By the end of 2025, the Network comprised 130 ambassadors living in 35 countries; today, that map has expanded to 42 countries across five continents.
With this ‘Summer Gathering,’ Valladolid City Council reaffirms its commitment to this community abroad—part of the Valladolid Now action plan—aiming to continue attracting professionals and supporting the internationalization of companies from Valladolid.
The event featured a talk by Julio Ceballos Rodríguez, a leading Spanish expert on the Chinese market and China’s impact on the global economy and geopolitics.
Additionally, the ‘Network Beacons’ were introduced—key professionals who will provide support in their respective countries to individuals from Valladolid who need it.
IdeVa (the Valladolid City Council’s Agency for Innovation and Economic Development) brought together more than 60 professionals from the Valladolid Ambassadors Network today at the Eusebio Sacristán Foundation facilities; these professionals work in some of the world’s major economic, business, scientific, and academic hubs.
All of them maintain a close bond with Valladolid and wish to contribute to the city’s development, lending their talents to various activities across 42 countries—an increase of seven countries since the end of last year. This commitment was highlighted during a second gathering—following an initial meeting in December—that brought together institutions, businesses, and universities, all united by a pledge to create new collaborative opportunities and strengthen the city’s international profile.
Valladolid Mayor Jesús Julio Carnero expressed his gratitude for the professionals’ generosity and emphasized that «our Ambassadors Network helps position Valladolid not only as a tourism or cultural destination but also as an attractive place to invest, launch businesses, conduct research, work, and live. It can open doors to collaborations, investment, knowledge transfer, business internationalization, and the attraction of skilled talent. Most importantly, it fosters a sense of community and builds an essential, long-term bond.»
With this «Summer Gathering,» Valladolid City Council reaffirms its commitment to a network that is part of the Valladolid Now action plan, aiming to continue attracting professionals and supporting the internationalization of local businesses.
In this regard, Carnero highlighted that «from the very beginning, the Municipal Office for Projects and Investment Attraction has united talent, business, academia, and public authorities into a genuine hub for collaboration—thanks to the joint efforts of Valladolid City Council and CEOE Valladolid—playing an increasingly vital role in Valladolid’s international projection, the attraction of opportunities, and its economic development.» For his part, Carlos Magdaleno, President of CEOE Valladolid, stated that “the Valladolid Talent Abroad Network—part of the Valladolid Ambassadors Network—must become a useful and accessible tool for our companies. The ‘Beacons’ will enable two-way connections: supporting Valladolid-based companies in their internationalization efforts and identifying projects, investment, and talent that could find a suitable environment for growth in Valladolid. The challenge now is to transform the knowledge and relationships gathered by the Network into concrete opportunities.”
The initiative was developed in collaboration with CEOE Valladolid—a strategic partner of the Network—to strengthen the connection between Valladolid-based talent abroad and the city’s business community, seeking new opportunities for internationalization, investment, and growth.
During the event, new personalized «Valladolid Ambassadors Network» cards were distributed; this named credential recognizes membership in the international community and symbolizes each ambassador’s commitment to promoting Valladolid. Those unable to attend will receive theirs by mail.
Network «Beacons»
The meeting also unveiled a key new feature of the Network: the creation of the «Beacon» role. These are prominent professionals from Valladolid pursuing careers in strategic international markets. They will act as hosts, facilitating a two-way exchange: serving as a support system for Valladolid companies looking to expand internationally, while also acting as a gateway for projects interested in launching ventures within the city.
The first five Network «Beacons»—who joined the event online—are María Moreno (South Africa), David García (Germany), Víctor Escolar (India), Cristina Rivas (Singapore), and Salvador Moreno (Mexico). These professionals possess solid international track records and are dedicating their experience and networks to Valladolid’s economic development.
