Port Week Reflects on a New Leadership Model to Address Port Transformation

September 11, 2026

The Leadership School brings together industry professionals to address new management models and the role of leaders in the transformation of the port system.

César Díaz, President of the Santander Port Authority (APS), emphasizes the importance of training and supporting those called to be agents of change to promote more agile, innovative organizations capable of developing talent within teams.

Santander, September 11, 2026. Port Week concluded today with the celebration of the Leadership School, a training and reflection space aimed at port leaders, designed to inspire, foster critical vision, promote constructive debate, and facilitate decision-making capable of driving transformations in port organizations.

Under the theme “A new management model for ports and port authorities”, the conference focused on talent management, innovation, and the organizations' capacity for adaptation in the face of future challenges.

During the opening of the day, the President of the Santander Port Authority (APS), César Díaz, highlighted the need to “advise and support those who, in line with the Strategic Framework of the port system, are called to be agents of change in Spanish ports”.

In this regard, he emphasized that having prepared leaders constitutes “an essential condition” to successfully face a port scenario “marked by energy transition, digital transformation, and global challenges.”

“We must train professionals capable not only of managing increasingly complex organizations but also of promoting new ways of working, building trust, and mobilizing their teams to achieve the objectives set for the future of Spanish ports,” he added.

Díaz made these statements at the Palacio de La Magdalena during the inauguration of the Leadership School, the last of the four days of Port Week 2026, organized by the Santander Port Authority, Puertos del Estado (Ports of Spain), and the Menéndez Pelayo International University (UIMP).

An event where he was accompanied by the Vice-Rector for Internationalization and Institutional Relations of the Menéndez Pelayo International University (UIMP), Mariola Urrea Corres.

The sixth edition of Port Week analyzed issues such as the regeneration of waterfronts in Ibero-American port cities, sustainable mobility, current geostrategy, and the new management model for Port Authorities.

The highest representative of the port administration expressed his “satisfaction” with “the interest generated by the topics addressed in the conferences, the quality of the speakers, and the high level of participation.”

“We are, without a doubt, facing an already consolidated training event that has carved out an important niche within the Spanish port system,” he affirmed. Díaz also wanted to encourage all interested individuals to participate in Port Week 2027, “either for the first time or by repeating the experience.”