Leitat appoints a former HP executive as its new president, and other moves of the week

BarcelonaThe Leitat technology center is undergoing a period of restructuring. After a few difficult years, in which the Vallesan entity It was forced to lay off 114 workers and accumulate debt that made its existence difficult. –which has survived largely thanks to the public injection of almost ten million euros from the Generalitat–, the center now seeks to enter a new era under the leadership of a new president, Ramon Pastor, a long-standing figure in the Catalan technology sector. Furthermore, the Círculo de Economía will have a woman as president for the first time in its history, and Carles Puig de Travy will repeat as dean of the College of Economists of Catalonia. These and many others are some of the main executive signings of the week.

Leitat chooses Ramon Pastor as the new president of the technology center

The Leitat technology center has chosen Ramon Pastor, a veteran of the technology sector and former HP executive, as its new president, replacing Jordi William Carnes after more than eight years at the helm of the organization. The change was approved in a context of "institutional renewal that coincides with the launch of a new strategic phase led by Jordi Cabrafiga," CEO since November 2023.

With over 30 years of experience at the multinational HP, Pastor has held positions of top responsibility: he led the global large-format printing division, created and led the global 3D printing business, and, for the past 12 years, he has led HP's Sant Cugat campus, one of the main generators of patents in AI—dedicated to additive manufacturing and promoted and operated by Leitat—and served as a trustee of several entities, such as the Catalunya Cultura Foundation, Respon.cat, Eurecat, and the business councils of the UPC and La Salle.

Molins will have its first non-executive chairman from outside the family.

The Molins board of directors has appointed Julio Rodríguez Izquierdo as non-executive chairman, replacing Joan Molins, who had chaired the board for seven years, shortly after being appointed as a proprietary director despite a split among shareholders.

Rodríguez, who becomes the first non-executive chairman from outside the family, was appointed CEO of Molins in 2015 and served until June 2024, when he was replaced by Marcos Cela. This past Friday, the general shareholders' meeting approved the 2024 financial statements and all the board's proposals.

Teresa Garcia-Milà, the first female president of Círculo de Economía

Economics professor Teresa Garcia-Milà has been appointed the new president of the Círculo de Economía (Economics Circle), succeeding Jaume Guardiola. She is the first woman to hold this position in the sixty-seven-year history of this organization, which brings together more than 1,500 businesspeople, executives, and representatives from the economic, academic, and social worlds. García-Milán's candidacy was a public secret, and she was the only one put forward to lead the institution. The deadline for submitting candidacies ended this Thursday, June 26, and she faced no competition; unlike Jaume Guardiola, who had to face businesswoman Rosa Cañadas at the polls.

With a degree in Economics from the University of Barcelona and a PhD in Economics from the University of Minnesota, Teresa Garcia-Milà is currently Director of the Barcelona School of Economics (BSE), Professor at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), and Associate Researcher at the Center for Research in International Economics (CREI). She is also Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Political Economy and Governance (IPEG). In the business world, she is a director of Repsol and chair of its audit committee, non-executive chair of Sabadell Digital, and economic advisor to the Ministry of Economy. She has served on the board of Enagás, Vueling, and Banc Sabadell, and has served on several public and private advisory boards, including that of Airef and the Advisory Council for Recovery and Growth (CAREC) of the Government of Catalonia.

Carles Puig de Travy, re-elected dean of the College of Economists of Catalonia

The candidacy led by the dean of the College of Economists of Catalonia (CEC), Carles Puig de Travy, and the vice-dean, Àngels Fitó, has been declared elected, being the only candidate to stand in the elections to renew the entity's board, according to the College in a statement.

Puig de Travy has been dean of the College of Economists since 2021 and is also vice-president of the General Council of Economists and an honorary member of the Royal European Academy of Doctors. Together with Àngels Fitó, they will lead the entity's board for the next four years.

The new board will also include other economists such as Rosaura Jiménez, president of the Girona office; Maria Alba Zaragoza, president of the Lleida office; Arnau Farré, president of the Tarragona office; Alfred Albiol, member; Oriol Amat, member; Maria Josep Arasa, member; Ana García Molina, member; Carme García Jarque, member; Carme Jover, member; Miquel Morell, member; Ester Oliveras, member; Ferran Piqué, member; Nieves Rabassó, member; Josep Maria Riu, member; José Rodríguez Pousa, member; Sofía Rodríguez, member; Esther Subirà, member; and Ramon Tremosa, member.

Pedro Azagra, new CEO of Iberdrola

Iberdrola's Board of Directors has appointed Pedro Azagra Blázquez as the group's new CEO, replacing Armando Martínez. Azagra, who until now served as CEO of Avangrid, the Iberdrola Group subsidiary in the United States, has also been appointed executive director of the company until the general shareholders' meeting to fill Martínez's vacancy.

Pedro Azagra has been with Iberdrola for 25 years, first as the company's director of development and international expansion, and for the last three years as CEO of the subsidiary in the United States.

Gallardo (Admiral), elected Second Vice President of Efpia

Almirante's President and CEO, Carlos Gallardo, has been elected Second Vice President of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries Associations (EFPIA). Gallardo thus joined the new presidential team for a two-year term, the Catalan pharmaceutical company announced in a statement. Stefan Oelrich, President of Bayer's pharmaceutical division, will serve as President of the Federation, while Teresa Graham, CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals, will serve as First Vice President.