Lecture by Julio Ceballos Rodríguez, International Business Development Consultant
The event featured a lecture by Julio Ceballos Rodríguez, an international business development consultant, author, and one of Spain’s leading experts on the Chinese market and China’s impact on the global economy and geopolitics. Drawing on over two decades of professional experience in Asia, Ceballos gave a talk titled «Networks and Talent in the New World Order: Opportunities and Challenges,» highlighting the role played by professional networks and international talent in a global landscape defined by profound economic and geopolitical shifts.
Virtual Ambassador Support Office
At the same time, the Virtual Ambassador Support Office has been launched—a space designed to maintain direct, ongoing contact with ambassadors, thereby facilitating communication and strengthening the bond between the city and those pursuing their professional careers elsewhere.
The goal is for the Ambassador Network to be more than just a professional database or a contact list; it is meant to be a genuine community. It is a dynamic, accessible, and useful network for sharing talent, creating opportunities, driving projects, and keeping the connection between Valladolid and its ambassadors—wherever they may be—constantly open.
• A finales de 2025 la Red albergaba 130 embajadores que viven en 35 países y hoy el mapa se amplia a 42 repartidos por los cinco continentes. • Con este ‘Encuentro de Verano’, el Ayuntamiento de Valladolid reafirma su compromiso con esta comunidad en el exterior que forma parte del plan de acción de Valladolid Now, con el objetivo de continuar captando profesionales y ayudar a la internacionalización de las empresas vallisoletanas. • La jornada ha contado con una conferencia de Julio Ceballos Rodríguez, uno de los mayores especialistas españoles en el mercado chino y en el impacto de China en la economía y la geopolítica mundial. • Además, se han presentado los ‘Faros de la Red’, profesionales de referencia que darán apoyo en sus países a los vallisoletanos que lo necesiten.
La Agencia de Innovación y Desarrollo Económico del Ayuntamiento de Valladolid, IdeVa, ha reunido hoy en las instalaciones de la Fundación Eusebio Sacristán a más de 60 profesionales de la Red de Embajadores de Valladolid que trabajan en algunos de los principales centros económicos, empresariales, científicos y académicos del mundo.
Todos ellos mantienen un estrecho vínculo con Valladolid, quieren contribuir al desarrollo de la ciudad y aportan su talento en distintas actividades en 42 países (7 países más que a finales de año), y así lo han puesto de manifiesto en un segundo encuentro, tras el producido en diciembre, que ha congregado a instituciones y empresas y universidades con el compromiso de abrir nuevas oportunidades de colaboración y de reforzar su papel en la internacionalización de la ciudad.
El alcalde de Valladolid, Jesús Julio Carnero, además de agradecer la generosidad de estos profesionales, ha destacado que “nuestra Red de Embajadores, no sólo ayuda a posicionar Valladolid como destino turístico o cultural, sino como lugar atractivo para invertir, emprender, investigar, trabajar y vivir. Puede abrir puertas a colaboraciones, inversión, transferencia de conocimiento, internacionalización empresarial y captación de talento cualificado. Y lo que es más importante crea comunidad y un vínculo imprescindible a largo plazo”.
Con este ‘Encuentro de Verano’, el Ayuntamiento de Valladolid reafirma su compromiso con una Red que forma parte del plan de acción de Valladolid Now con el objetivo de continuar captando profesionales y ayudar a la internacionalización de las empresas vallisoletanas.
En este sentido, Carnero ha subrayado que “desde el inicio, la Oficina Municipal de Proyectos y Atracción de Inversiones funde talento, empresa, universidad y administraciones públicas, en un auténtico punto de encuentro gracias al trabajo conjunto del Ayuntamiento de Valladolid y CEOE Valladolid, con un papel cada vez más relevante en la proyección internacional, la atracción de oportunidades y el desarrollo económico de Valladolid”.
