- He underlines that the success of the award-winner, who became an entrepreneur at the age of 45 and today heads a business group with a presence in more than 500 cities in 80 countries
- He reaffirms the role of the Xunta as a facilitating administration that removes bureaucratic obstacles and provides stability and predictability
- He highlights the strength of the Galician economy, having closed 2025 with the lowest unemployment level for a month of December in the entire historical series
Oleiros (A Coruña), 26 January 2026
The president of the Xunta de Galicia, Alfonso Rueda, today highlighted the figure of Cándido Hermida as an essential benchmark of the Galician productive fabric, whose career embodies the values of hard work, humility, and commitment to the land where he was born. During his speech at the 15th edition of the A Coruña Business Confederation (CEC) awards, which this year went to the businessman from Ferrolterra, Rueda described the award-winner as an example of Galicia Calidade that is built up over years and with effort.
The head of the regional government praised Hermida’s ability to become a global leader – his business group, specialised in comprehensive, tailor-made design, manufacturing and interior design solutions for the retail, horeca (hotel, restaurant and café) and naval sectors, is present in more than 500 cities in 80 countries – without forgetting his origins as a cabinetmaker. At the same time, he also highlighted the entrepreneurial spirit of the award-winner, who decided to set up his own company at the age of 45 and turn it into a major industry at 65, when it moved to the Río do Pozo industrial estate in Narón.
Rueda also acknowledged the important role played in Galicia by family businesses, which account for 94% of the region’s firms, and he especially thanked Cándido Hermida for his commitment to training new generations through dual vocational education, recalling that the business group was a pioneer in its area in collaborating with this model, which achieves employment insertion rates close to 100%.
Galicia, a model of stability
At the event, the regional president reaffirmed the Xunta’s commitment to being a facilitating administration that always stands by businesspeople who choose Galicia to generate wealth. In this regard, he cited the Galician Economic Office as a key tool for removing bureaucratic obstacles, a successful model which recently expanded its presence with the opening of a new branch in Madrid last week.
The president stressed that the region now offers stability and predictability to investors, as shown by the early publication this month of the grants to be made available by Igape for this year (181 million euros across 13 support lines), which allows companies to plan more effectively.
In addition, Rueda highlighted the positive moment the Galician economy is experiencing, having closed the 2025 financial year with the lowest unemployment level for a month of December in the entire historical series. Galicia is also continuing to break export records, consolidating itself as a competitive driver in the international market.
Finally, he congratulated the A Coruña Business Confederation for its role as a loudspeaker for the sector’s demands and for recognising the trajectory of the region’s productive fabric through these awards.
