This week, we had the pleasure of speaking with Antonio Cendrero, CEO of Arriva Spain.

1. Tell us briefly about the history, mission, and values of the Arriva Group.

The company’s origins date back to 1938, when the Cowie family opened a second-hand motorcycle shop in Sunderland, United Kingdom. This humble beginning would eventually evolve into what is now the Arriva Group. Over the years, the business transformed and expanded into a leading multimodal passenger transport company operating in 11 European countries. Arriva offers regular and on-demand bus and coach services, trains, trams, waterbuses, shared bicycles, and a rail leasing company. Today, Arriva employs over 34,000 people and transports approximately 1.6 billion passengers annually. In Spain, we have a strong presence in interurban road transport, particularly in the Madrid and Galicia regions. In June, I Squared Capital completed the acquisition of the Arriva Group, marking a significant milestone in the company’s history.

Our mission is to be Europe’s leading public transport operator while contributing to a future where public transport is the preferred way to travel. Our core values are simple and straightforward: do the right thing, make a difference, and work with passion.

2. Tell us about your professional background and your current role at Arriva.

My career began in consulting, but I soon joined ExxonMobil in Spain to work on various transformation projects, including one of the largest SAP implementations in the world. Later, I transitioned to the Facility Management industry, where I helped grow a family-owned company to 250 million euros in revenue and a workforce of 12,000 employees across Spain and South America.

Since 2019, I have been leading Arriva’s business in Spain, focusing on sustainability and growth. My work has been closely tied to people management and profit-and-loss responsibility from early on. Over the years, I have led team and organizational transformations, restructured divisions and companies, and driven changes in business models, strategies, operations, and culture.

I’ve built my career across multinational corporations and family-owned businesses in various sectors (consulting, oil & gas, facility services, and transport). I’ve also lived abroad (Brussels) and managed international operations (Chile, Peru). I hold an Industrial Engineering degree from the University of Valladolid (Spain), completed a General Management Program (PDG) at IESE Business School, and studied the strategic implications of artificial intelligence at MIT Sloan School of Management.

3. What sets your organization apart, and what are you most proud of?

Without a doubt, our people make the difference, and I am incredibly proud of our team. We have nearly 1,000 professionals dedicated to daily operations and committed to the company’s future. Ninety percent of our workforce consists of drivers and engineers—highly experienced professionals with a strong service mindset. They understand their role’s importance, not just to the company but also to the passengers they serve, the urban areas they connect, and the broader public transport network in the communities where we operate.

We saw this dedication firsthand during the pandemic. Even in the darkest times, with devastating news about the rising death toll, our drivers—including a growing number of women—kept operating buses to ensure public transportation remained available. More recently, in Valencia, our team volunteered alongside Madrid’s Transport Consortium to establish emergency bus routes in areas affected by severe flooding.

Meanwhile, our corporate team is responsible for integrating frontline insights with the commitments we’ve made to our clients and partners, ensuring regulatory compliance, and working with social partners and public administrations to continuously improve passenger experiences. We are proud of our role in transforming public transport—a critical, innovative sector that must lead sustainable urban transformation to make cities more livable.

4. Why are Spain and the United States important markets for your company?

We are a well-established company in Spain with an ambitious growth plan. The acquisition of the Arriva Group by I Squared Capital marks an exciting and optimistic new chapter for the entire organization. Having a U.S.-based shareholder brings a fresh perspective rooted in innovation and development. I Squared Capital and Arriva share a common vision of a more innovative, sustainable future.

5. Why did you choose to partner with AmChamSpain?

At Arriva Spain, we have a tradition of building relationships with chambers of commerce that represent our shareholders’ interests. AmChamSpain is a valuable platform that offers great opportunities. Becoming a member allows us to expand our network, share experiences, and learn best practices from other leading companies. We believe that this exchange of perspectives and knowledge will benefit us and serve as a compelling incentive for our teams through active collaboration in the Chamber’s working committees.

This week, we had the pleasure of interviewing Ana Cerbilla, Regional Manager South Europe at Pagero.

Tell us about the history, mission, and values of Pagero

Pagero is the world’s largest open business network, specifically designed to facilitate the exchange of electronic documents between companies globally. Just as we communicate quickly and efficiently via mobile devices, Pagero allows businesses to connect with each other to exchange system-to-system documents without manual intervention, securely and reliably. In other words, we act as an intermediary between ERP platforms, enabling documents to be received and processed by different systems, regardless of the technology each company uses.

One of our key values is Pagero's ability to connect companies with government platforms, helping them comply with increasingly widespread tax requirements globally. For example, in countries like Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Poland, Italy, or Chile, regulatory demands vary, with initiatives such as “Crea y Crece” in Spain, which require companies to quickly adapt. In this regard, Pagero offers a solution that not only facilitates the issuance and reception of electronic documents but also manages tax reporting to comply with both local and international regulations.

Additionally, with the recent acquisition of Pagero by Thomson Reuters, our capabilities have expanded significantly, allowing for even more efficient management of tax reporting in compliance with systems such as SII and SAF-T, further strengthening our commitment to innovation and global compliance.

