From London to Sabadell: surprise change at the top of Oliu's bank

BarcelonaThe César González-Bueno's resignation His appointment as CEO of Banc Sabadell, just after successfully avoiding a takeover bid from BBVA, took everyone by surprise. "It was now or in a year, and now was a good time because nobody expected it; therefore, we left no room for speculation," the executive said, satisfied, at a press conference this Friday. This change has marked the week of executive reshuffles, but Desigual is also losing one of its key figures, and Deloitte Spain will have a new president in June. These are the most notable appointments of the week:

Changes at the top of Sabadell

Following BBVA's takeover bid, which ultimately failed with only 25% acceptance from Sabadell shareholders, the bank chaired by Josep Oliu is starting 2026 by announcing changes at the top. César González-Bueno, who emerged as one of the heroes of the takeover bid at Sabadell, announced this Thursday – the day before the presentation of the bank's annual results – that he would step down as CEO in May, after the shareholders' meeting.

He will be succeeded by Marc Armengol, the current CEO of Sabadell's British subsidiary, TSB, which is currently being sold to Santander. During Friday's press conference, González-Bueno stated that he is still unsure what he will do once he leaves Sabadell, "but I'm sure it won't be in the Spanish banking sector," he said. He added that it was "my own decision, agreed upon with the bank," because "now was a good time to do it" and they were clear that "the successor should be Armengol." However, he is certain of one thing: "What I will definitely do is work less."

Sabadell also announced the promotion of one of its long-standing employees, Carles Ventura, who will become managing director of business in Spain. He will also join the bank's highest governing body as an executive director, filling the position vacated by David Martínez Guzmán, the dissenting director during the takeover bid.

Desigual loses one of the architects of its renewal

The Catalan fashion brand Desigual, which in recent times had been focused on a brand renewal strategy To improve its image and reach a younger audience, it is now undergoing a major change at the top. As he explained Fashions, Jan Rivera, the company's image and content director, known for being one of the architects of this transformation process, is leaving Desigual. Rivera joined the company in 2021 as image and content director until 2024, when he became artistic director.

Rivera has a long track record in the sector: before joining the company founded by Thomas Meyer, she worked for over a decade at Mango and, previously, at Massimo Dutti and Ralph Lauren.

Ana Torrens, president of Deloitte Spain from June

Ana Torrens, until now the partner in charge of audit and insurance Deloitte, has been chosen by the company's partners to serve as president of Deloitte Spain from June 1, 2026, the date on which the term of the current president, Héctor Flórez, ends. He has held the position for the last four years and announced last November his decision not to run again.

Torrens has over 30 years of professional experience at Deloitte. A graduate in Business Administration from Abat Oliba CEU University, she has led the audit area since 2021 and insurance and is a member of both the executive committee of Deloitte Spain and the global audit executive committee and insuranceShe is also a member of the Official Register of Auditors (ROAC) and, in the academic field, has worked as a professor at Esade.

PayPal appoints Enrique Lores as its new CEO

PayPal, the American online payments company, has appointed Spaniard Enrique Lores as its new president and CEO, effective March 1, succeeding Alex Chriss, the multinational announced. Lores, 60, had served for more than six years as president and CEO of HP, a position he resigned from this week, as confirmed by the printing giant. However, Lores had already been a member of PayPal's board of directors for almost five years.

For the time being, Jamie Miller, PayPal's chief financial and operational officer, will serve as interim CEO until Lores officially assumes the role, and David W. Dorman has been appointed independent chairman of the board, effective immediately. Lores's appointment as PayPal's chief executive comes "following a detailed evaluation by the board of directors of the company's position relative to the competition and the overall industry landscape," the company explained.

Meanwhile, HP's board of directors has appointed Bruce Broussard as the company's interim CEO, effective immediately, after Enrique Lores resigned from his positions. The HP board has formed a CEO search committee and has also hired a leading global executive search firm to assist in the process.

Disney appoints Josh D'Amaro as its new CEO

The Walt Disney Company's board of directors has unanimously elected Josh D'Amaro, current president of the Experiences division, as the multinational's new CEO, effective March 18, following the annual general meeting. He will succeed long-serving Robert Iger. D'Amaro's selection culminates the succession process planned since Disney established a special succession planning committee in January 2023 to ensure a leadership transition aligned with the company's long-term strategic objectives.

D'Amaro, 54, with 28 years at Disney, has led the company's largest business unit since 2020, with annual revenues of $36 billion (€30.422 billion) and 185,000 employees worldwide. Having previously served as president of Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort, the multinational corporation believes the executive has been instrumental in expanding Disney's franchises by creating immersive and narrative-driven experiences at its theme parks. The company explained that, following the transition, Bob Iger will continue as a senior advisor and member of Disney's board of directors until his retirement on December 31, 2026. Iger agreed in November 2022 to return to the multinational's leadership for a two-year period, beginning in 2020, and serving as executive chairman and chairman of the board until 2021.