Prize Winners

She is a Computer Engineer, a graduate of Cambridge Judge Business School and ESADE, and holds a Master’s degree in Engineering. She is a co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Libelium, a company that designs and manufactures wireless sensors for smart cities and the so-called ‘Internet of Things’ – technologies that improve citizens’ quality of life, boost business competitiveness and make society more transparent and democratic.She has focused her career on how the Internet of Things can change our world, starting with smart cities, precision agriculture, environmental monitoring and even people’s health. At just 24 years old, in 2006, she embarked on her entrepreneurial journey with Libelium, with the aim of connecting any object in our environment to the internet via wireless sensor networks. What began as a final-year project has become one of the pioneering companies in its sector worldwide. Over the company’s 10-year history in the technology sector, Alicia Asín has led a process of continuous and consolidated growth of 25 per cent year-on-year. Libelium generates 90 per cent of its turnover from exports and has deployed its cutting-edge sensor technology in projects across more than 120 countries on five continents, providing employment for over 60 people.She has received notable accolades, including the National Young Entrepreneurs’ Award, presented in 2014 for the first time to a woman by the Spanish Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs (CEAJE); Best Female Entrepreneur in Foreign Trade (ADEA 2011) and the highest honour for her research in Computer Architecture (WCAE 2007, San Diego). In 2015, she was chosen by Marca España as a ‘Talented Spanish Woman’ and has taken part in the global campaign to promote the country’s prestige internationally. She rounded off 2016 by receiving the award for Best Female Executive in Aragon, presented by ADEA (Association of Managers and Executives of Aragon).