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Blog / Inspiration / Talking to Isabel Martínez - Cosentino Ramos de Cosentino
Talking to Isabel Martínez - Cosentino Ramos de Cosentino

Talking to Isabel Martínez - Cosentino Ramos de Cosentino

JANUARY 2026
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9 minutes
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Isabel Martínez-Cosentino Ramos is a director of Cosentino, a leading global company in innovative surfaces for architecture, design and interior design. From a vision deeply linked to industry, innovation and internationalisation, she has been a key figure in the integration of design as a strategic axis of the company, promoting projects that connect product, brand, spaces and people. Her career reflects a sustained commitment to placing Cosentino at the forefront of contemporary design, without losing sight of production excellence and the real impact on the environments we inhabit.

Isabel Martínez - Cosentino

In this conversation, Isabel reflects on design as a driver of differentiation and competitive advantage, understood not only as an aesthetic issue, but also as a tool for creating value, anticipating trends and prioritising people. Throughout the interview, she discusses how innovation, sustainability and technology are integrated into the company's DNA; the role of collaboration with leading architects and designers; and the need to think about materials from an emotional, experiential and responsible dimension, capable of improving quality of life and contributing to the long-term progress of the industry.

1. At Cosentino, how do you understand the role of design in industry? How important is it for you to integrate design as a driver of innovation and differentiation in the global market?

As an eminently industrial and manufacturing company, we have several vectors that, since our origins, have been transversal: commitment and investment in innovation and R&D, sustainability and also design. Although it may sometimes seem like a vague or imprecise discipline, design encompasses a wide range of activities: product design, industrial design, urban and landscape design, architectural design, interior design, ..... and in all these fields our products can have an impact and play an important role. That is why design is at the heart of our strategy.

Today, given the global context, design must be understood as a key driver for differentiation and competitive advantage. Prioritising design is not just a matter of aesthetics, it means creating significant value for our customers, strengthening our brand and being competitive and a benchmark in our sector.

Prioritising design is not just a question of aesthetics, it means creating significant value for our customers, strengthening our brand and being competitive and a benchmark in our sector.

Villa Panama in Barcelona

2. How does Cosentino manage to balance the creative vision of design with the productive reality and industrial challenges?

In our case, I would say anticipation. If we focus on the most tangential aspect, Cosentino has consolidated its position as a leader in innovative surfaces for architecture and design thanks to a product strategy based on anticipating trends, constant research and a cross-cutting culture of innovation.

Although there is a preconceived belief that there is a dichotomy between industrial and mass production, each product category, each collection and each shade we launch is the result of intensive listening and trend analysis, in which the design premise is key.

By focusing on this strategic axis, we turn innovation and design into real impact and transform every detail into a business opportunity and also a spearhead for our industry. A good example would be the recent launch of our new brand and product Éclos. This is a new generation of mineral surfaces with a full thickness integrated layered design and high heat resistance.

3. How do you integrate it into strategic decision-making?

In terms of products, we capture and create trends and align ourselves with customers, architects, designers, interior designers and other professionals to generate relevant and valuable portfolios. We also focus on end solutions, such as our bathroom proposals, including sinks and shower trays, as well as façades and outdoor applications. But, as I said, design involves much more than adding aesthetics to products. It represents a profound transformation in the way value is created.

It is about embedding design into the DNA of the organisation. This change turns design into a strategic asset that drives differentiation and strengthens brand identity. Another relevant example is our internationalisation model with spaces such as "Cosentino Cities" and "Studios", located in major cities around the world, where this commitment to design is crystallised and visualised.

"Design means much more than adding aesthetics to products. It represents a profound transformation in the way value is created".
Isabel Martínez - Cosentino at the round table "When design and industry commit".

4. Cosentino has always been known for being one step ahead with products such as Silestone or Dekton. How do you manage internally this culture of innovation that sets you apart in the sector?

I would like to highlight another key variable here, in three areas or spheres. People. Firstly, internally. We have teams and individuals who lead the creation, design and quality, which is also essential, not only of our products, but also of our operations. Second, we have our customers, partners and professionals in the value chain, with whom we are in constant contact, listening to them and developing solutions and projects. And, of course, thirdly, there is the end user. That design and that project, whether it is a home, a hotel or an office, must seek to improve their experience and quality of life.

Being a design-driven company, therefore, means prioritising people and turning every idea and every solution into an inspiring experience. In our case, we seek to create spaces that connect, excite and provide real value.

Villa Panama in Barcelona

5. Sustainability is a cross-cutting challenge for the industry. What recent advances would you highlight in this area, and how is Cosentino moving forward in its commitment to the environment?

Sustainability is one of those levers that, as I mentioned at the beginning, is strategic for us. In our sector, we are also a benchmark in sustainable management, decarbonisation and circular economy from the industrial sphere. And this is evident, firstly, in our Industrial Park in Almeria: from our energy model based on self-consumption and renewables to our responsible water management. Furthermore, since 2018 we have had our own Waste Management plant, which has allowed us to recover our waste and increasingly introduce it as a recycled raw material.

