MWCapital appoints Laia Corbella new CEO
The journalist's is the only name that the entity's executive committee has sent to the board of trustees meeting
BarcelonaThe Mobile World Capital Barcelona foundation, the entity linked to the MWC technology congress that manages its legacy in the city, now has new leadership. The foundation's board of trustees has appointed journalist Laia Corbella as the new general director. Corbella takes over from Francesc Fajula, who left the organization in May to lead the artificial intelligence gigafactory project in Móra la Nova.
As the ARA newspaper has been able to confirm, Corbella's name was the only one considered by the foundation's board to succeed Fajula. The journalist, who since 2022 held the position of director of communication and institutional relations at the foundation, was one of the individuals proposed by the headhunting firm Seeliger y Conde, which was also responsible for finding Carlos Grau's successor four years ago. The executive commission, however, opted to present only the candidacy of the brand-new general director to the foundation's highest body.
The presidency of the Capital's board is held by the Barcelona City Council, through the city's mayor, Jaume Collboni, who is responsible for proposing the name of the new general director to the rest of the members. The Generalitat and the Spanish government are also members, holding the two vice-presidencies of the body: the Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau, and the Spanish Minister of Digital Transformation, Óscar López. The private sector participates with voices such as the president of Fira de Barcelona, Pau Relat, or the president of the mobile industry association GSMA – organizer of the MWC –, John Hoffman. Relevant companies such as Telefónica, Vodafone, Damm, or CaixaBank also participate.
"Continuity to the project"
Since its founding, the advances made during Fajula's years at the helm have been highlighted. In a statement, they celebrate having "become a key player in strategic areas such as digital talent or technological transfer". In this regard, Corbella has embraced her predecessor's program, and has announced that she will give "continuity to a successful project". Nevertheless, she has assured that she will embark on a "new stage of impact" that "requires a shared vision" of the Capital's work. "Great projects are born from collaboration, trust, and the ability to build consensus that aligns different actors," she stated.
For his part, the chairman of the board and mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, has identified the "true value" of the MWC in the Capital's activity. "When Barcelona and the Mobile work together, things work," he valued. According to the mayor, the cooperation between the city council and the congress's environment has led to a "record-breaking" 2026 edition. Therefore, he urges all actors to "continue projecting Barcelona with its own voice in the debate of our time, technological humanism, putting people at the center and innovation at the service of daily life".
Corbella, born in Lleida in 1985, has worked as a journalist in various relevant areas of the economy and technology in Catalonia. She was the first director of the digital economic media VIA Empresa, from where she went on to direct the communication of the Department of Business and Knowledge of the Generalitat, during the tenure of councilor Àngels Chacón. Subsequently, she moved to the MWCapital foundation, as director of communication and institutional relations, a position she held until her appointment as the new general director.
