- Mr. Entrecanales encouraged future leaders to embrace “the responsibility, as well as the opportunity, to craft a better future through economic growth, societal progress, and environmental positive impact.”
José Manuel Entrecanales, Chairman and CEO of ACCIONA, has been awarded today an Honorary Doctorate of Business by RMIT University in Melbourne (Australia), recognizing his contributions to sustainability and innovation across the clean energy and regenerative infrastructure sectors.
Mr. Entrecanales received his award during RMIT University's doctoral ceremony held at the University’s City Campus.
In making the award, RMIT – a leading Australia higher education institution – highlighted that, under Mr. Entrecanales’ leadership, ACCIONA has focused its business activity on developing “sustainable solutions for climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience, and for the decarbonisation of the economy.”
RMIT interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor Business and Law and Vice-President, Professor Mathews Nkhoma, said Mr. Entrecanales’ commitment to positive change for the greater good was an inspiration to the RMIT community: “Entrecanales’ career is evidence of the difference that can be made when we collaborate with transparency and creativity to solve the challenges of our time,” he said.
“His efforts to promote sustainability and innovation across the clean energy and regenerative infrastructure sectors, along with a deep commitment to social responsibility, make him a global role-model of positive civic impact,” he added.
Speaking at RMIT’s doctoral degree ceremony, Mr. Entrecanales encouraged future leaders to embrace “the responsibility, as well as the opportunity, to craft a better future through economic growth, societal progress, and environmental positive impact.”
“It is up to us to redefine the role of corporations from mere engines of economic wealth to powerful catalysts of change,” he added. “Companies should be envisioned as dynamic innovators, capable of crafting solutions that extend beyond simply avoiding negative [environmental, economic and social] impact. The future success of businesses will hinge on our ability to embrace and promote this regenerative collaboration.”
A LEADING INSTITUTION
RMIT is an international university of technology, design and enterprise with more than 90,000 students and over 11,000 staff globally. The university seeks to “empower people and communities to adapt and thrive across generations, with education, research and civic engagement that are applied, inclusive and impactful.”
In Australia, RMIT has three campuses in Melbourne, along with other Victorian locations. The university also has two campuses and an English language centre in Vietnam and a European Innovation Hub in Barcelona (Spain).
ACCIONA was established in Australia in 2002 and the company has become one of the country’s leading infrastructure companies.
ACCIONA was recently awarded the contract to build the eastern section of the HumeLink power transmission line in New South Wales. The company was also awarded the contract to deliver the first major tunnelling package of the Suburban Rail Loop East project in Melbourne.
In 2023 ACCIONA began construction of the Western Harbour Tunnel in Sydney, the largest construction contract in ACCIONA's history.
ACCIONA Energía is currently building the largest wind farm in Australia, MacIntyre (1,026MW), and developing the adjacent Herries Range Wind Farm (c.1,000MW), an expansion of the MacIntyre Wind Precinct that will double its capacity to 2,000MW.
Early works have also begun on construction of the Aldoga Solar Farm in Queensland, with a total capacity of 380MW.