Hello!
I'm Rocío Santiago, and my daily work revolves around a huge but exciting challenge: promoting financing to renovate homes and make them more efficient.
Look, in Spain, 8 out of 10 homes are energy inefficient. This means that most of us live in buildings that lose heat in the winter, accumulate heat in the summer, and also cause us to spend more on energy than necessary. Renovating isn't just a matter of sustainability; it's also about comfort and savings for families.
For this transformation to reach more homes, we need to join forces: the public and private sectors, and an ecosystem of partners to make it possible. And here, financing plays a key role. At UCI, we work to ensure that homeowners' associations and individuals can access flexible solutions, eliminating the fear of initial costs and paving the way for more efficient buildings.
I've been at UCI since 2006, growing through various projects: I started as an account executive, then became a regional director for the digital channel mortgages.com, and in 2023, I took over as head of the renovation agencies in Andalusia and the Valencian Community. Each step has connected me more deeply with urban regeneration and energy efficiency, but above all, with people and their needs.
I love walking through my land, my town, and a wonderful and unique place in the world, El Rocío, and I also make any city "my village." Observing it, understanding it, and thinking about how to improve it is something that moves me. And that's because, for me, working with people is much more than managing projects or promoting funding. It's about talking to them, feeling close to them, understanding their concerns, and, above all, wanting to improve their daily lives.
I've always believed that things truly change when we start from the real needs of communities, when we listen to those who experience the problems firsthand and seek solutions that make their lives easier. That's why renovation isn't just about energy efficiency or sustainability; it's about well-being. It's about enabling people to live better lives in their homes, in their neighborhoods, in their cities. And if we want to transform the world, let's start by improving where we live.