Avelino Acero Díaz, General Manager of FCC Construction, has received the Golden Apple Award, the highest distinction granted by the Asturian Centre of Madrid. The award was presented by Valentín Martínez Otero, the Centre's Deputy Chairman, and by Francisco Rodríguez García, Chairman of the Asturian Centre Board and Chairman of Industrias Lácteas Asturianas.

Avelino Acero expressed his gratitude for the award and his "sincere affection for all things Asturian." In his acceptance speech, he shared many memories of his youth in Asturias and paid homage to Asturian emigrants.

Avelino Acero, a civil engineer, has been Head of Railway and Metro Projects throughout his 25 years at FCC.

He joined Corsan after graduating from the University of Madrid in 1971. He transferred to FCC in 1986. Under his management, the company has undertaken a range of railway projects including high-speed rail infrastructure and construction, upgrading and widening of conventional railway lines, large station construction and, in particular, construction of new subway lines as part of the Metro de Madrid expansion project. He also participated in the construction of the Pajares rail bypass, which he has described as "the most important project of my life.

Acero managed FCC's construction of 350 kilometres of high-speed railway (including 112 kilometres of tunnels), 75 kilometres of underground (primarily in Madrid), and the last four big stations built in Spain: the AVE high-speed rail stations in Seville (Santa Justa), Madrid (Atocha) and Zaragoza (Delicias), and the commuter train station in Puerta del Sol (Madrid), inaugurated in June 2009.

Acero has been recognised for his work on significant engineering projects, including the construction of the Guadarrama tunnels on the high-speed railway line to northern and northwestern Spain, and the extension of Line 3 of Madrid Metro. He is a member of many professional bodies, and is Vice-Chairman of the Spanish Tunnels and Underground Works Association (AETOS).

He has lectured at a number of universities, including Madrid School of Civil Engineering and School of Architecture.

He is a member of the Academic Council for the Master's Programme in Tunnels and Underground Engineering sponsored by the School of Civil Engineering, Madrid Polytechnic University and the Spanish Tunnels and Underground Works Association.