Tell us about your career path and your current role at Pagero

I joined Pagero five years ago, taking on the responsibility for Southern Europe, primarily Portugal, Spain, and Italy, with the goal of developing the business in these countries. Since then, we have doubled our workforce to 60 people, built a strong partner ecosystem with names like Workday, IFS, or Medius, and worked with clients like ABB, Hewlett Packard, and Johnson & Johnson, whom we have helped globally with their invoicing processes.

What sets you apart or makes you most proud of your organization?

What sets us apart is that we are a digitally native company. Since our beginnings in the 1990s, we have operated in the cloud, which has allowed us to develop innovative and highly scalable technological solutions. We possess deep knowledge of global regulations, making us experts in adapting our solutions to meet these requirements. This approach is reinforced by our technological innovation, unwavering commitment to security and compliance, and the support of a global team that works to ensure our clients meet local and international regulations anywhere in the world.

Our ability to anticipate regulatory changes allows us to stay ahead of our competitors. Additionally, our technological solution is extremely adaptable, thanks to our R&D team of over 400 people, enabling us to deliver results quickly. Another key differentiator is our customer service team. We have a global team that thoroughly understands the needs of businesses and provides them with effective and personalized support.

Why are Spain and the United States important for your company?

Spain and the United States are key markets for Pagero for several reasons. First, both countries have very dynamic and diverse economies, with a strong presence of international companies that need to optimize their electronic document exchange processes. In Spain’s case, the implementation of the new “Crea y Crece” law, which requires companies to issue electronic invoices for commercial transactions, has accelerated digitalization and gives us the opportunity to help companies comply with local regulations while also optimizing their operational efficiency.

Spain also represents a gateway to the European and Latin American markets, allowing us to offer solutions adapted to the tax and regulatory requirements of both continents. On the other hand, the United States, as one of the largest economies in the world, continues to experience growth in digitalization and the optimization of business processes, which enhances our ability to offer innovative and scalable solutions in these key markets.

Having a presence in both countries strengthens our global network and enables us to provide comprehensive solutions to our clients, regardless of their geographic location, contributing to regulatory compliance and improving their processes through electronic invoicing.

Why did you choose to become a member of AmChamSpain?

Being part of AmChamSpain provides us with a strategic platform to strengthen our business relationships between Spain and the United States. Through this collaboration, we can exchange knowledge, participate in joint initiatives, and connect with leading companies in these key markets. AmChamSpain also gives us the opportunity to stay informed on the latest trends, regulations, and business opportunities, which is crucial for continuing to innovate and adapt to changes in both countries.

This week, we had the pleasure of interviewing David Esplá, Managing Partner and U.S. Country Manager at Interactvty.

Tell us briefly about the history, mission, and values of Interactvty

Interactvty offers a unique technological solution in the market for distributing, communicating, and monetizing streaming content. Our company, founded by Bartos Cañete and José Miguel Ramírez in 2019, transforms any streaming content into a complete ecosystem for digital business and action, as well as a new interactive experience that creates an unprecedented level of user engagement. Our vision is to become the global standard for OTT (Over The Top) platforms. The platforms created with our technology enable clients to generate all digital business models from their content, such as e-commerce, new interactive advertising formats, qualified lead generation, training, enriched big data, branding, remarketing, among others.

Tell us about your professional background and your current role at Interactvty

As an expert in Business Development and disruptive Omnichannel Strategies linked to the OTT sector and OTT 2.0 technology, my career has been shaped by experiences in various sectors and departments, allowing me to grow in roles and responsibilities tied to leadership and teamwork. My role is to captivate those who want to stay ahead of trends, be at the forefront, and exceed expectations, helping them shine with OTT 2.0 technology. This technology enables the development of new disruptive strategies based on video, discovering new ways to interact with the audience and generate revenue, beyond the traditional solutions available in the market.

What is the key element that differentiates you, or what are you most proud of in your organization?

Turning any streaming content into a vehicle that can host all business and action possibilities is something only Interactvty's technology can achieve. We have developed the first and only technological solution in the market that allows content creators to have all the interactive digital resources they may need to fully monetize their business. Interactvty views streaming as the best vehicle for implementing any business model or action, whether it be video, audio, or VR. In addition to the talent of our human team, we are proud to have the trust of clients such as Telefónica, Fundación Real Madrid, Fútbol Club Barcelona, the Italian Football Federation, Radio Televisión de Andalucía, Iberdrola, CEPSA, the Government of the Community of Madrid, the Spanish Olympic Committee, the Junta de Andalucía, Juana Martín, and others.

Why are Spain and the United States important for your company?

The importance of Spain and the United States for Interactvty lies in their relevance in the global market. Spain, due to its strategic location in Europe and its economic potential, serves as a bridge to expand the company's presence in the European market. On the other hand, the United States, as one of the largest and most technologically advanced economies in the world, offers key growth and collaboration opportunities for Interactvty. Both countries represent significant markets that contribute to the company's success and international expansion.

Why did you choose to become members of AmChamSpain?

AmChamSpain offers us the opportunity to expand our reach and strengthen our presence in both Spain and the U.S., facilitating our growth and development internationally. Being members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Spain provides benefits in terms of networking, knowledge exchange, business opportunities, and visibility in both the U.S. and Spanish markets. This membership gives us access to a network of strategic contacts, allows us to participate in industry events, and strengthens our commercial ties in Spain and the United States.