure and services for cities. On that occasion, the
Academy also praised Ferrovial's achievements in recent decades in modernising and updating
Spain's most important infrastructure.
About Ferrovial
Ferrovial, a leading global operator of infrastructure and cities, is committed to developing
sustainable solutions. The company has 65,000 employees and a presence in over 25 countries.
Its main business areas are: Services, Toll Roads, Construction and Airports. It is a member of
Spain's blue-chip IBEX 35 index and is also included in prestigious sustainability indices such as
the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and FTSE4Good.
About the Royal Academy of Engineering
The mission of the Royal Academy of Engineering of Spain (RAI) is to promote quality and
competency in Spanish engineering and to foster study, research, innovation, debate and the
dissemination of techniques and their scientific and social basis. The Academy is a very active
institution which is developing a new model of Academy focused on creating value for Spanish
society by placing itself at the service of its institutions, universities and companies.