“I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature,” is a phrase attributed to John D. Rockefeller, and there are echoes of it at the start of our interview with Javier García. “I’m a person with little talent, but with a capacity for work and perseverance,” he comments modestly, although the first part of his sentence is belied by the accounts of those who've had the opportunity to work alongside him. Not for nothing, he's seen first-hand some of the major shifts at ACCIONA over the last two decades.
From internationalisation in Brazil to his current posting in the United States, he has led ambitious infrastructure projects such as the Site C dam in Canada. In this conversation, we have the opportunity to get to know him and understand the motivations—both large and small—of a life that's been inseparably linked to ACCIONA’s global expansion since the turn of the century.
It could be said that Javier prefers to let his actions speak for him; he is no fan of self-promotion or dwelling on his achievements. This becomes clear from the outset when he explains his background. “I’m not a typical engineer. Initially, I wanted to be an architect, following in the footsteps of a cousin I admired, but in the end I finished this degree and I ended up liking it a lot.” The degree in question is Civil Engineering.
During those years, he discovered the world of dams, ports, and foundations, which hooked him immediately. However, he didn't yet know what would truly drive his professional career, as we will see later.
Javier started out in the working world during his final years of university at a company specialising in the design and construction of crib walls. “When I finished my degree, I always wanted to learn more and immerse myself in projects. That’s why I moved on and joined another firm dedicated to specialist foundations.” Shortly after—giving us a clue about his true calling—“I was managing teams, first in Alicante, then Madrid, and finally Zaragoza.”
At ACCIONA, they gave me responsibility right from the start.
It was in Zaragoza, while working on the Bridge Pavilion project for the 2008 World Expo, where Javier first crossed paths with ACCIONA. In 2006, his journey with the company began: “They gave me responsibility right from the start,” he explains.
During the Expo project, a crucial change also occurred in Javier’s personal life. “On that site, there were many construction firms working on different projects […] and the site offices were all grouped together. That’s where I met my wife.” He tells us that she is also an engineer and that they both originally came from Madrid.
Years later they married, followed by the birth of their first son—an event that coincided with another decisive shift in his life. Javier recalls the whirlwind of the hospital and the call he received the very day his firstborn arrived: “I was offered a new posting: Brazil. We didn't hesitate to accept the challenge.”
“At that time, it wasn't so common to go abroad, at least for people of my generation. I have grown with the company and I have witnessed the internationalisation and how we have learned to become global,” he reflects.
So, when the baby was just four months old, the couple moved to a Brazilian city called Campos dos Goytacazes. The multinational had only just landed in Brazil, and everything was still to be done. Javier played a part in ambitious, innovative projects like the Port of Açu with its imposing Kugira caissons, where he met Arthemus Pugliesi, another of the figures in Our People. This was our protagonist’s first international experience, but more would follow in very different corners of the globe.
We carry all our things from place to place like a snail, and we try to get to know each country where we are living inside out.
Over time, he and his family have adopted what he calls the "snail philosophy": “We take all our things with us—our furniture, our clothes, our photos… like a snail carrying its home from place to place. We try to integrate and get to know each host country inside out.” He is, in his own words, a citizen of the world.
One might say that the arrival of children and life-changing decisions tend to go hand-in-hand for Javier. This was also the case when the couple was expecting their second child: “We were already living in São Paulo, where I was working on the Rodoanel project, and the day we found out my wife was pregnant, I had to decide whether to embark on an Executive MBA at IESE Business School. It was a demanding programme, but I always had my wife’s unconditional support, so I went for it.”
[ACCIONA] made it much easier for me to find the time to study for an MBA.
A few months later, with a newborn daughter, Javier managed to balance fatherhood, work, and the MBA on “very little sleep.” For two years, he pushed himself to the limit. “I studied every night from nine until one.” Furthermore, Fridays and Saturdays were dedicated to intensive classes from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. “The company facilitated that flexibility,” he tells us—a flexibility that also involved several weeks of immersion in places like China and Barcelona.
Guiding people through their evolution and helping them gain autonomy is what's fulfilled me the most.
After almost six years in Brazil, where he expanded his family and grew to love the local culture, his Latin American chapter ended and a new one began much further north, in Canada. There, one of the greatest challenges of his career awaited: the Site C dam, the largest infrastructure project ever built by ACCIONA and a cornerstone of North American renewable energy.
“In 2018, we moved to a very small town in northern Canada, Fort St. John, where temperatures hit -50°C in winter. The whole family moved and we lived there for the nearly seven years the project lasted. It’s been an incredibly interesting project.” And what lessons did he learn here?
Site C is a massive hydroelectric scheme, comprising two dams—one concrete and one earth-filled—each nearly a kilometre long, alongside two 800-metre tunnels. The project required unprecedented logistics: a five-kilometre conveyor belt, 300 workers flown in weekly, and a volume of earth moved equivalent to six football stadiums. Yet, beyond the technical specs lay an equally significant challenge: managing hundreds of workers within a joint venture with an international partner, ensuring everything worked with precision, quality, and safety… at −40 °C.
For a company to be both global and local, you have got to help the people in the community where you are working to grow.
Beyond these staggering technical feats, Javier insists the human factor was the most complex (and rewarding) part of the project. “How do you stay global, but act local? It's about working with the local people and developing local talent. That’s been my biggest challenge and my greatest satisfaction: integrating people,” he explains. He adds: “While we implemented ACCIONA’s culture, the team that was built and carried out the work was primarily local, and they stayed with us for the duration.”
According to Javier, mentorship and talent development were fundamental aspects at Site C and constitute a faithful reflection of ACCIONA’s philosophy. In Brazil, for instance, he helped build a team that now operates independently and sustainably. “I’m proud that it’s a sustainable, autonomous team. Many have moved on to other projects, including international ones,” he comments. This, he says, demonstrates how the company fosters the long-term growth of solid teams ready for international projects.
I would have liked to keep working with my team on other challenges, but I’m glad that everyone's been able to grow by taking on new roles in different projects and countries.
He continues: “I have always supported my team members so they could work in other countries and develop professionally. Some have gone to Panama or Chile. Others even followed me to Canada and now to the US. I would have liked to keep my team with me on every project, but I’m glad to see them grow by taking on challenges in different countries.”
This role as a mentor also led him to participate in iXPA, ACCIONA’s international programme for future leaders. “I have met many iXPA profiles and always encouraged them to apply for roles in North America, advising them through the process.”
We don't look for short-term results; instead, we look for sustained results over time alongside the development of the team... that balance between the human and the business components.
He offers a final thought on the role of people in a company like ACCIONA: “We don't look for short-term results; we look for sustained results alongside the development of the team. We always strive for that balance between the human and the business components.”
We round off our conversation with Javier in Atlanta, Georgia, where he is currently overseeing a segment of the SR400—one of the most significant infrastructure projects in the US. For him, mobility is the key to professional evolution. “ACCIONA is a company that encourages your personal growth and gives you the possibility to broaden your perspective through global projects. I would recommend anyone—from Spain, Brazil, or anywhere else—to change projects and countries. Nowadays, that experience is vital for both your professional and personal growth.”
ACCIONA is a company that encourages your personal growth and gives you the chance to open your mind because it's got projects all over the world.
“And the company provides it for you very easily. Mobility is increasingly clear, it’s fluid and evident, and that’s something I have been able to see over the years,” Javier summarises.
One gets the impression that, for now, Javier intends to keep discovering the world with his family, doing what he loves most: managing people and watching them thrive.