The Spanish version of Forbes magazine has published its February issue with its list of the best CEOs for 2017, the people whose work and leadership has stood out compared to other Spanish companies. Florentino Pérez, CEO of ACS and club president of Real Madrid, is top of the list.



Florentino Pérez founded Grupo ACS, which started in 1997 as a joint venture involving three local construction companies (OCP, Ginés Navarro and Auxini), into one of the largest infrastructure companies in the world. "When I was a child playing sports, I began to understand what teamwork means, motivation, effort, respect for your opponents and never giving up. Sport gives you an education in life, those values have helped me a lot in my own life, and of course, in the creation and development of Grupo ACS”, stated the Real Madrid club president.



“Florentino Pérez knew how to combine effort, team work and perseverance to place ACS as one of the most important companies in our country”, quipped Andrés Rodríguez, editor and director of the Spanish branch of Forbes. Florentino Pérez is top of the list, ahead of José María Álvarez-Pallete, CEO of Telefónica.



To figure in this ranking, the 50 CEOs had to go through four filters. Firstly, all the companies had to be listed on the Spanish stock exchange, and have achieved an above average profitability for their shareholders. The second filter was represented by the vote of a national and international jury made up of representatives from investment banks, asset managers, head-hunters, consultants and business schools. The third step involved adding up all of the votes. In order to avoid draws, the the jury rewarded those that were level on votes with extra votes. Lastly, the editorial values of the Spanish version of Forbes were taking into account, favouring innovation, defending the freedom for businesses to operate and leadership.



ON Thursday 1st March, Florentino Pérez will receive the award for best CEO in Spain for 2017 at a gala dinner.