The World Bank appoints a new chief financial officer and Ibai and Piqué invest in chocolate

BarcelonaThe banking sector is the protagonist of a good part of the week's appointments. The World Bank has renewed its financial management and the Galician entity Abanca has incorporated a well-known face in Southern European finance to the board of directors of its insurance subsidiary. Outside the banking world, the media tandem formed by streamer Ibai Llanos and former footballer Gerard Piqué enters a new business. At the same time, Just Eat appoints a new financial director for Spain and the OBBIO association renews its board with a new president.

Ibai Llanos and Gerard Piqué

Partners and co-founders of Plesh

The tandem formed by content creator Ibai Llanos and former Futbol Club Barcelona footballer Gerard Piqué has added another business to their portfolio. The pair has led the 3.75 million euro funding round announced this week by the food startup Plesh, which develops snacks of chocolate without added sugars. With their investment, Llanos and Piqué join as partners and co-founders of the emerging company. "Both are becoming part of the project and the brand's construction, to boost the new Plesh in Spain and other markets," the company announced in a statement.

As Plesh noted in the same note, the incorporation of Ibai Llanos and Gerard Piqué goes beyond "using their reach to amplify" the brand. The ambition, they claim, is to "add experience, vision, and entrepreneurial capacity to help build the company and accelerate its growth." Currently, the company is already present in more than 3,000 points of sale throughout the country, with a presence in chains such as Bon Preu, Alcampo, and Carrefour, among others. With the round led by the two new partners, Plesh boasts a "new way of building the brand to face its next stage".

Antonio Carmona

Rodalies network coordinator

The historic spokesperson and former director of Rodalies in Catalonia, Antonio Carmona, moves to Adif. According to a resolution on the public procurement portal of the railway infrastructure company, Carmona will be the new coordinator of the Rodalies de Catalunya network. He will be in charge of the development and full operation of the Catalan railway network. Among his tasks, Carmona will also coordinate actions with the Generalitat and the rest of the involved administrations.

According to the call for the new position, Carmona will have to prepare and monitor the network's work plan and periodically report on the progress of projects. He will also be in charge of analyzing demand and identifying new planning needs. The new coordinator, in this way, signs for Adif after a complete career at Renfe, with 25 years of experience at the operator of the Catalan trains.

Mário Centeno

Independent director of Abanca Vida y Pensiones

A new step in the career of one of the most prominent banking personalities in Southern Europe in recent years. Mário Centeno, who was governor of the Bank of Portugal between 2020 and 2025, has joined as an independent director at Abanca Vida y Pensiones, the insurance subsidiary of the Galician bank Abanca. According to the entity, Centeno's entry into the board serves to "consolidate solid governance and align the strategic direction of the life insurance company with the experience and economic vision of a highly prestigious professional."

Before leading the Bank of Portugal and being part of the governing council of the European Central Bank, Centeno served as Minister of Finance of Portugal between 2015 and 2020, under the presidency of António Costa. An economist by training, he holds a doctorate in the discipline from Harvard University and is a professor at the University of Lisbon. In a statement, Centeno committed to "contribute economic vision and executive experience to continue strengthening the governance structures and the company's value proposition".

David Vaillant

Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of the World Bank

The World Bank is renewing one of its most relevant positions. Last week, the president of the banking group, Ajay Banga, announced the appointment of David Vaillant as the new managing director and chief financial officer. With a long career in the banking sector, Vaillant has spent two decades in the ranks of the French giant BNP Paribas, in financial and strategic roles. According to the World Bank, Vaillant "will be responsible for financial management, treasury operations, and risk management on a balance sheet deployed in more than 100 developing countries".

Vaillant's last position at the entity was as global head of finance, strategy, and holdings at BNP Paribas Asset Management. In this regard, Banga has highlighted his long track record "managing finances at scale and working closely with investors, governments, and central banks". According to the president of the World Bank group, the new managing director and chief financial officer brings the "ideal combination of experience to lead the bank's financial functions, manage risk, and expand private capital mobilized for development". For his part, the new executive has praised the entity, which he considers "ideally positioned to work with all stakeholders in emerging and developed markets".

Gonzalo Villalba

Finance Director for Just Eat in Spain

Just Eat, the food delivery platform, announced this week that it is strengthening its management team with the appointment of Gonzalo Villalba as the new Chief Financial Officer in Spain. Villalba arrives at the position after having worked at the platform's headquarters in Amsterdam for four years. In his new role, the executive will lead the company's financial functions in the country.

Villalba has more than fifteen years of experience in financial leadership positions at various companies. In 2022, he held the position of Chief Financial Officer at Healthy Poke and previously was in charge of treasury management at Talgo. The new CFO holds a degree in Business Administration and Management from the Francisco de Vitoria University and has an MBA in Commercial Management and Marketing from ESIC. In a statement issued by Just Eat, Villalba set the goal of "contributing to the company's growth and supporting the team in this new stage".

Cristina Ordóñez

President of OBBIO

OBBIO, the observatory of organizational well-being, renews its presidency with the appointment of Cristina Ordóñez Fernández, senior manager of occupational health and well-being at Repsol. Ordóñez replaces Fernando Lallana Fernández, representative of Heineken, in the position. Lallana will remain on the board of directors as vice president and member for institutional relations, as reported by the organization in a statement.

The entity renews its entire board of directors, with the goal of "promoting applied knowledge, training, and participation opportunities for associates and sponsors". In the same statement, OBBIO "expressly recognizes the leadership and dedication of Fernando Lallana Fernández, as well as the contribution of the outgoing board to the consolidation of the project". For her part, the new president set the goal of contributing to "transforming well-being into a strategic capability of organizations".

Meritxell Aresté

Pleta Partner

The Catalan audit and consulting firm Pleta has announced the incorporation of Meritxell Aresté and Marc Fernández as new partners. The appointments, the company assured in a statement, serve to "further strengthen the areas of financial audit for private companies and organizations and for public bodies and administrations". They are also part of a process of "generational change" within the company, which this year has reached 60 years of history.

The company, founded in 1966 and with offices in Barcelona, Lleida and Madrid, specializes in auditing the accounts of companies of all scales and sectors. To their expertise they add Aresté, who has more than two decades of experience in the sector; and Fernández, with more than a decade of experience. The managing partner of Pleta, Josep Suades, highlighted in the same note that "both know in depth the culture, clients and way of working" of the firm.