Relief at the front of Renfe in Catalonia

The week has been marked by infrastructure collapses in Catalonia, especially affecting commuter rail, but also freight transport, high-speed trains, and the AP-7 motorway. These problems have led to the replacement of Renfe's operations director in Catalonia. Furthermore, Simón Pedro Barceló Vadell is strengthening his executive role as the new CEO of Barceló Corporación Empresarial.

Òscar Playà will head Renfe in Catalonia

Renfe's management in Catalonia now has a new head:Òscar Playà, the newly appointed CEO of Cercanías CataluñaThe new company that will take over the Cercanías commuter rail service. Playà will assume the functions previously held by Josep Enric Garcia Alemany, Cercanías' operations director, who was dismissed following the rail crisis in Catalonia. The decision was announced by the Secretary of State for Transport, José Antonio Santano. Santano explained that Playà will have a "dual role" as CEO of the new Cercanías and director of Renfe in Catalonia, and stressed that, given that Cercanías is a company partly owned by Renfe, "it is reasonable" that the person "agreed upon" by the Catalan government and Renfe—and therefore, by the Ministry—should be appointed. "It's a good time to eliminate this dual leadership and improve coordination," he added. Simón Barceló Tous resigns as executive director of Barceló.

The board of directors of Barceló Corporación Empresarial (Barceló Group) has accepted the resignation of Simón Barceló Tous as an executive director of the group, as part of the reorganization and generational transition process initiated in 2025. Despite stepping down from executive duties, Barceló Tous will remain involved with the company as co-chairman. In this new scenario, the board has appointed Simón Pedro Barceló Vadell as CEO of Barceló Corporación Empresarial, a move that strengthens his executive leadership within the group. The governing body will consist of Marta Barceló Fontirroig and Guillermo Barceló Tous as directors, while Simón Barceló Tous and Simón Pedro Barceló Vadell will serve as co-chairmen. Raúl González and Vicente Fenollar will continue as non-director secretary and deputy secretary, respectively.

In parallel, Antonio Tovar Barceló has been appointed CEO of Latin America, a further step in the generational transition process underway at the company. The group's management committee will consist of Simón P. Barceló as executive chairman, Marta Barceló as president of Crestline – the group's US subsidiary –, Antonio Tovar as CEO of Latin America, Raúl González as CEO of EMEA, and Vicente Fenollar as chief financial officer.

José Manuel Campa returns to IESE

José Manuel Campa, until now president of the European Banking Authority, will rejoin the faculty of IESE Business School in March as a full professor in the departments of finance and economics. He will be based at IESE's Madrid campus, where he will combine teaching with research. Professor Campa thus concludes a period of more than six years at the helm of the Paris-based European banking regulator, during which he addressed key challenges such as the digitalization of the sector, the development of ESG regulations, and post-pandemic financial resilience. With a PhD and master's degree in economics from Harvard University, José Manuel Campa served as Secretary of State for the Economy between 2009 and 2011 and has worked as a consultant for international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the European Commission. Throughout his career, he has also taught at Harvard University, Columbia University, and the Stern School of Business at New York University.

Marc Soler, head of human resources at Leo Pharma

Leo Pharma, a global pharmaceutical company specializing in medical dermatology, has announced the appointment of Marc Soler as Human Resources Director for Leo Pharma Spain, where he will be responsible for driving the organization's people strategy and culture. Soler holds a degree in Business Administration from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and a Master's degree in Human Resources from EADA Business School. With 20 years of professional experience in various sectors, he has developed a broad understanding of the people management function, consolidated over the last six years within the pharmaceutical industry. His arrival at Leo Pharma reflects the company's commitment to further developing a people management model aligned with the business and the organization's purpose, the company states.

Charlotte Bernin, CEO of Club Med in EMEA

Club Med has appointed Charlotte Bernin to lead the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) markets. Working with the EMEA teams, Bernin will be responsible for translating the company's new strategic plan into concrete drivers of performance, efficiency, and growth, supporting the ambition to double the company's presence in these regions. This appointment reflects Club Med's full commitment to developing internal talent. Since 2024, Charlotte Bernin has been Head of the French and Northern European markets, where she has driven strong growth and supported the transformation of Club Med's retail and omnichannel business models. She will succeed Anne Browaeys in this role, following Browaeys' expressed desire to pursue a new chapter in her career. During her ten years with the company, Browaeys played a key role in Club Med's transformation and contributed to the lasting strengthening of its performance, operational efficiency, and market leadership in Europe. Bernin becomes a member of the executive committee and will report to Stéphane Maquaire, president and CEO of Club Med.

Noelia González Edrosa, General Manager of Allergan Aesthetics Spain and Portugal

Allergan Aesthetics has announced the appointment of Noelia González Edrosa as General Manager for Spain and Portugal. She holds a degree in Pharmacy from the University of Santiago de Compostela and a Master's degree in [unclear - possibly "Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy"]. business administration (MBA), has extensive experience in the pharmaceutical business and within the company. Since July 2023, she has held the position of Commercial Director of Neuroscience for Europe Therapeutics. Her professional career with the company began in 2008 at Abbott as brand manager of immunology, and subsequently assumed different positions of increasing responsibility in areas such as marketing, commercial excellence and business unit leadership.