Three Cuban women are on Forbes Women's list of 'The 75 Latin American women to follow in 2024'

January 21, 2024

Forbes Women published the first edition of the list of 'The 75 Latin American women to follow in 2024', which brings together businesswomen, entrepreneurs, directors, executives, patrons and art collectors and includes three prestigious Cuban women.

The list recognizes the talent and dedication of Latin American women and their importance in the social and business fabric of Spanish society, elements that were highlighted during its presentation at the Santo Mauro hotel in Madrid.

Cuba's presence on the list comes with renowned visual artist Rachel Valdés, joined by philanthropist and entrepreneur Ella Fontanals-Cisneros and also visual artist Glenda León.

At the event, the president of SpainMedia and editor and director of Forbes Women, Andrés Rodríguez, highlighted the important change Madrid has undergone in recent decades and how it has become a city that serves as home for all its inhabitants whether or not they were born there, according to Forbes in its web edition.

"Madrid is the capital that establishes a bridge between Latin America and Spain, there is no doubt about it," said Rodríguez, adding that Madrid is "an alluvial city, a city that receives people from all over the world".

Also present at the event was the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who emphasized that the Spanish capital is a city for everyone and of everyone, and that anyone who lives in it can consider themselves Madrileño.

The politician recalled the importance of the Latin community in Madrid and the work of the women present. "I love seeing all of you here together, sharing knowledge. All the women who make up this list at Forbes Women, the 75 women to follow, are a 10 in their field, but they also are for the rest of the people who dream of being the best at something someday," Ayuso concluded.

The moment was captured by Rachel Valdés herself through her Instagram stories and in a post on her social media profile, where she thanked Forbes Women and appeared at the Madrid gala in a dazzling white dress.

The occasion also served for some of those on the list to speak and share the challenges they have faced since arriving in Spain.

Forbes Women has described the three Cuban women in its list, highlighting the importance of their work throughout all these years of their careers. Regarding Valdés, the prestigious magazine highlights that the "visual artist develops her work through different mediums such as painting, sculpture, installation, and photography and has public art projects, some of them developed at the Havana Biennials".

Regarding her work, it notes that it is part of private and public collections, including The Donald Rubin Foundation and The Rockefeller Brothers Foundation, in New York; Pérez Museum (PAMM), Miami; and the Calosa Foundation, in Mexico, among other spaces.

In the case of Spain, it states that "she has also conquered the elites. Her work 'The Thinker' has been installed at the Cigarral de Menores de Toledo, owned by Gregorio Marañón y Bertrán de Lis".

For her part, Ella Fontanals-Cisneros is described as a "collector passionate about art, especially contemporary art" given her collection of some 3000 pieces.

"Her foundation, CIFO, based in Miami, organizes a generous scholarship program for artists. She was born in Cuba, and emigrated to Venezuela at a very young age. She was married to Venezuelan magnate Oswaldo Cisneros, president of Pepsi Cola in his country. She lives between Havana, Miami and Madrid, where she owns an apartment in the Chamberí neighborhood. In recent years she has dedicated herself to buying luxury apartments that she remodels before selling," Forbes expands.

On Glenda León, it mentions her training, a product of "the mix of her two passions: classical ballet and the plastic arts, and after studying Art History in Havana and furthering her studies in Cologne (Germany), she ended up settling in Madrid, where she applied for a research scholarship from AECID and everything began to flow".

Regarding her work in the European country, it highlights her solo exhibition at Matadero, curated by Cristian Domínguez, as well as a performance at the Lázaro Galdiano Museum together with Kreemart and her work with the famous Spanish gallerist Juana de Aizpuru.

"2024 promises: she will have a show within the curated section of ARCO, an exhibition in Panama and a mid-career retrospective at the Contemporary Art Center of Linz (Austria)," the magazine previews León's upcoming projects.