Valencia (EFE).- The president of Grupo Segura and the AVIA automotive cluster, Paco Segura (Valencia, 1967), explains to EFE that he has always been an adventurer, that one of his goals is to cover all the stages of the Camino de Santiago by bike by 2030, and that one of his passions is faults.
QUESTION: Given the challenges for the automotive industry, are you optimistic or will you need an extra dose?
ANSWER: More than optimistic, you have to be optimistic and realistic at the same time. By nature I am optimistic, and quite. That is in the DNA of entrepreneurs, because a pessimistic businessman does nothing. He has to face all the projects, which are usually complicated, to achieve the goals. And for that you have to work hard and be very optimistic.
Passion for failures
Q: Have you inherited the passions of your father -fallas and soccer-, founder of the company?
A: Yes, throughout life emotions, passions move you. I have lived Valencia since I was very young and I am member 2,000 (more or less) of the Valencia Club de Fútbol. Another of my great passions and that of my family are fallas. I entered the Jerusalem Convent by the hand of my father, a very influential person in my life both in my hobbies and in my professional career.
Q: Do you owe a lot to your failure?
A: I even owe them my family, in that environment I met my wife. And have made very good friends. For my part, I have tried to contribute a bit of management and sanity; failures such as associations need more rigor, professionalize management. I try to contribute to the failure one of the maxims of the company: continuous improvement.
Q: Your favorite sport is cycling…
A: It is the one I practice the most, and above all I really like mountain biking. Going out clears the mind a lot. Once a year I do the Camino de Santiago with great friends for the month of June. We plan to do all the stages by bike, or at least most, by 2030, because the roads of Santiago are endless. So far we have covered 1,000 or 1,500 kilometers and it is my third year.
love for adventure
Q: Are you an adventurer or do you prefer to control risks?
A: Some time ago I bought a 1958 Land Rover Santana registered in Valencia, it was part of my mental liberation in the pandemic. As a good engineer, I like to do crafts and I was restoring it with the help of mechanics.
This year I have done an orienteering rally for an adventure project, Santana Trophy, with my wife, a fantastic experience. Leaving the comfort zone is very important and, in fact, next year I will do it again.
I have always been an adventurer, I have jumped in a parachute, I have participated in five national sailing championships… everything that has an adventure component attracts my attention, although with age you calm down.
Q: Is caring for the environment important in your life?
A: Very important, I live in a single-family home and since I planned it 10 years ago I have solar energy and a 30,000 liter tank to collect rainwater to water the lawn. In the Falla, we are a 0-emission Falla and I have promoted the planting of trees to mitigate the emissions of the cremà.
At a professional level, it is becoming an obligation but we try to go ahead. Human beings are destroying the planet and we have to fight to preserve it.
Q: What movie would you watch a thousand times?
A: A classic, “How beautiful it is to live!” I believe that we are in the world to contribute and improve things.
More essays than novels
Q: And what do you read?
A: A lot of rehearsals, I’m not a great friend of novels. Now I am with “How to create a mind”, by Ray Kurzweil, on artificial intelligence. Another by the same author, “The singularity is near”, tries to explain where we are going and what the future will be like. That’s the kind of literature I like. I like to understand how things work.
Q: You are a patron of the Jaume I Awards. Among all these activities, do you have time for your family?
A: There are three fundamental things in life: work, family and personal life. Work takes up a lot of time and family, for me, is an absolute priority. I have been lucky enough to be a father at a later age and that has made things very clear to me: if you have a free space, go pick up your children (he has 4 small children), study with them for an afternoon.
The family takes time away from your personal life, which is where you don’t have to be selfish, take away from there to give it to the rest. You do what you can and delighted.
Q: Do you cook for them?
A: My wife scolds me, she says that I’m always thinking, and it’s true. Cooking is one of the few things that she makes me focus, forget about everything, I love it but, once again, I do what I can.
Q: Any specialty?
A: All Valencians like to make the paella on Sundays, and now I dare with some more elaborate food. EFE