Two changes in the Volkswagen group leadership, and other notable appointments of the week

BarcelonaThe Volkswagen group stars in two of the main appointments of the week: on one hand, Daniel Cortina will be the new director of institutional relations for Seat and Cupra; on the other, Skoda loses its CEO, Klaus Zellmer, who is joining Volvo as executive president. Another notable move is the hiring of Isabel Schnabel, from the European Central Bank (ECB), by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Also noteworthy is the announcement from Delivery Hero –owner of Glovo–, which is backtracking and, finally, Niklas Östberg will continue as CEO, after assuring in May that he was leaving the position.

The Barceló group, furthermore, takes another step in incorporating the fourth generation of the Barceló family into the management responsibilities of the hotel company, while the Barcelona-based company in-Store Media hires a new head of marketing and business development. The Revista econòmica de Catalunya has also appointed Josep Lladós as its new director.

Daniel Cortina

Director of institutional relations at Seat and Cupra

The current secretary general and director of strategy for Seat and Cupra, Daniel Cortina, is expanding his responsibilities and assuming command of the company's institutional representation. Cortina is taking on more roles at a key moment for the company, marked by the restructuring plan that the Volkswagen group has in hand, which is studying a possible disappearance of the Seat brand. Thus, the new director of institutional relations will replace Patricia Such, who has led the institutional relations of Seat and Cupra for the last four years.

Daniel Cortina has an extensive track record within the Catalan company and the German group, where he has held positions of responsibility in R&D, product, project management, quality, and strategy. "As secretary general and director of strategy for Seat and Cupra, he currently leads the company's global strategy, integrating sustainability as a central axis and setting the product roadmap," the company assures in a statement, adding that "the incorporation of institutional relations into his duties reinforces his role in the coordination of strategic and institutional priorities."

Cortina holds a degree in industrial and mechanical engineering from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and an MBA from Esade in Barcelona.

For her part, Patricia Such will continue to lead the areas of health, occupational risk prevention, emergencies, and safety for the Volkswagen Group on the Iberian Peninsula, Casa Cupra Raval, and Cupra City Garage Madrid. At the same time, Such will reinforce her dedication to the management of the Seat Cupra Foundation.

Klaus Zellmer

President and Chief Executive Officer of Volvo Cars

After four years at the helm of Skoda, Klaus Zellmer is leaving the company to join Volvo. He will take over from Hakan Samuelsson, who returned to lead the firm in April 2025 after having led it between 2012 and 2022.

Under Zellmer's leadership, Skoda has greatly strengthened its position as one of the volume brands on a European scale. Specifically, the brand has gone from tenth place in the European registration ranking in 2022 to being the second highest-selling during the first half of 2026. At the same time, the company has achieved record results in sales volume, turnover, and profitability, has constantly promoted its electric mobility strategy, and has accelerated its internationalization, especially in India and Southeast Asia.

According to Volvo, Klaus Zellmer, born in 1967, "is an experienced global automotive executive with deep industrial, commercial, and technological experience, and a solid track record of leading organizations through complex transformations and changing market conditions."

Isabel Schnabel

Director of the Monetary and Capital Markets Department at the International Monetary Fund

Isabel Schnabel, member of the executive board and the governing council of the European Central Bank (ECB), has announced her resignation to become director of the monetary and capital markets department and financial counselor at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The German economist will continue to hold her role at the European monetary institution until the day before she joins the IMF on January 4th, and she will not be able to participate in any matters related to the IMF until she leaves.

Schnabel had held a position on the ECB's executive board since 2020 and her term was not set to end until December of next year. Previously, she had been a member of the German Council of Economic Experts, as well as other important German institutions such as the German financial regulatory authority, BaFin, following a long career as a lecturer and researcher at various universities.

Marta Barceló Fontirroig

EMEA Vice President of Barceló Hotel Group

The Majorcan hotel group Barceló has announced the appointment of Marta Barceló Fontirroig as Vice President of EMEA for Barceló Hotel Group, a position she will combine with her current role as President of Crestline Hotels & Resorts, the group's North American subsidiary.

"This appointment represents another step in the process of the progressive incorporation of the fourth generation of the Barceló family into the group's management responsibilities, which contributes to the development of the business project with a long-term vision," the company stated in a press release.

Carla Olano

Head of Marketing and Business Development

in-Store Media, a Barcelona-based multinational specializing in retail media omnichannel, has appointed Carla Olano as the new head of marketing and business development in Spain. From this position, as the company indicates, she will lead "its value proposition for advertisers and media agencies" and will contribute "to the growth of the business in one of the group's strategic markets".

Olano holds a degree in Business Administration and Management from ESIC Business & Marketing School and an Executive MBA from Iese Business School. She has over 15 years of international experience leading marketing, brand, communication, and media strategies, as well as marketing and media transformation processes in Europe, the Middle East, and the United States.

Josep Lladós

Director of the 'Economic Magazine of Catalonia'

The editorial board of the Revista econòmica de Catalunya (REC) has approved the appointment of Josep Lladós, associate professor of economics and business studies at the Open University of Catalonia, as the new director of the publication, edited by the Association of Economists of Catalonia.Lladós replaces in the position Guillem López Casasnovas, professor of economics at the Pompeu Fabra University and honorary member of the entity, who has directed the magazine between the years 2020 and 2026.Niklas Östberg

CEO of Delivery Hero

Delivery Hero, the company that owns Glovo, has announced that Niklas Östberg will ultimately continue as the company's CEO of the company, despite having assured in May that he would step down from the position. "Niklas created Delivery Hero and knows it better than anyone. With the transactions with Uber and SSW underway, we are pleased that he will continue to lead the company in this new phase," said the Chair of the Delivery Hero Supervisory Board, Kristin Skogen Lund.

In May, both the supervisory board and Östberg himself reported the departure of the executive who founded the company 15 years ago because they considered it an "ideal" time to look for a new CEO.