6 March 2026 / per Cerdá Group
On March 5th, Pepe Cerdá received the ASTER Award for Business Career, granted by ESIC. A recognition that goes beyond the individual and represents, for all of us who are part of Cerdá Group, the validation of a leadership style, a way of doing things, and a business philosophy that has defined us for more than 50 years.
Honoring Pepe is honoring the innovation, nonconformity, and courage that have allowed us to become a recognized and solid company, certified for the second consecutive year as a Great Place to Work.
In the 1970s, when the industry was moving at a different pace and competition was focused on copying and lowering prices, Pepe Cerdá chose a different path. He committed to glass-wrapped products and to items that offered more than just price: they offered value.
As highlighted in the blog of our 50th anniversary, Cerdá was born from listening, learning, and believing in the ability to grow alongside customers, suppliers, and collaborators. This spirit was present from the very beginning, driven by Pepe’s nonconformist vision.
Innovation was not always such a common word as it is today. In a time without internet, without mobile phones, and without instant information, reinventing yourself was an act of courage. Pepe did it again and again.
While others settled for competing on price, he searched for new solutions, new materials, new categories… identifying opportunities where others saw limits.
Innovation was not a strategy; it was an attitude.
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Cerdá, 50 years growing together
In the 1980s, Pepe made a decision that would change the course of our company: calling Disney. Without contacts, without shortcuts, without guarantees… but with vision and determination.
The agreement reached at that time marked the beginning of the Cerdá we are today: a global, creative, professionalized company with a strong focus on licensed products. That step opened doors for us, pushed us to evolve, and allowed us to develop the culture that we continue to foster and proudly celebrate today.
More than an entrepreneur, Pepe has been an example. His ability to anticipate change, trust talent and commit to continuous improvement is embedded in the company’s DNA.
Our recent Great Place to Work certification is proof that his legacy is still alive: an environment where people are heard, where innovation is encouraged and where passion drives every project. Because a true legacy is not only what is built, but the culture that remains.
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Being a Great Place to Work is not a goal, it’s our path
The ASTER Award recognizes an outstanding business career. For us, it represents something deeper: a way of understanding business and life.
Working with passion.
Taking risks when others hesitate.
Anticipating change instead of reacting to it.
And always doing so with humility, with the conviction that there is still much to learn.
This award honors Pepe, but also all the people who have believed in his vision and have walked this path alongside him for five decades. Because great projects are not built alone: they are built as a team, with purpose and perseverance.
Thank you, Pepe, for teaching us that innovation is not an option, it is an attitude. Your journey inspires every step we take and reminds us that the future is built the same way you did: with courage, enthusiasm and an unshakable belief in possibilities.
At Cerdá we are manufacturers and wholesalers specialized in licensing products and children's characters for more than 40 years. Our products help create unique moments of happiness and that is our greatest motivation. In Cerdá we strive every day to make the dreams of our children and clients a reality. Join the Cerdá family!
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