Ángela Jordana, winner of CaixaBank’s ‘Award A Selfemployed Professional Female’ to the best entrepreneur in Spain

• Jordana, CEO of WHI-Institute, has received a financial grant of 6,000 euros to invest in training initiatives and will gain access to an online master’s program in AI and Innovation at the Founderz digital business school

• The award winner leads WHI-Institute, a Barcelona-based company specializing in the scientific model of salutogenesis, the study of the origins of health, and committed to both the research and development of innovative mental health solutions through advanced technology and gamification
• Meanwhile, the special Founderz award went to Blanca Rodríguez de Azero for her project Cultiv-arte, which has granted her access to an online master’s program in AI and Innovation at Founderz

Ángela Jordana (Barcelona) has been selected as the national winner in the fifth edition of CaixaBank’s ‘Award A - Self-employed Professional Female’. Jordana is the CEO of WHI-Institute, a Barcelona-based project with social impact, pioneering the scientific approach and practical application of salutogenesis, the study of the origins of health. The institute is committed to both the research and the development of innovative mental health solutions through advanced technology and gamification.

A graduate in Pharmacy, Jordana is a recognized professional in the field of mental health and deep technology. She is currently a PhD candidate in Mental Health Interventions for teenagers at the University of Girona. She has also completed an Executive Development Program (PDD) at IESE and an MBA at ESADE, in addition to training in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). Her extensive participation in conferences and seminars further strengthens her academic profile.

WHI-Institute has developed a tool that offers a new perspective on mental health, which instead of merely reacting to symptoms and signs of illness, provides objective insights through the analysis of comprehensive data metrics collected and analyzed by the BHI (BrainHealthIndicator, NEOTEC-23), a tool designed to foster the acquisition of 15 life skills. During this school year, and the previous one, it has worked with a selected group of schools in Catalonia associated with the SHE (Schools for Health in Europe) movement.

“I have always been passionate about biology, knowledge, health, and life,” Jordana emphasized, while also adding that “receiving this award is a great joy and also a profound recognition that the path we have chosen is necessary and authentic.”

“CaixaBank’s ‘Award A - Self-employed Professional Female’ confirms that our project brings real value to the world, a value that is already recognized, that opens doors and creates new opportunities”, she highlighted.

Business and personal career

Ángela Jordana has received a financial grant of €6,000 to invest in business and personal training initiatives and will benefit from a brand promotion campaign through the communication channels of the ‘Independent Workers Association’. In addition, she will have access to an online master’s program in AI and Innovation at the Founderz digital business school.

The jury for the ‘Award A - Self-employed Professional Female’ was composed of CaixaBank executives and independent experts: Jaume Masana, CaixaBank Business Director; Cristina González, General Manager of MicroBank; Clara Boada, Director of Culture and Diversity at CaixaBank; Carlos Seara, Business Development Director at AgroBank; Toni Rodríguez, Commercial Director for Business Segment at CaixaBank; Belén Martín, Director of Wealth Management; Laura Rodríguez Morera, Director of Bancassurance Channel at VidaCaixa; Beatriz Cecilia, Director of Hospitality Projects at Hostelería de España; Pilar Zandueta, Marketing and Commercial Director at CGCOF; Irache Echeverría, CEO of SCA Buenos Aires; and Emma Harris, Project Manager at Founderz.

The jury recognized Jordana’s business excellence, both for her entrepreneurial activity and her professional career. Among the highlighted aspects were “her passion for the profession,” “her vocation to help,” her “extensive experience,” and well as “her holistic and transformative vision.”

The finalists of the fifth edition of these awards were Anastasia Zayats, for her project Strat Play, winner of the ‘Award A - Self-employed Professional Female’ in the Valencian Community and Region of Murcia DT; Cristina Izarra, for Consultoría Cotiledón, winner in the Castilla-La Mancha-Extremadura DT; Lidia Parra, for Arenas de Mónsul, winner in Andalusia; and Nausica Pascual, for Sol Menor, winner in the Community of Madrid.

In previous editions, the national winners were Irache Echeverría, with her project SCA Buenos Aires; Elena Moreno Senosiain, founder of Saygom; Milagros Cabral, creator of Mariquita Trasquilá; and June Arrieta Picabea, founder of Zocco Handmade.

Founderz training program

Meanwhile, Blanca Rodríguez de Azero, with her project Cultiv-arte, has won the special Founderz award, which consists of an online master’s degree in AI and Innovation at Founderz digital business school. The project of the winner of CaixaBank’s ‘Award A - Self-employed Professional Female’ in the Canary Islands reflects a pioneering vision: combining culture and sustainability to revitalize rural communities and generate real social impact.

Through these awards, organized in two phases (regional and national), CaixaBank demonstrates its commitment to equal opportunities, while recognizing the achievements of self-employed women and supporting their work and contribution to society, a key pillar of the Spanish economy.

According to the ‘Mujer Autónoma 2024’ report prepared by the ‘Asociación de Trabajadores Autónomos’ (ATA), Spain has 1.2 million self-employed women, representing 36.9% of the total group. Women outnumber men in sectors such as commerce (24.1% women vs. 20.2% men), hospitality (11% vs. 8.4%), professional, scientific and technical activities (11.8% vs. 9%), healthcare (7% vs. 2.5%), administrative activities (4.7% vs. 3.9%), education (5% vs. 2%), financial and insurance activities (2% vs. 1.6%), and real estate (2.2% vs. 1.5%).

Furthermore, CaixaBank is the leading financial institution for self-employed professionals, holding a 46% market share and serving more than 1.5 million clients.

CaixaBank: Committed to diversity and equal opportunities

CaixaBank recognizes the importance of self-employed women and entrepreneurs in the economy and launched these awards as a sign of support and recognition for this key group.

These awards are part of CaixaBank’s Wengage diversity program, a cross-cutting project developed by employees from all areas of the organization, based on meritocracy and the promotion of equal opportunities, which works to foster and showcase diversity in all its dimensions: gender, generational, cultural, people with disabilities, LGTBIQ+…

Additionally, CaixaBank promotes various awards and recognitions for academic excellence (WONNOW Awards), female business leadership (CaixaBank’s ‘Empresaria Award’ and ‘Award A - Self-employed Professional Female’), initiatives linked to sports (sponsorship of the women’s basketball team), and rural development (AgroBank Chair: Women, business and rural environment, as well as studies on the gender gap in the agricultural sector through Closingap).