New faces in the leadership of Ford and Mango

BarcelonaThe last few days have seen relevant appointments in some of the most prominent multinational companies operating in the State. Ford has announced the renewal of its presidency and executive management, which will become effective in December. Mango has announced a new head of personnel, an executive with a long career within the Catalan fashion giant. On the other hand, the baton of the presidency of the solidarity commission of the Terrassa-based employers' association Cecot has been passed on, and the law firm Osborne Clarke has added a new partner.

Elena Burguete

President and CEO of Ford Iberia

Ford is changing the top of its leadership in the country. The company announced this week that Elena Burguete will be the new CEO and president of the multinational automotive company in Spain. Burguete, with more than 30 years of experience at the company, will take over from the current top executive, Jesús Alonso, who will leave the position due to retirement. The appointment will become effective on December 1st.

The new president and CEO has been part of the company's structure for three decades, having held the marketing directorship, the financial directorship, and the directorship of the commercial vehicles division. In 2023, she made the leap to Ford Europe as director of field operations CX, and had recently obtained the position of director of training and dealer engagement. For his part, Alonso is leaving the company after more than 30 years. He joined in 1986 and had held the position of president and CEO in the country for more than 10 years.

Marlies Hersbach

Mango's HR Director

The Catalan fashion giant Mango has appointed Marlies Hersbach as the new chief people officer. The executive will lead this area starting in January 2027, replacing David Payeras, who will leave the position at the end of the year to undertake new professional projects. In a statement issued this week, Mango thanked Payeras for "his dedication, his strategic vision, and his outstanding contribution to developing the organizational transformation" of the multinational.

Hersbach joined the company in 2020 as director of international retail. In 2024, she was appointed executive director of e-commerce, and in 2025, she assumed the role she still holds: director of customers and online consumption. According to the executive, her ambition in the personnel department is "to continue driving an organization that develops talent, fosters collaboration, and creates the conditions for people and the business to grow together".

Ana Castedo

Partner at Osborne Clarke

The law firm Osborne Clarke has announced the appointment of Ana Castedo as a partner to its team in the country. According to the legal firm, this is a "strategic move aimed at consolidating its positioning in the technology, media and telecommunications, and life sciences and healthcare sectors".

A law graduate from the Complutense University of Madrid and holding a diploma in EU law from the CEU San Pablo University, Castedo brings "a recognized track record in patent and trademark litigation, copyright and unfair competition in various sectors". With more than 25 years of experience in the sector, she has worked at prominent firms, such as Uría Menéndez and Hogan Lovells Cadwalader. In a statement, the new partner celebrated her joining "a firm that is firmly committed to legaltech and to innovation".

Myriam Gimeno

CaixaBank Businesswoman Award

Myriam Gimeno, CEO of Nealis, has been chosen as the national winner of the tenth edition of the CaixaBank Businesswoman Award. According to the entity, she was awarded for "her business trajectory, her strategic vision, and her capacity for leadership and transformation." The executive is part of the third generation of the business family at the head of Nealis, a holding company with more than 150 years of history.

During the award ceremony, the CEO of CaixaBank, Gonzalo Gortázar, praised "entrepreneurship and business development," which he considers "truly key to driving the progress of society." For her part, Gimeno valued the staff's contribution to the company's growth: "A business path is never traveled alone. Nothing makes sense if value is not generated and a positive impact is made on people."

Genís Roca

Departure from RocaSalvatella

Technology expert Genís Roca has sold the shares he still held in RocaSalvatella, the consultancy firm he founded in 2008. As reported by El Periódico, Roca reportedly reached an agreement with the company's co-founder, Josep Salvatella, to sell his stake. In this regard, the Official Gazette of the Commercial Registry (BORME) recorded last Tuesday the revocation of Roca as joint administrator of the firm, which left Salvatella as the sole administrator.

Roca is one of the most respected voices in the Catalan technological ecosystem. A regular contributor to multiple media outlets, he currently chairs the Accent Obert foundation, an entity that works for the defense and promotion of Catalan in digital environments. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Royal Automobile Club of Catalonia (RACC). He is also the author of The Inevitable Revolution: A Capsule on the Artificial Intelligence Society (Ara Llibres), a successful essay that explores the changes brought about by the emergence of AI in all facets of society.

Pol Solanellas

President of Cerclemón

Pol Solanellas assumes the presidency of Cerclemón, the solidarity commission of the Terrassa-based business association Cecot. Solanellas takes over from Marta Sánchez Ugart, who had led the group since January 2024. The business association announced the change at Cerclemón this very week, although Solanellas's incorporation, as confirmed by Cecot in a statement, was formalized at the end of September.

A graduate with a master's degree in business administration and management from Esade, Solanellas is part of the third generation of his family business, Fustes Solanellas. He is currently participating in the transition process towards the general management and is a member of the company's board of directors. In the same statement, the new president sets the goal of expanding youth participation in the solidarity commission, with the objective of "strengthening the bond between new business generations and social commitment." "One of the challenges of this new stage will be to involve more young people in Cerclemón and make them participants in this commitment to the territory," he concludes.

Simon Dew

Business Development Director at Integra Therapeutics

Integra Therapeutics, a company dedicated to the development of genetic writing tools to improve advanced therapies, has appointed Simon Dew as its new Chief Business Officer. In a statement, the company highlighted the "extensive executive experience" of its new director in business development and licensing, corporate strategy, and alliance management and investor relations, among other areas of expertise. A pharmacy graduate from the University of Portsmouth, Dew is a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and has extensive industry experience in companies on the scale of Reneuron and Mereo BioPharma.

In the same statement, the co-founder and CEO of Integra Therapeutics, Avencia Sánchez-Mejías, asserted that Dew's experience in the field "will be fundamental as the next phase of growth begins." For his part, the new Chief Business Officer welcomed "the opportunity to contribute to overcoming some of the main limitations of current treatments," an advancement that, in his view, is "just the beginning".