Inflows and outflows in the Catalan wine sector

News at various levels in the Catalan wine sector. Just weeks after the renewal of the presidency of the Regulatory Council of Cava, which placed Marta Vidal at the head of the designation of origin (DO) of Spanish sparkling wines, the employers' association of producers will have to change its president. The direction of Barcelona Wine Week, the main wine event in the country's capital, is also being reshaped. Outside the vineyard, PepsiCo is undertaking an appointment in its human resources department, and Ikea in Spain seeks to build "an increasingly relevant, close, and accessible brand".

Joaquim Tosas

President of Aecava

The president of the Association of Cava Producers (Aecava), Joaquim Tosas, announced his resignation this week. The cava employers' association, however, informed that Tosas will remain linked to the institution as a member of the board of directors and a member of the Regulatory Council of the DO. He will also continue as acting president until the autumn, when Aecava plans to call an election to appoint the new president.

The already former leader of the entity justified his decision to "promote a renewal of leadership at a time when the DO is beginning a new phase marked by new challenges and opportunities". Tosas, executive director of Cellers Sumarroca, took office in 2022, when he replaced Damià Deàs, the historic manager of Vilarnau. He had renewed his position last year, and his term was set to extend until 2029. "It has been an honor and a privilege to represent the business community of producers and to contribute, together with many people in the sector, to promoting projects and initiatives for the benefit of cava," he stated.

Raquel Pérez

Chairwoman of Barcelona Wine Week

The wine businesswoman Raquel Pérez will be the new president of the Barcelona Wine Week, the city's main wine event. Pérez is the CEO of the Ontañón wineries, and also directs the Regulatory Council of the Qualified Designation of Origin (DOQ) Rioja. The new president succeeds Javier Pagés, former president of the DO Cava, who had led the Wine Week since its creation in 2019.

As president of the organizing committee of the Wine Week, Pérez "faces a stage of full consolidation" of the event within the Spanish wine sector. Among her priorities will be the international expansion of the fair, as well as addressing the challenges facing the vineyard industry, from incentives for domestic consumption to the dissemination of local brands. For the businesswoman, the fair "accompanies the development of the sector" in the State, and "promotes its offering in national and international markets" thanks to its appeal beyond Spanish borders.

Aurora Catà

Partner at Heidrick & Struggles

The firm specializing in executive talent search, Heidrick & Struggles, has announced the appointment of Aurora Catà as the company's new partner in Spain. From Barcelona, Catà will support companies in their executive hiring processes and help consolidate the firm's growth in the Iberian Peninsula. With a background in industrial engineering from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Catà has worked for prominent companies such as Bank of America, Nissan Motor Ibérica, and Grupo Planeta. She was also a partner at the headhunting firm Seeliger y Conde, where she assisted companies in hiring processes for over a decade.

Catà also served as the president of the Barcelona Global lobby during a key period for the entity: indeed, she was the executive vice president of the America's Cup sailing event held in the country's capital in 2024. Currently, Catà is part of the boards of directors of Repsol and Banco Sabadell, in both cases as an independent director. She also forms part of the Cidob board, where she serves as secretary.

Nacho Navarro

Marketing Director of Ikea in Spain

Marketing and communication in Spain for Ikea, the Swedish furniture giant, has a new leader. The company has appointed Nacho Navarro as the new marketing director (CMO, for its English acronym) for its Spanish businesses. Navarro takes over from Gabriel Ladaria, who left the multinational to take on the marketing direction of the Dutch bank ING. The new Ikea executive has spent nearly 20 years working alongside advertisers in the spirits world, holding various positions at the British giant Diageo, owner of brands such as Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, or Guinness.

Navarro holds a degree in Business Administration from ICADE, and completed an MBA at Power MBA, as well as an executive development program at IESE. The new Ikea marketing director has declared himself "very excited" to join the company and believes he is arriving with an "enormous opportunity" within the sector. In his hands will be the construction of a "people-centric positioning with an increasingly relevant, close, and accessible brand". The appointment will be effective on September 1, coinciding with the start of the Swedish company's fiscal year.

Igor González

Human Resources Director of PepsiCo Iberia

PepsiCo Iberia has appointed Igor González as the new director of people —the head of human resources—. González will join the management committee of the food giant in the region and will report directly to the general director, Fernando Moraga. He takes over from Laura San Miguel, who until now held the same position and has been appointed director of talent for the multinational for Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Turkey. According to the company, the new executive's goal will be to "drive business growth through people, and contribute to the evolution of the organization and the development of talent and leadership".

González arrives at the human resources department after 16 years at PepsiCo, where he has focused on areas around human resources, from where he has led cultural transformation initiatives for the company. Recently, he has been in charge of the talent agenda in Spain, Portugal, and Italy. He holds a degree in humanities and communication from the University of Deusto, and completed a master's degree in business communication at ESIC. For the new executive, his main task will be to "empower leaders to place people at the center" of the company's strategy.

Judit Vall

Director of the Barcelona Institute of Economics (IEB)

The Barcelona Institute of Economics (IEB), the economic research center of the University of Barcelona (UB), has a new director. Judit Vall, a professor of Applied Economics at the Barcelona university, will assume leadership of the institution, as announced this week. Vall will take over from José María Durán-Cabré, who had led the organization for the past nine years and joined the board last February. The board has also appointed Professor Jordi Jofre-Monseny as deputy director of the institute.

Vall has focused her research career on the fields of health economics, labor economics, and public policy evaluation. She has collaborated with top international academic institutions, such as the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), one of the most prestigious private organizations in the United States in the field of economic analysis and dissemination. She has also received high-level scholarships, such as the Fulbright-Schuman or the Marie Curie; as well as the ICREA Academia Award.

Jofre-Monseny, for his part, is an expert in urban economics and housing policy, and conducts research at the IEB itself.