Post by Youth Economic Circle (YEC)

A couple weeks ago, YEC hosted a private dinner with Lola Solana, Head of European Small Caps & ESG Equity Funds at Santander Asset Management and one of #Spain’s most respected investment professionals. With more than three decades managing European equities and following thousands of companies across the continent, Lola has built a career defined by conviction, consistency, and an exceptional understanding of how businesses create long-term value. Throughout an intimate and candid conversation, we discussed investing, entrepreneurship, leadership, and the future of small and medium-sized businesses in Spain. But beyond markets and finance, much of the evening focused on the personal side of professional success: resilience, curiosity, and the confidence to follow your own path. A few ideas that stayed with us: •⁠ ⁠Great careers are rarely linear. Progress often requires patience, persistence, and the ability to navigate uncertainty without losing sight of long-term goals. •⁠ ⁠Small and medium-sized companies remain one of the great engines of innovation, growth, and opportunity in Europe, despite often receiving less attention than larger corporations. •⁠ ⁠Believing in yourself matters. Confidence is not about certainty; it is about having the conviction to keep moving forward, even when the outcome is unclear. What made the evening particularly memorable was Lola’s openness in sharing not only the successes of her journey, but also the challenges, doubts, and lessons that shaped it along the way. Thank you, Lola, for your generosity, wisdom, and time.