The Consorci de la Zona Franca gains influence in Ibero-America

BarcelonaThe Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona has strengthened its influence among international free trade zones with the appointment of its general director as vice president of the AZFA. For its part, Banc Sabadell has deepened its roots in Catalonia with a new territorial advisory council formed by renowned business leaders, and the technology center Eurecat has renewed its general management. Consum has reorganized its executive structure, while the Barcelona Comerç association has elected a new president.

Blanca Sorigué

Vice-chair of the AZFA board of directors

The general director of the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona, Blanca Sorigué, has been appointed vice president of the Association of Free Zones of the Americas (AZFA). The designation took place at the XXIX Conference of Free Zones of Ibero-America, held in Cadiz from October 26th to 28th. Sorigué adds this new role to the vice presidency of the World Free Zones Organization (WFZO), which she already held. The Ibero-American entity has elected its board of directors for the next two years, which will be chaired by Carlos Wong, general director of the Coyol Free Zone (Costa Rica).

According to the Consorci, the participation in the event and Sorigué's appointment to the AZFA board consolidate the positioning of the Barcelona Free Zone as a "benchmark in the promotion of the new industry, technological innovation, sustainability, and business internationalization". For her part, Sorigué celebrated her appointment to the AZFA board: "Free zones are called to play a key role in the global economic transformation". "International collaboration, innovation, and talent attraction will be fundamental to drive more competitive, sustainable, and opportunity-generating business ecosystems", she stated.

Xavier Comerma

President of the Territorial Advisory Council of Banco Sabadell

Banc Sabadell continues to deepen its roots in Catalonia. More than a year and a half after the return of its headquarters to the Principality, and now far from the hostile takeover bid by BBVA, the entity has established its advisory council for the Catalonia territory. The body, according to a statement from the Catalan bank, is made up of prominent members of the economic and business world, and seeks to "strengthen the relationship with the Catalan productive fabric and enrich the direct knowledge of the business reality of the territory". The president of the body is Xavier Comerma, deputy general manager of Sabadell and territorial director for Catalonia; while the deputy general manager and director of institutional relations and corporate security, Benito Reales, is its secretary.

Among the members of the council are highly prominent names from Catalonia's business ecosystem. Members include the executive president of Fluidra, Eloi Planes, the president of MatHolding and Fira de Barcelona, Pau Relat, and the president of the Gran Teatre del Liceu Foundation, Helena Guardans. Also on the council are the executive president of Seidor, Josep Benito, and the executive president of Europastry, Jordi Gallés, among other high-level names from the country's economic world. The first meeting of the body, held this very week, was attended by the president of Sabadell, Josep Oliu, and Carlos Ventura, managing director and director of business in Spain for the bank.

Nuria Enríquez

ICT Director at Consum

The Valencian large retail cooperative Consum has reorganized its management structure with the aim of "continuing to promote digital transformation, improve organizational efficiency, and respond to the growth and evolution challenges" it faces. Among the movements it has announced, the appointment of Nuria Enríquez as director of the company's information and communication technologies (ICT) department stands out. This movement and the rest of the actions approved by the governing council have been in effect since October 1st.

Enríquez assumes the direction of the ICT department following the retirement of Amadeo Ferrer, who had led both this area and the financial one since 2009. In a statement, the company thanked Ferrer for "the dedication, effort, and contribution to the development of the company." In addition to the appointment of the new ICT director, the cooperative has announced that the financial division has been incorporated into the administration department, which is renamed the economic, financial, and audit department, under the direction of María Sánchez Alcaraz.

Jordi Arias

President of Barcelona Comerç

Barcelona Comerç, the entity that groups 24 commercial hubs of the country's capital, has appointed Jordi Arias as president. Arias, current president of Sant Antoni Comerç and a member of the board since 2023, will replace Pròsper Puig at the head of the Foundation. The term of the new leader and the incoming board will last until 2030, and will serve, according to what Barcelona Comerç announced in a statement, to "consolidate itself as an organization closer to the commercial hubs, capable of providing them with tools, resources, and services that strengthen their activity".

A graduate in pedagogy from the University of Barcelona, Jordi Arias is the founder of Bebe-Té, a business specializing in tea, infusions, and coffee. Since 2020, he has presided over the Sant Antoni commercial hub, where he has promoted "initiatives for modernization and commercial revitalization". In the same statement, the new president has set the goal of strengthening the city's 24 hubs "with tools and resources that allow them to be more competitive". "Strengthening local commerce is also investing in the city's economic development", he declared.

Josep Lluís Checa

General Director of Eurecat

The Eurecat technology centre has appointed Josep Lluís Checa as its new general manager. Within the framework of an "orderly and planned succession process at the head of the organisation," the board of trustees has chosen Checa unanimously. The appointment will take effect in January 2027, when the new executive will take over from his predecessor, Xavier López, who had led the centre since its inception. In a statement, the members of the board of trustees highlighted the outstanding contribution of López, "both to the birth of the entity and to the consolidation of Eurecat as a benchmark in Europe".

An industrial engineer by training, Checa has been directing the TecnoCampus Mataró-Maresme foundation for nine years. Eurecat highlights his "extensive background in the management of public and private organisations," with management responsibilities in organisations on the scale of the Centre for Telecommunications and Information Technologies (CTTI), among others.

The president of Eurecat, Daniel Altimiras, celebrates the appointment as marking "the opening of a new period that will reinforce the technological transfer capacity" of the centre. Checa, for his part, has committed to "strengthening Eurecat's role as a strategic ally for companies in accelerating high-impact innovation".

Henar Pérez

Human Resources Director for Spain and Portugal at Mondelēz International

The food giant Mondelēz International has appointed Henar Pérez as the new human resources director for Spain and Portugal (Iberia people lead director). According to information provided by the company in a statement, Pérez will assume leadership of talent strategy, corporate culture, and people management in the Iberian market. The appointment comes after the promotion of Ana Jiménez, who, after having held this position, has moved on to assume the role of human resources director for the company's Northwest Europe region.

With nearly 20 years of professional career, Pérez has held positions of responsibility in various sectors, from mass consumer goods to retail or logistics at companies on the scale of Heineken, The Body Shop, or Grupo Logista. Mondelēz highlights the new human resources director for Spain and Portugal's "ability to accompany complex organizational transformations, lead change management on a European scale, and consolidate Human Resources models as key allies for strategic development".