Carlos Torres secures another three years at BBVA and other signings of the week

This week has been marked by the shareholder meetings of Banc Sabadell and BBVA, two banks currently at odds over the Basque bank's takeover bid for Sabadell. The Catalan bank's shareholder meeting was held—among excited shareholders—again at Sabadell, at home, after the bank returned its headquarters to Catalonia at the beginning of the year. Both meetings voted to renew the positions of its top executives, Carlos Torres and César González-Bueno. These are some of the week's signings:

Carlos Torres renews his leadership at BBVA

BBVA shareholders voted at the bank's shareholders' meeting on Friday to re-elect the bank's current chairman, Carlos Torres, and CEO Onur Genç as executive directors for another three years, at a time when the takeover bid for Banc Sabadell is pending resolution by the authorities. Specifically, Torres's re-election received 97.4% of votes in favor, while Genç's was approved with 99.1%. The meeting also re-elected Connie Hedegaard as an independent director.

With this renewal, Torres secures another three years at the helm of the Basque bank, regardless of how the takeover bid is resolved. In fact, Torres himself stated in January that he would not resign even if the merger with Sabadell failed: "I have no intention of resigning even if the takeover bid doesn't go through, but it will. We believe the transaction is interesting and it was our obligation to propose it; obviously, they are Sabadell's shareholders."

Sabadell re-elects González-Bueno as a board member.

Meanwhile, Banc Sabadell's shareholders' meeting, held on Thursday, also approved the re-election of César González-Bueno as CEO, who took office in 2021, replacing Jaume Guardiola. César González-Bueno has been leading the bank during the takeover bid process. The meeting also approved the re-election of Manuel Valls, Maria Gloria Hernández, and Margarita Salvans as independent directors, at the proposal of the Appointments and Corporate Governance Committee.

Cellnex appoints María Alonso as its new Global Director of Brand and Content

Telecommunications infrastructure operator Cellnex Telecom has appointed María Alonso Alcaide as the group's new Global Director of Brand and Content, joining the corporate Public and Corporate Affairs team led by Ignacio Jiménez. Alonso holds a degree in business administration and management from the Carlos III University of Madrid and has worked in consulting and private companies such as SegurCaixa, Adeslas, Renta 4, and ING.

Leadership of Nestlé's condensed milk factory

Nestlé's condensed milk factory in Pontecesures (Pontevedra) has had a new director for several weeks: Damián Fernández, who replaces Julio Diniz on March 1st. Diniz will soon take over as director of the Nestlé factory in Avanca (Portugal).

Damián Fernández, a Swiss-born man who grew up in A Coruña, holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Santiago de Compostela. He has nearly 20 years of experience at Nestlé. He began his career at the company in the Sales and Infant Nutrition department in Galicia. After four years in this department, he held various positions in the manufacturing area, both at this production center and at others.

The Catalan Bioenergy Cluster renews its board of directors

The Catalan Bioenergy Cluster, a non-profit association that seeks to promote the sustainable use of bioenergy and has more than 140 members, has renewed its board of directors. Comprised of nearly fifteen people, the new management team seeks to represent the entire bioenergy sector value chain. The new board will be led by Vanessa Abad, representing the Vallès Oriental Waste Management Consortium.

Puente appoints former Ferrovial employee as new Director of Mobility Strategies

The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, headed by Óscar Puente, has appointed Miguel Álvarez Martínez (formerly a Ferrovial technician) as the new Director of Mobility Strategies. The appointment, approved Tuesday by the Council of Ministers, succeeds José Alfonso Gálvez Salinas, whom Puente hired a year ago and with whom he previously worked at Valladolid City Council when he was mayor.

Álvarez Martínez holds a degree in civil engineering, specializing in urban planning and land use planning from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. He began his professional career in 2009 as an engineer in various companies within the Ferrovial group, participating in Spanish and international toll infrastructure projects. He has worked as a university professor at the European University of Madrid, as an independent mobility consultant, and as director of the Spanish headquarters of the Mobility Institute Berlin. In 2023, he was appointed Director of the Mobility Service for the Rivas Vaciamadrid City Council.

With this new signing, Puente continues to reorganize his portfolio, after replacing Raül Blanco as head of Renfe in January with Álvaro Fernández Heredia and, in February, replacing Roser Obrer with Elena María Atance as Director General of Land Transport.