Isaac Hernández (Google): “Barcelona has an enviable ecosystem of entrepreneurs”

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oogle wants to strengthen bonds with Barcelona. This has become manifest in the meeting that the Country Manager of Google Cloud in Spain and Portugal, Isaac Hernández, had with fifty representatives of the Barcelona digital ecosystem on the occasion of the Business Break Lunch of 2018, organized at Pier 01 in Barcelona Tech City in collaboration with Google and Nubalia, one of the main partners of the technological giant in Spain. The event was attended by executives from Necsia, Gravient, Ionic AI, Rheo Diagnostics, Byhours, Alta Life Sciences, Valudio and Sapientis, among others.

After lunch, Hernández gave an interview to The New Barcelona Post where he revealed Google’s commitment to the city and its unstoppable digital transformation:

What has been the purpose of this meeting?

We consider it important to be close to the sector. Google is still a startup because of its innovation culture, but it is also big and complex to understand from the inside, because of its matrix structure. We want to try to simplify that complexity by offering approach. We want to help emerging companies to be more successful, to expand globally, to make the leap. Google has already been there, and we like sharing our technological knowledge, also in areas such as recruitment and retention of talent.

Are you also partners of companies in digital transformation?

Yes, Google is digital native. We have turned 20 years old and we have 92,000 employees, but inside we continue to be a digital native company that can be a catalyser for the digital transformation of others. Google is a partner of companies that feel that the world is going faster than their company and that making small changes is not enough and see that in every industry there is a disruption.

How does Google help the digital transformation of companies?

We try to help them in three areas. The first one, technology: the cloud, which is related to the disruption of mobile, big data or machine learning allows them speed, security and agility. The second area is the transformation of processes. And the third, the most beautiful, is the change in the culture of the company, since the key are still people. And we have to shake up the organization, with transparency, confidence and better flow of information. The journey of digital transformation is a difficult journey by its very nature.

Do meetings like this also mean for Google an approach to the city?

Yes, Barcelona is very high on Google’s radar. Barcelona is super relevant for its large companies but what makes it even more relevant is the success generated by an enviable ecosystem of entrepreneurs, that has made of it one of the top in Europe. I congratulate the city and those who make it possible.