The Chairman of Red Eléctrica de España, José Folgado, today received the certificate for the European Seal of Excellence 500+, the highest level of recognition of the European Seal of Excellence awarded by the Club Excelencia en Gestión (Management Excellence Club), the official representative in Spain of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM). With a score of over 670 points, according to data from the Club Excelencia en Gestión, Red Eléctrica ranks amongst the elite of European organisations and becomes the best of the 43 Spanish companies who hold the 500+ Seal which recognises these companies as the most advanced in the implementation of an efficient and sustainable management model.

Red Eléctrica has earned this distinction, encompassing all its business units, after the evaluation process conducted by the consulting company SGS, one of the certification bodies that collaborate with the Club Excelencia en Gestión in granting the European Excellence Seals. During a period of three days, a team of four evaluators interviewed the part of the management team to know more about the management system of the Company and its deployment and they organised different focus groups to also get to know the perception of the workforce.

The European Seal of Excellence recognises the excellent management of organisations and is awarded based on the results of an external evaluation by independent professionals. The four levels of the Seals (Commitment to Excellence, 300+, 400+ and 500+) help determine the degree of maturity, deployment, implementation and results achieved by the organisation within the framework of the EFQM management model.

Commitment to excellence

From the moment Red Eléctrica adopted the EFQM Excellence Model in 1999, it has made a firm commitment to establish itself as a sustainable, ethical and responsible business in the carrying out of its activities, integrated into society, focused on its stakeholders and being a benchmark in the markets in which it operates. This orientation towards sustainable development and a culture of excellence have become strategic areas of its business management model and its commitment to society.

Thus, Red Eléctrica first obtained the European Seal of Excellence at its highest level, 500+, in 2003, becoming the first Spanish electricity company to receive this certification, a recognition that has been renewed in each biennial edition always with an improvement of its score with respect to the previous evaluation.

Furthermore, in 2011 Red Eléctrica received the European Award for Business Excellence in the category "Taking responsibility for a sustainable future" within the EFQM awards given each year to the best European companies regarding the adoption of management systems and the most advanced business practices. In addition, the EFQM also acknowledged Red Eléctrica’s management as ‘good practice’, not only in the winning category, but also in ‘Achieving Balanced Results’ and ‘Adding Value for Customers’. And today it receives its fifth renewal of the European Seal of Excellence 500+.

Red Eléctrica de España is the company responsible for the transmission of high voltage electricity and the proper functioning of the electricity system. With more than 40,000 kilometres of high voltage lines that form a meshed, reliable and secure grid and with service quality indexes of the highest level, it ensures at all times the balance between power generation and electricity consumption in Spain.

The Club Excelencia en Gestión is a private non-profit organisation created through the initiative of the main Spanish companies whose mission is to boost the global competitiveness of organisations and professionals. It currently has over 230 associated organisations of all sizes and from all sectors.

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The Chairman of Red Eléctrica, José Folgado, pictured on the left, receives the European Seal of Excellence 500+ from the Secretary General of Club Excelencia en Gestión, Juan Liquete.