The executive president of Indra, Ángel Simón, has placed artificial intelligence at the center of the future of the defense industry and has defended the technological solidity of the Spanish company at a time of maximum geopolitical tension. In his first interview since taking office just two months ago, granted to the newspaper EL PAÍS, Simón stated that "the defense industry is closely linked to artificial intelligence" and assured that Indra is fully prepared to respond to the new cybersecurity challenges facing the world.
AI and cybersecurity, at the center of the new Indra
Asked about the global alarm surrounding Mythos, Anthropic's artificial intelligence model, and its impact on global cybersecurity, the president of Indra was emphatic: these are challenges "for which Indra is prepared, because if there is one thing this company knows how to do, it is cybersecurity."
Simón stressed that the company will be "capable of facing and responding with its capabilities," in a defense of the firm's technological expertise as one of its main differentiating assets.
The president directly linked leadership in the sector with mastery of artificial intelligence. In his opinion, innovation - increasingly decisive every day - often arises "from agile managers" and not from large bureaucratic structures, so, as he declared to EL PAÍS, "the future is not so much about size as about the ability to integrate skills."
It is this technological integration capability, not volume, that in his analysis will mark the difference between the companies that lead the next decade and those that are left behind.
"Clearly Stabilized" Governance
Simón, who was previously president of Agbar and CEO of Criteria Caixa, declared the turbulent period the company has gone through to be over and assured that governance is today "clearly stabilized."
The executive recalled that the board of directors on May 26 transferred to the general shareholders' meeting - which will be held on June 30 - a series of agreements adopted unanimously, including the appointment of the new CEO, Josep Maria Recasens, from Renault, who will take office on June 17, and the setting of the board at fourteen members.
"I believe there is now stable governance to tackle what is truly important," he stated. Asked about the departure of José Vicente de los Mozos, the chairman framed the change as an organic decision by the board and wished to expressly thank the previous CEO for "the work done in a very positive way," recalling that at Indra "we have always built new paths on the work done previously."
Indra, the backbone and driver of defense with a European vision
The chairman announced that the company is preparing an entirely new strategic plan, which will be presented after the summer. Its ambition is clear: Indra must become, in his words, "the integrator of basic technological solutions" in the sector and become "the Spanish backbone and driver of defense, but with a European vision and also beyond Europe."
That European vocation runs through his entire discourse. Simón placed Indra at the service of a common defense policy within the framework of the European Union, a goal he described as "a necessity" and the very reason for his arrival at the presidency.
He recalled that Europe is the second-largest military spending environment in the world, with 800 billion euros, second only to the United States, and lamented that this capacity is currently "disaggregated": "If we had it aggregated, we would truly be a power in this field," he stated.
The chairman called for the institutional step towards this common policy to be taken not only by companies, but also by governments and institutions, and recalled that any project of this magnitude must have social legitimacy, at a time when, according to the Eurobarometer, the majority of Europeans are calling for increased defense spending.
"The sum of capabilities," the key to growth
Regarding how Indra will address the execution of the enormous portfolio of awarded contracts, Simón opted for the growth of the entire Spanish industrial ecosystem and for cooperation over size-based operations.
The company will form alliances and, "when necessary," acquisitions, but the chairman was emphatic: "What we will not do is buy to gain size, because what is important is the sum of capabilities."
Along the same lines, Simón vindicated the strength of the relationship with its main partners and shareholders. Regarding Sapa - the company's second largest shareholder with 7.94%, only behind the State - he assured that they maintain "an excellent relationship" and denied that there are any paralyzed programs: "At the moment, nothing is paralyzed," he stated, referring to programs such as the VAC or the Dragón, which he framed within the natural process of integrating innovative technological platform capabilities.
Compliance and solid numbers
The chairman conveyed a message of compliance and solidity in the major programs. Regarding the Dragón, the 8x8 vehicle, he detailed that the company has already delivered 70 units and will deliver 100 by the end of the year, describing the program as "stabilized": "We are going to fulfill our commitments," he assured.
He also recalled Indra's weight in the national effort: of the 33 billion euros that Spain invested in defense last year, with 24.8 billion allocated to Special Modernization Programs, Indra captured 13.8 billion, a line in which the company intends to remain.
Simón also highlighted the company's stock market performance, which has gone from trading between 14 and 15 euros to exceeding 50 today, with an analyst consensus that, as he recalled, points to more than 60 euros. The company also maintains its second global position in air traffic management (ATM), a business in which it aims to be first.
European strategic autonomy, without renouncing alliances
In terms of strategic autonomy, the chairman argued that Europe "has to be more effective, gain synergies, and move towards strategic autonomy," although he qualified that this does not mean everything must be executed "from scratch in Europe": alliances will continue to be necessary, including with the United States, a "traditional ally." Asked about progress towards greater European integration in defense, Simón considered them "absolutely essential" in the current geopolitical situation.
Regarding the Bromo project, which will merge the space businesses of Leonardo, Airbus, and Thales, the chairman ruled out any confrontation and argued that "everyone has their own space": "We are not going to get into battles because we do not want to lose sight of our essential objective."
Regarding specific tensions with other players in the sector, such as the legal front opened by Santa Bárbara, he expressed confidence that they will be overcome "in the coming times," and reiterated his willingness to cooperate "with the entire defense industry in Spain and Europe."
An operation with EM&E subject to the company's needs
Regarding the possible integration of Escribano Mechanical & Engineering (EM&E), Simón was clear in recalling that it was "the owners of EM&E" who "withdrew from the negotiation," and framed any future operation within the logic of combining capabilities: "One should not buy for the sake of buying," he stated, but rather "study what is appropriate in each case" and combine the capabilities that each player brings.
The company, he added, will make "all agreements with EM&E" that it needs at any given time, as with the rest of the industrial fabric. Regarding his relationship with his predecessor, Ángel Escribano, he described it as "correct," the same as he maintains "with previous presidents" and intends to have "with the entire industry."
Asked about his outlook at the helm of the company in the face of a potential change in the political cycle, the chairman conveyed serenity and commitment to the project: "I have always worked in the same way, that is, as if I were always going to be in one place, but knowing that you might not be there tomorrow." Indra, he concluded, has "very clear objectives" and works "with a view to that future and at the disposal of the shareholders."