Relief of sisters at El Corte Inglés

The most significant development of the week has been the surprising resignation of Marta Álvarez as president of El Corte Inglés, who voluntarily handed the reins to her sister Cristina. This comes just four months after renewing her contract for another five years, a term that will ultimately have lasted only 120 days. Also, Esade has a new dean and Grifols Egypt has a new vice president.

Cristina Álvarez, new president of El Corte Inglés

Just two months after dismissing Gastón Bottazzini as CEO and restructuring the company's top executive team, the department store chain has now appointed Cristina Álvarez as its new president, replacing her sister Marta Álvarez, according to a statement released this week.

The handover, which will take place on January 15, 2026, is occurring within an "orderly, stable, and continuous" framework, according to the group, which explains that the change is due to a personal and voluntary decision by Marta Álvarez after six years in the position. Thus, the board of directors unanimously supported Marta Álvarez's proposal to appoint her sister Cristina as the new president. However, she will continue as a member of the board and the monitoring committee, focusing on the strategic direction of the company's own fashion and home brands.

Grifols appoints Tomás Dagá vice president of the board of Grifols Egypt

Grifols has appointed Tomás Dagá, a Grifols board member, as vice chairman of the board of Grifols Egypt (GEPD), the joint venture created with the Egyptian government to deploy the first complete plasma production system in Egypt, as well as in other regions of Africa and the Middle East. The project, launched following an agreement signed in 2020, represents a joint investment of approximately €280 million and aims to ensure the country's supply of plasma-derived medicines, the pharmaceutical company announced in a statement. Dagá's appointment is intended to strengthen "the alliance and strategic direction of a key project for Egypt's healthcare self-sufficiency and for the company's leadership in the global plasma industry."

Lisa Hehenberger, new dean of Esade

Dr. Lisa Hehenberger, a professor, has been appointed dean of the Esade Business School for the next four years, following approval by the Esade Foundation's board of trustees and the support of the board of directors and faculty. The appointment will be effective from December 1st, and she succeeds the current dean, Joan Rodon.

Lisa Hehenberger is a senior lecturer in the Department of General Management and Strategy at the business school and directs the Esade Center for Social Impact, which she founded in 2021. She previously led the Esade Entrepreneurship Institute. Her international career has focused on corporate philanthropy, social impact investing, and building partnerships between business and academia to address major global challenges.

Diego Perino joins the BSC as director of the BSC AI Institute

Dr. Diego Perino has joined the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) to head the BSC AI Institute, created to accelerate the development of advanced artificial intelligence solutions. The new director of the AI Institute specializes in telecommunications networks, systems, and artificial intelligence, and has built his career at the intersection of research and application. Perino began his career in applied AI as director of Telefónica Research, focusing on AI, networks, security, and privacy. Later, at Meta, he concentrated on responsible AI, advanced generative models such as Llama, and generative AI products like MetaAI.

With a PhD in computer science from Université Paris Diderot, Perino graduated in telecommunications engineering from Politecnico di Torino and completed his training with a master's degree in network engineering at the same institution and a research master in networking and distributed systems at the Université de Nice‑Sophia Antipolis.

Lluís Donoso-Bach appointed chairman of the board of Better Care

Better Care, a company that emerged as spin-off Better Care, a company based at the Parc Taulí University Hospital in Sabadell and dedicated to the capture, management, and processing of clinical data, has announced the appointment of Dr. Lluís Donoso-Bach as Chairman of the Board of Directors. With a distinguished international career in medical radiology and diagnostic imaging, Dr. Donoso-Bach will join Better Care to strengthen its commitment to technological innovation, clinical excellence, and international expansion.

Donoso-Bach obtained a master's degree from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) in 1981 and his doctorate in medicine in 1992. He was head of the medical imaging department at the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona from 2007 to 2021. Throughout his career, he has led numerous research projects, particularly focused on digital imaging. Donoso-Bach has also served as president of the Spanish Society of Medical Radiology (SERAM) and the European Society of Radiology (ESR), and has received numerous international awards, including honors from radiology societies worldwide. With over 90 published articles and seven chapters in reference books, he is considered one of the most influential experts in the field of radiology and diagnostic imaging.