Por su parte, el presidente de CEOE Valladolid, Carlos Magdaleno, ha manifestado que “la Red del Talento Vallisoletano en el Exterior, integrada en la Red de Embajadores de Valladolid, debe convertirse en una herramienta útil y cercana para nuestras empresas. Los Faros permitirán establecer conexiones en las dos direcciones: apoyar a las empresas vallisoletanas en su internacionalización e identificar proyectos, inversión y talento que puedan encontrar en Valladolid un lugar adecuado para desarrollarse. El reto ahora es transformar el conocimiento y las relaciones reunidos por la Red en oportunidades concretas”.
La iniciativa se ha desarrollado en colaboración con CEOE Valladolid, aliado estratégico de la Red para reforzar la conexión entre el talento vallisoletano en el exterior y el tejido empresarial de la ciudad, para buscar nuevas oportunidades de internacionalización, inversión y crecimiento.
Durante el acto se han entregado nuevas tarjetas personalizadas de la Red de Embajadores de Valladolid, una acreditación nominativa que reconoce la pertenencia a esta comunidad internacional y simboliza el compromiso de cada embajador con la promoción de Valladolid. Las personas que no han podido asistir la recibirán por correo postal.
Faros de la Red Embajadores
En el encuentro se ha compartido una de las principales novedades de la Red: la creación de la figura de los ‘Faros’, profesionales vallisoletanos de referencia que desarrollan su carrera en mercados internacionales estratégicos. Actuarán como anfitriones en un camino de ida y vuelta. Por un lado, serán punto de apoyo para las empresas de Valladolid interesadas en impulsar su internacionalización y, por otro lado, serán la puerta de entrada para proyectos interesados en emprender en la ciudad.
Los cinco primeros ‘Faros de la Red’, que han estado presentes a través de conexión online, serán María Moreno (Sudáfrica), David García (Alemania), Víctor Escolar (India), Cristina Rivas (Singapur) y Salvador Moreno (México), profesionales con una sólida trayectoria internacional que ponen su experiencia y su red de contactos al servicio del desarrollo económico de Valladolid.
Conferencia de Julio Ceballos Rodríguez, consultor de desarrollo de negocio internacional
La jornada ha contado con una conferencia de Julio Ceballos Rodríguez, consultor de desarrollo de negocio internacional, escritor y uno de los mayores especialistas españoles en el mercado chino y en el impacto de China en la economía y la geopolítica mundial. Con más de dos décadas de actividad profesional en Asia, en su charla ‘Redes y talento en el nuevo orden mundial: oportunidades y desafíos’, Ceballos ha subrayado el papel que desempeñan las redes profesionales y el talento internacional en un contexto global marcado por profundos cambios económicos y geopolíticos.
Oficina Virtual de Atención al Embajador
Al mismo tiempo, se ha puesto en marcha la Oficina Virtual de Atención al Embajador, un espacio concebido para mantener un contacto más directo y permanente con los embajadores de cara a facilitar la comunicación y reforzar el vínculo entre la ciudad y quienes desarrollan su trayectoria profesional fuera de ella.
Porque el propósito es que la Red de Embajadores no sea simplemente una base de datos de profesionales ni una agenda de contactos, sino una auténtica comunidad. Una red viva, cercana y útil, donde compartir talento, generar oportunidades, impulsar proyectos y mantener siempre abierta esa conexión entre Valladolid y sus embajadores, estén donde estén.
The ‘Volvemos a Valladolid 2025-2026’ (We Are Returning to Valladolid) talent return grants have facilitated the return of 16 individuals to the city, as part of a program designed to support, facilitate, and incentivize the return of various professionals.
The second application window for the 2026 call remains open until November 20.
Valladolid City Council has concluded the first competitive grant award process for the ‘Volvemos a Valladolid 2025-2026’ talent return program. This initiative supports professionals who were living outside the city and returned during 2025 by providing a non-repayable grant of up to €10,000 to cover ongoing expenses (moving, travel, transport, rent, etc.) associated with their return.
