“The tourism sector loses a reference of international repercussion and friends lose an exceptionally beloved person.” This was the reaction of Agustín Manrique de Lara, president of the Gran Canaria Business Circle, to the sudden loss of Enrique Martinón, a businessman from Lanzarote and founder of the Invercar Grumasa Group.
For his part, Mario Romero Mur, president of the Mur Group, former president of the Gran Canaria Business Circle, and a very close friend of Martinón, pointed out that “he conveyed security and brilliance, he was a captivating and didactic conversationalist, without acting as a teacher. I learned and copied many things that have been very useful in my life.” This businessman also highlighted “his entrepreneurial capacity and foresight.”
“He was a blessing for Cuba, a pioneer in every sense and a brave man like few others. In those times of cold war and communism, he knew how to earn the trust of its leaders and especially the population,” he pointed out. Without a doubt, the role that Enrique Martinón played in this country left its mark. Something that Romero Mur was able to verify in person during one of his visits to the island. “The taxi driver spoke first of Ché, then of Martinón, and finally of Fidel. The population had the opportunity to work, eat in hotels, and train professionally. It was adoration towards him.”
“His charisma made him a natural business leader, he was able to bring together and inspire many friends and partners in his successful projects, a rare skill in accordance with his generosity,” he added.
Regarding his legacy, Mario Romero Mur stated that “he leaves behind a great company with the most prepared people to face the challenge, especially his children, Alicia, Enrique, Pepa, and Mónica, are lucky to have enjoyed a master of masters.”
Herminia Rodríguez, vice president of Hospitales San Roque and member of the Gran Canaria Business Circle, had the opportunity to get to know him more closely in recent years. “A very intelligent man, a visionary, a pioneer in relations with Cuba, is gone. Establishing businesses in that political context in itself defines him,” she stated. “He was strong, charismatic, a friend to his friends, very generous, a man with a great sense of family. He leaves four wonderful children who inherit not only his capacity for work and sacrifice, but also his prudence and discretion, values difficult to find in people who go so far,” she concluded.
