Josep Santacreu Bonjoch (Guissona, 1958) closed a long and successful professional career a few weeks ago at the head of DKV, an insurer that in the 25 years that he ran it multiplied its clients by five, to two million people, and by seven its income, up to 876 million euros. But the economic results, although brilliant, have not been the most outstanding aspect of his management: with the support of Ergo, the German insurer that in 1998 acquired the shares of the company founded by businessman Publio Cordón, Santacreu printed DKV his Social commitment with initiatives such as the Integralia Foundation (which employs 641 people with disabilities in customer service and diversity consultancy) or the sponsorship of La Penya, the Badalona basketball club which it helped to emerge from a deep crisis institutional and sports with its sponsorship.
For Santacreu, a doctor by training, commitment is essential and he began to demonstrate this right after finishing his degree when he signed up as a volunteer at Médicos Mundi. There he also began his dedication to management and, at just 30 years old, he became executive secretary of the organization in Spain.
Santacreu recalled how in those years "my intention was to help, and I realized that in the healthcare world there was an almost absolute lack of management professionals." From there he joined the private sector as director of health centers: the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona, the Juan Canalejo hospital complex in A Coruña and the Quirón clinic.
From his stage as manager of public hospitals, Santacreu has maintained a good relationship with parties from across the parliamentary spectrum. In his Galician stage, for example, he spent four years in the Ministry of Health with Alberto Núñez Feijóo and Ana Pastor. "As is known, we have had a good friendship with her ever since," he recalls. And regarding the management of the Hospital del Mar, he maintains a good friendship with Xavier Trias and Ernest Maragall, on whom he depended professionally. His cordial and calm demeanor, and his professional profile have overcome the differences in political ideas: with a clear Catalan affiliation, he was one of the members of the board of the FemCat employers, of which he was vice president.
Santacreu highlights his triple experience, in the management of NGOs, public companies and private companies as one of his professional strengths. In his opinion, "the complex problems that we have in the world cannot have a solution if they are not approached with a shared perspective and these three spheres do not work together and with loyalty."
“I will never stop being the activist that I am,” says Santacreu. And at DKV that spirit did not remain only at Integralia. In addition to chairing this foundation for social integration, since 2017 he has chaired the Plant-for-the-Planet Spain Foundation, an organization founded by a German child in 2013 to raise awareness among children and adults about climate change. He himself has written a book, Plántate, which calls for action to stop the climate crisis and its impact on forests and human health.
Santacreu led DKV to also be one of the sponsors of the NGO Proactiva Open Arms, of which he was the same vice president. The insurer collaborated on many occasions in their efforts to rescue emigrants in the Mediterranean by providing material, volunteers or taking steps in favor of the shipwrecked before the administrations. “The demographic boom in Africa and the impact that climate change has on that continent make managing migratory flows one of humanity's great challenges,” she points out.
The list of NGOs with which Santacreu collaborates is long and includes Dream Nepa, Universo Santi and initiatives to improve the business fabric such as Respon.cat and Ship2B.
Santacreu is the father of three daughters, already teenagers. The eldest, Sofía, now marks the family agenda to a large extent: European champion under-18 in 5,000 meters marched last year in Jerusalem and member of the Spanish team. “Whenever I can, I accompany her to competitions and training sessions. In the world of athletics I am already just 'Sofia's father'”, he proudly points out. And the rest of my free time "I like to spend it with my wife, in the various social issues in which we collaborate."
