Jaume Guardiola leaves public life and other business moves

BarcelonaJaume Guardiola is stepping aside and leaving public life; at least for the time being. The current president of the Círculo de Economía and chairman of the board of trustees of the Esade Foundation is retiring. Last week, the changeover at the Círculo took effect. Professor Teresa Garcia-Milà, and this week the replacement at the head of the Esade Foundation, Anna Xicoy, has been made official. Guardiola makes way for two women, who in both cases will be the first to hold these positions. Former CEO of Banc Sabadell and previously of BBVA, Guardiola also chaired the economic committee of Barça between 2021 and 2022. As life would have it, the former banker was the host of the Círculo conferences in which BBVA's takeover bid for Sabadell, the two banks of his life, was.

Anna Xicoy replaces Jaume Guardiola at Esade

Anna Xicoy replaces Jaume Guardiola, who has held the position since 2021, as president of the Esade Foundation Board of Trustees, becoming the first woman to hold this position. She holds a degree and MBA from Esade and has extensive professional experience in public and private service management. Since 2013, she has been the Director of Business and Operations and Deputy General Manager of Barcelona Municipal Services (BSM), a public company that manages services in the city of Barcelona in the areas of mobility, leisure, culture, and the environment.

Lluís Bassat, new president of the Annie Bonnie advisory board

Lluís Bassat, a veteran of the advertising industry, will chair the advisory board of Annie Bonnie, an independent advertising agency headquartered in Madrid with offices in New Jersey (USA), from which it serves multinationals worldwide. This is the first time Bassat has joined an advertising agency after Bassat, Ogilvy & Mather. The publicist will lead the creation of the advisory board, bringing his experience to the agency's creative team. He will share his marketing knowledge and his commercial and business acumen with Annie Bonnie's management team, advising them on management.

Bassat has been responsible for iconic campaigns that many will still remember. Founder of Bassat Ogilvy, he is recognized, among other things, for his work on advertising for the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. He has worked for major multinational brands and held important positions in the Ogilvy group's global organization. He is currently the president of the Carmen & Luis Bassat Foundation, which houses more than 3,000 works from his private art collection, and is a board member of various companies and entities.

Bandalux appoints Jorge Arteaga as its new CEO

Bandalux, a multinational company founded in Catalonia specializing in the design, manufacture, and distribution of curtains and custom-made protection solutions, has appointed Jorge Arteaga as the group's new CEO. With a degree in economics and postgraduate degrees from IESE and the Instituto de Empresa (IE), Arteaga has extensive experience in international settings.

He has held management positions in global companies such as Philips, Beiersdorf, and Grohe, and has served as CEO of companies with private equity investments, where he has led transformation processes, operational improvement, and sustainable growth. Thus, the new CEO will promote innovation and the areas of sustainability and digitalization. With offices in Catalonia and Galicia, Bandalux operates in more than 80 countries, has four production plants in Europe and one in the United States, and has more than 600 employees.

Vicente del Mar Mullor, new president of AIJEC

The Association of Young Entrepreneurs of Catalonia (AIJEC) voted during its Ordinary General Assembly to approve the new board of directors that will lead the organization until 2028. Vicenç del Mar Mullor, a technology entrepreneur and until now treasurer of AIJEC, has been elected to succeed Rubón for five years.

On this new board, Del Mar Mullor is accompanied by: Cristina Hernández and Amanda Ceballo as vice presidents, Lluís Feliu as general secretary, Laura Puigvert as treasurer, Víctor Costa, Joan Torras, Laura Guix, Albert Celma, Claudia Salaet and Raimon Recoder as members, and Griselda Grau.