Google boosts digital transformation with new offices in Barcelona

Google, one of the biggest companies in the world, has arrived in Barcelona. The tech giant inaugurated its new Catalan offices on Wednesday morning.

With the aim of boosting the “digital transformation” and facilitating a technological “re-industrialization” of Catalonia, the wide-ranging services of Google have arrived to foster Catalan businesses and help them thrive in a changing world and marketplace.

Fuencisla Clemares, director of Google for Spain and Portugal, explained that the offices will be a new home for the technology company’s digital marketing, consultancy, cloud services, and artificial intelligence wings. 

Catalan president Pere Aragonès, Spanish minister for transport, mobility, and urban agenda, Raquel Sánchez, and deputy mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, all echoed the sentiment that Barcelona is already one of the most significant technological hubs in southern Europe, with its ability to attract international talent and foster creativity.

Google’s new office space will help consolidate Barcelona and Catalonia’s position as one of the most important cities at the vanguard of this digital revolution. 

Clemares called it an “important” day for the company and said that technology forms the basis of a more competitive society, and one more prepared to face up to the challenges the 21st century poses. 

The director of Google for Spain and Portugal mentioned a number of local and locally based companies that Google has already helped in various aspects, such as Wallapop, Softonic, Vueling, Edreams, and Tous, and brought the CEOs of fashion brand Mango, Toni Ruiz, and sportswear e-commerce platform TradeInn, David Martín, to speak about the ways in which the multinational tech giant has assisted them. 

Catalan president Pere Aragonès backed the talent and education in Catalonia to bring about a “green and digital” re-industrialization of the country that has a “strategic position” that attracts talent and investment, and celebrated that with Wednesday's inauguration, Google takes another step in line with this. 

Aragonès also said that the news also goes hand-in-hand with his government’s plans to spread digital equality across the territory, by rolling out fibre optic cables across Catalonia. 

“Catalonia is open to the world, to create a future with more opportunities, a more green future, and a more feminist future,” Aragonès said.