The grant covers 80% of these documented expenses, up to a maximum of €8,000. This amount may be increased by €1,000 for individuals under the age of 35 and by an additional €500 per dependent, up to the overall maximum of €10,000 per beneficiary.
The grants are designed to facilitate the professional reintegration of returnees, whether through employment by others or by launching new business ventures that drive economic development in the municipality. In this round, two individuals returned to start their own businesses, while the others returned to take up employment. Of the 20 applications submitted by January 31, 2026, by individuals who returned between January 1 and December 31, 2025, 16 have been granted, totaling €30,432 out of the €50,000 allocated for the call for applications. One application was submitted after the deadline, and the other three did not meet the required criteria. The remaining funds will be applied to a second process—open until November 20—for those returning to the city in 2026; this budget may be increased by an additional €50,000 if necessary.
Beneficiary Profile
The beneficiaries are evenly split, with 50% men and 50% women. Regarding age, 50% are under 35, receiving an additional €1,000 for this reason.
The average amount of this non-repayable grant was €2,050 per person, with 30% of beneficiaries receiving more than €3,000.
Nine beneficiaries returned from other parts of Spain—specifically Madrid, Zaragoza, Valencia, and Barcelona—while the remaining seven returned from abroad (Canada, France, or Germany).
The «Volvemos a Valladolid 2025-2026» grant program, managed by the Innovation and Economic Development Agency (IdeVa)—which reports to the Mayor’s Office—was approved by the Governing Board on December 29, 2025, and published in the Official Gazette of the Province (BOP) on January 9 of this year.
The program aims to provide direct financial aid to support, facilitate, and incentivize the return to Valladolid of professionals who were living outside the Autonomous Community of Castile and León and have returned—or plan to return—between 2025 and November 1, 2026. This initiative is closely linked to talent retention and attraction, serving as a fundamental pillar for business growth and population attraction.
This initiative is part of the «Valladolid Now» economic development strategy, which seeks to attract talent to strengthen the local productive sector and enhance the city’s appeal for national and international investment.
The City Council is reviving this Network—originally established in 2009—and relaunching it as a strategic tool to maintain ties with natives of Valladolid who are pursuing their careers outside Spain.
embajadores valladolid
Valladolid Mayor Jesús Julio Carnero announced this afternoon the launch of a new call for financial aid designed to facilitate the return of talent from Valladolid currently building professional careers outside the region of Castile and León. The announcement was made during a meeting of the Valladolid Ambassadors’ Network held in the City Hall Reception Hall, attended by a large group of the 130 ambassadors currently affiliated with the Network; these individuals reside in over 35 countries across every continent (Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania).
The aid—part of the «Volvemos a Valladolid 2025-2026» (Returning to Valladolid 2025-2026) program and approved today, December 29, by the Governing Board—includes grants of up to 10,000 euros per beneficiary. These are non-repayable subsidies intended to cover expenses associated with returning to the city from outside the Autonomous Community of Castile and León. The initiative, promoted by the Valladolid Innovation and Economic Development Agency (IdeVa), has an initial budget of 50,000 euros, which could be increased by an additional 50,000 euros depending on demand. Individuals who meet the requirements specified in the call for applications may be eligible for the grant; these requirements include, among others, having been born in or resided in Valladolid for at least 12 months, and having lived and worked outside Castile and León for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the grant application, with an obligation to establish residence in the city for at least two years upon their return, as evidenced by a municipal registration certificate.
Two grant application processes have been launched:
– Individuals who returned to Valladolid from outside the Castile and León region during 2025 may apply for the grants until January 31;
– and for those returning in 2026, the application period will remain open until November 30.
The announcement was made during the Ambassadors Network’s first major in-person gathering since its reactivation. Originally established in 2009, the network has been revived and revitalized by the City Council as a strategic tool to maintain ties with Valladolid natives building careers abroad and to leverage this human capital for the city’s economic, cultural, and social development and global profile through the «Valladolid Now» initiative.
