PROA Comunicación has organised a new edition of its Current Affairs Dialogues with the participation of Joaquín Mouriz (BNP Paribas Personal Finance), Fernando Geijo (Prosegur) and Patricia Peiró (Takeda), in which the strategic role of corporate communication in a context marked by uncertainty, technological transformation and the growing complexity of the reputational environment has been addressed.
The role of the communications director is undergoing a moment of redefinition in an environment characterised by over-information, disinformation and a growing level of demand from different audiences. In this context, PROA Comunicación has held a new edition of its Current Affairs Dialogues, a space designed to analyse the major strategic, reputational and business challenges facing organisations.
During the opening of the meeting, the managing partner of PROA Comunicación, Lucía Casanueva, defended the need to promote spaces for conversation and understanding in an increasingly polarised environment. “PROA Comunicación's vocation is to promote harmony and healthy public debate as ways to improve our country,” she said, before calling for a greater presence of Dircoms in the decision-making bodies of companies. “The other day Josep Borrell said at our headquarters that if you are not at the table, you will be on the menu. Well, we want as many dircoms as possible to sit at the table and decide the menu,” he said.
The dialogue was attended by the president of Dircom and director of Brand, Communication and Customer Experience at BNP Paribas Personal Finance, Joaquín Mouriz; the third vice-president of the association and global director of External Communication at Prosegur, Fernando Geijo; and the member of Dircom and director of Communication at Takeda, Patricia Peiró. The conversation, moderated by PROA Comunicación account director Luis Barreda, focused on the main challenges facing the communications function in 2026, as well as the role that the new Dircom Board of Directors aspires to play in strengthening the profession.
The dircom in an environment of permanent uncertainty
One of the central themes of the dialogue was the impact that the current international context is having on the communication function of companies. The combination of an unstable geopolitical environment, an increasingly fragmented public conversation and the growing difficulty of building trust has raised the bar for communication managers.
In this context, Fernando Geijo explained that “uncertainty is the new normal” and stressed that the communication function must strengthen its capacity for anticipation and segmentation in an increasingly complex environment. “Our job is not only to decide how to communicate, but also when not to communicate,” he explained. For this reason, he also claimed the value of prior relations with the media and stakeholders, as one of the essential elements to effectively manage crises: “In the face of crises: anticipation, relations and calm”, he summarised, before concluding that, “basically, our work has not changed in essence; it has evolved”.
The strategic value of communication
The meeting also addressed the real role that dircoms play in decision-making within organisations. Joaquín Mouriz argued that the relevance of their role depends largely on the ecosystem of each company and the value that organisations place on communication as a management tool.
In this sense, he introduced a self-critical reflection on the profession and stressed the need to continue strengthening the training and strategic level of communication managers. Among other things, he announced the interest of Dircom's new board of directors in strengthening relations with business schools and faculties linked to the business world, with the aim of conveying the strategic value of communication to future managers before they even enter the job market. “We have to make them understand that one of the most powerful tools they will have at their disposal is communication,” he said.
Training, artificial intelligence and generational change
Another part of the dialogue focused on the transformation of the profession and the need to adapt Dircom to the new generations of professionals. Patricia Peiró focused on the value of accompaniment and shared learning within the association, defending the importance of creating spaces for mentoring between senior profiles and young dircoms. “We want to have a real impact on the career development of our younger associates,” he said.
The impact of artificial intelligence also featured prominently in the conversation. Peiró pointed out that AI “is changing the way absolutely everyone works”, although he defended the fact that communication maintains a “fundamentally human” dimension that will continue to be irreplaceable.
For his part, Joaquín Mouriz discussed the need to adapt the association to a profession in constant transformation and to reinforce the value provided to members, especially in areas such as training, active listening and attracting young talent. He announced the future modification of Dircom's statutes and the creation of a committee of young professionals, with the intention of “opening the windows and receiving new proposals”, without neglecting “the value of the most veteran members”. “In short,” he concluded, “we want to make people understand that it is not necessary to live the association in a passive way”.
The meeting, held in a closed format and by invitation, brought together entrepreneurs, managers and professionals in the field of communication, who participated in a subsequent discussion with the speakers to exchange views on the main challenges facing the sector.
The session is part of PROA Comunicación's Current Affairs Dialogues series, conceived as a space for conversation and reflection with some of the leading voices in the public debate on the strategic, economic and reputational challenges facing organisations.