Josep Santacreu Bonjoch (Guissona, 1958) closed a few weeks ago a long and successful professional career at the head of DKV, an insurance company that in the 25 years he ran it multiplied its clients fivefold, up to 2 million of people, and their income by seven, up to 876 million euros. But the financial results, although brilliant, have not been the most outstanding aspect of his management: with the support of Ergo, the German insurance company that in 1998 acquired the shares of the company that had founded the businessman Publio Cordón, Santacreu impressed upon 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 club of Badalona basketball that helped to get out of a deep institutional and sporting crisis with its sponsorship.
For Santacreu, a doctor by training, commitment is fundamental and he began to demonstrate it just after completing his degree when he signed up as a volunteer at Médicos Mundi. There he began his dedication to management and, at just 30 years old, he became executive secretary of the organization in Spain.
Santacreu remembered 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 time as manager of public hospitals, Santacreu has maintained a good relationship with parties across the parliamentary spectrum. During his time in Galicia, for example, he spent four years in the Ministry of Health with Alberto Núñez Feijóo and Ana Pastor. "As is well known, we have had a good friendship with her since then", he remembers. And from the management of the Mar hospital, he maintains a good friendship with Xavier Trias and Ernest Maragall, on whom he depended professionally. His cordial and calm disposition, and his professional profile have overcome the differences in political ideas: of clear Catalanist affiliation, he was one of the board members of the FemCat employers' association, 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 we have in the world cannot have a solution if they are not approached with a shared vision and these three areas do not work together and with loyalty".
"I will never stop being the activist I am," Santacreu points out. And at DKV this spirit did not remain alone at Integralia. In addition to presiding over this foundation for social integration, since 2017 he has presided over 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 curb 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 vice president. The insurance company collaborated many times in its tasks of rescuing emigrants in the Mediterranean by providing material, volunteers or making arrangements in favor of the shipwrecked before the administrations. "Africa's demographic explosion and the impact of climate change make the management of migratory flows one of humanity's greatest challenges," he says.
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, now teenagers. The eldest, Sofia, now makes a big mark on the family agenda: European champion under 18 at 5,000 meters marched in Jerusalem last year and is a member of the Spanish national team. "Whenever I can, I accompany him to competitions and training sessions. In the world of athletics, I'm just Sofia's father," he points out with pride. And the rest of my free time "I like to spend it with my wife, in the various social issues in which we collaborate".