As the mayor stated, «They are Valladolid’s best advocates and representatives abroad, acting as the eyes and hands of our municipality in their cities of residence. They are an essential part of an international Valladolid and now have a dedicated website: www.embajadoresvalladolid.com.»
The event marked the first major in-person meeting of this expatriate community in its new phase—envisioned as an open, diverse, and growing network. It comprises professionals from various fields (business, economics, academia and vocational training, innovation, tourism, culture and the arts, sustainability, and social sectors) who maintain active ties with Valladolid from locations around the globe.
In his address, the mayor highlighted the initiative’s value in transforming the concept of «brain drain» into «talent export,» emphasizing that «Valladolid is a city capable of generating human capital with an international reach.» He also underscored the ambassadors’ role as active agents in promoting the city abroad and as an essential part of «Valladolid Now» in supporting efforts to attract investment.
The event was also attended by the Rector of the University of Valladolid, Antonio Largo Cabrerizo; the Rector of the European University Miguel de Cervantes, David García López; and the President of CEOE Valladolid, Carlos Magdaleno, demonstrating the institutional, academic, and business support behind the launch of this initiative.
A highlight of the day was the presentation by Alba Morales—a digital creative and illustrator at Accenture Song Middle East, a Valladolid ambassador in Dubai, and the creator of the new Valladolid ambassador brand. She explained the brand concept and shared her international professional experience, reflecting on the role the network can play in connecting global talent with their home city.
Presentation of awards
During the gathering, Honorary Ambassador awards were also presented to two distinguished University of Valladolid (UVa) alumni residing abroad—María Almudena Sevilla and Alexandre Pérez—in recognition of their professional achievements and their commitment to promoting Valladolid from abroad.
Following the official speeches, the event continued with networking sessions organized by continent, bringing together ambassadors and companies from Valladolid. These sessions were designed to foster ideas, contacts, and potential future collaborative projects, thereby reinforcing the network’s participatory and relationship-building nature.
The City Council has emphasized that the Valladolid Ambassadors Network is being relaunched with a commitment to continuity and growth, serving as a key tool to strengthen the city’s international profile and advance a development model rooted in people, talent, and cooperation. This network focuses, above all, on individuals—coming from diverse backgrounds and countries—who share a common origin and a desire to continue contributing to the shared project of Valladolid and «Valladolid Now,» particularly regarding the attraction of investment.
The Mayor of Valladolid, Jesús Julio Carnero, announced this afternoon the launch of a new call for financial aid aimed at facilitating the return of talent from Valladolid currently pursuing professional careers outside the region of Castile and León. The announcement was made during a meeting of the Valladolid Ambassadors Network held at City Hall’s Reception Hall, attended by a large group of the 130 ambassadors currently affiliated with the Network; these ambassadors reside in over 35 countries across every continent (Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania).
The aid—part of the ‘Volvemos a Valladolid 2025-2026’ (We Return to Valladolid 2025-2026) program and approved today, December 29, by the Governing Board—includes grants of up to €10,000 per beneficiary. These are non-repayable grants designed to cover expenses associated with returning to the city from outside the Autonomous Community of Castile and León. The initiative, promoted by the Valladolid Innovation and Economic Development Agency (IdeVa), has an initial budget of €50,000, which could be increased by another €50,000 depending on demand.
Eligibility for the grant extends to individuals who meet the requirements specified in the call for applications. These include, among others, having been born in or having resided in Valladolid for at least 12 months, and having lived and worked outside Castile and León for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the grant application. Recipients are required to establish residency in the city for at least two years upon their return, a fact that must be verified via a municipal registration certificate (certificado de empadronamiento).
Two application processes have been established for the aid. Applications for the grants may be submitted until January 31 by those who have returned to Valladolid from outside Castile and León during 2025, while for those returning in 2026, the application period will remain open until November 30.