It is important to emphasise that this commitment to sustainability also reaches homes and public spaces through our products. This is the case of Hybriq+®, which since 2020 has meant the total renovation of our Silestone® brand. Dekton®, which incorporates between 15% and 85% of recycled raw materials from the product's own manufacturing process, has been declared a Carbon Neutral product for its entire life cycle. Likewise, in the new Éclos product, which does not contain crystalline silica in its formulation, some colours also incorporate almost 90% recycled material.

In short, our commitment to responsible environmental management linked to innovation has an impact on professionals and society through value-added, long-lasting and truly sustainable products.

Cosentino Industrial Park in Almeria

6. You have worked with big names in design and architecture. How valuable is this collaboration to you, and how do these creative dialogues influence the evolution of your materials?

Firstly, it is an absolute privilege and a lesson. It is part of that system of continuous listening and learning that subsequently impacts the way we design and innovate. But, at the same time, the fact that world-renowned figures in design and architecture such as Daniel Libeskind, Lázaro Rosa-Violán, Antonio Citterio, Xavi Mañosa, Ron Arad, Tom Dixon and FormaFantasma, among many others, have chosen our products for their projects or to establish collaborations is a very important endorsement of their quality and performance.

When design guides our experience with clients and professionals, every detail becomes an opportunity to surprise, generate trust and provide real value. In this way, we transform creativity into an engine of differentiation and build relationships that last over time.
Tom Dixon for Consentino

7. What are the strongest trends you see today in architecture and interior design, and how are they reflected in Cosentino's catalogue and strategy?

It is always difficult to condense and summarise everything into a few principles. However, we do see some trends, the result of this anticipatory approach, which we have analysed and taken into account. Many of these trends are shared in Shaping Tomorrow, a far-reaching global report that we have presented around the world this year. I believe it is essential to analyse how we want to experience spaces and cities. This will determine how materials, design, technology and sustainability will be key elements in shaping the future of design and architecture.

In this sense, there is a trend towards emotional and experiential design. New homes, hotels, and shops will not only offer functional solutions but, thanks to new technologies, will also provide a complete sensory experience. There is also a clear trend towards creating environments that promote social interaction, comfort, and well-being.

"There is a clear trend towards creating environments that promote social interaction, comfort and wellbeing".

8. Beyond materials, technology is transforming processes and experiences. How are you applying digitalisation in your factories, distribution and customer relations?

It is an area in which, once again, we want to be pioneers and benchmarks, also with a holistic vision that contributes to the progress of our entire chain. Of course, this is reflected in our Industrial Park, with the commitment to automation and robotisation of our factories and logistics centre. Also, for years, we have been implementing the most advanced technological systems internally to help in the management and structure of the organisation.

But I believe that we are making the most significant advances in our commercial activity and in our relationship with customers and professionals. This is something that we include in our "Smart Connect" project and which represents an important evolution of our model from a B2B commercial strategy to a B2B2C strategy. We are getting much closer to the end consumer to accompany them in their projects, connecting them with the network of collaborators and professionals that the company has.

This is materialised in digital platforms such as We Professional, eCosentino and C.Top Design. Specific verticals by type of professional (kitchen shops, marble workers, architects, designers and end consumers), which make up the Cosentino "ecosystem" in order to offer a top quality service. In the end, I believe that these new technologies must be understood as new tools that help us to be more agile, efficient and, ultimately, to provide the best possible service. This is something that today also makes a difference.

9. Looking ahead to the next ten years, what changes do you think will shape the future of the design and materials industry? What role would you like Cosentino to play in that scenario?

At Cosentino we seek to connect those points of sustainability, design and innovation that will mark the future in our sector, to create and continue to redefine our products, and thus continue to lead the world market in surfaces for interior design, architecture and construction.

We are talking about a strategic commitment with a long-term vision that seeks competitiveness and to contribute to the progress of our industry at a global level, but, above all, to create products with real added value, durable and beautiful that in their final application improve our environments and people's lives.

But, above all, to create products with real, lasting and beautiful added value that in their final application improve our environments and people's lives.

10. On a personal level, what does design mean to you? How has it influenced your professional career and Cosentino's corporate culture?

I am passionate about design, both personally and in my involvement and performance at Cosentino. It was always clear to me that it had that differentiating and strategic component that would allow us to be more competitive. From that vision, and beyond the development of products and solutions, I had the privilege, for example, of contributing to renovate and update our warehouses, called "Cosentino Centers" and, subsequently, to start since 2013 the concept and plan the creation and expansion of our showrooms or "Cities".

I have then been able to put this passion into practice for many years as head of Cosentino City in Barcelona, where I humbly believe that we have been pioneers and have contributed to weaving networks and creating a community between the worlds of design, architecture, culture and art.