Female power: ten influential figures in the Catalan economy

The business world has historically been associated with male leaders in suits and ties. The demand for a greater female presence in management positions has been a topic of theses and proposals from business associations for decades, to the point that parity is increasingly becoming a tool for assessing organizations' corporate policy. Little by little, the situation is improving: according to the latest data from Grant Thornton, Catalonia has 44.2% women in senior positions, the highest rate in Spain. In fact, the percentage recorded by the report this year in Catalonia has increased by 8.2 points compared to last year, placing the Principality 5.8 points above the Spanish average (38.4%). Since theCompaniesWe bring you a selection of 10 influential female executives in the Catalan economy, including established figures and lesser-known profiles.

Sol Daurella (Coca-Cola Europacific Partners)

While we await the release of the late Isak Andic's will, Sol Daurella (Barcelona, ​​1966) may already be Catalonia's richest man. Daurella is the matriarch of a business lineage that launched the popular soft drink Sandaru and was the first to import cod from Iceland to Spain. But her true golden goose was the license to bottle Coca-Cola in Catalonia. Over the years, Sol Daurella has written her own story: she is the mastermind behind the mammoth mergers that led the former Cobega to become Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, no less than the world's leading Coca-Cola bottler, which she chairs. Daurella, who studied at Esade, Berkeley, and Switzerland, leads this empire, moving between London and Barcelona. Her husband is the influential financier Carlos Vilarrubí, and she is well known for her limited publicity. "Her merit has been in not wanting to be a group, but rather going public and pursuing business on a global scale," explain sources close to the businesswoman. They also highlight her leadership and persuasiveness. First, in a company with an abundance of family members who could hinder management. Second, with Coca-Cola itself: "Her existential argument is that the Catalan bottling plant was super-efficient and that its model could be exported, and she was able to convince an entire multinational like Coca-Cola."

Margarita Salvans (Mango)

The modern iconography of Mango post-Isak Andic has Toni Ruiz (President and CEO) as its most recognizable face, but the three-faced tableau includes a relatively unknown executive, Margarita Salvans (Berga, 1979), who is the company's Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Salvans's career to the top of the Catalan fashion giant began at the consulting firm Boston Consulting Group, from where she moved to the defunct Caixa Catalunya. She had previously studied business administration at Pompeu Fabra University and also attended Iese business school. Salvans breaks with the old stereotype that female executives at large companies remain in human resources and is now at the top of Mango, responsible for a historically male-dominated area: finance. Since February of this year, she has also served as a director of Banc Sabadell, a company with a long-standing connection to Mango due to the friendship between Josep Oliu and Isak Andic, who was a prominent shareholder for years.

Laura Carnicero (Seat)

The name of Laura Carnicero (Barcelona, ​​​​1976) began to gain public relevance beyond the financial offices when she was elected to the board of Fira de Barcelona in January 2023. But it didn't come out of nowhere: at that time, she was already Executive Vice President of People and Organization at SEAT, the Catalan company with the largest number of employees. It's also worth noting that she is the first woman to become vice president of SEAT in the history of the automotive company. "She has extraordinary ability; she is an engineer and comes from the industrial world; the fact that she deals with people and organization is a good testament to her enormous capacity," explain sources from the financial world. "She is enthusiastic, empathetic, and loyal, the person everyone would always want on their team," these same sources point out. "When we talk about female talent, she is a true talent, and she comes from an extremely complicated environment like the automotive world; she has it all," the sources consulted point out.

Alicia Romero (Economic Advisor)

Alícia Romero (Caldes d'Estrac, 1976) has been one of the most visible faces of the PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) in the Catalan Parliament for years, and since last summer she has been one of the Catalan government's heavyweights as Minister of Economy and Finance. In this position, she will represent the Catalan government in negotiations for new financing, one of the pillars on which the legislature must rest if the Socialists want to retain the Catalan executive. This shouldn't pose any ideological problems for her, as she belongs to the most Catalanist sector of the current PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party)—in 2018, she was one of the Socialist leaders who visited the imprisoned politicians in Lledoners.

Romero is, in fact, a career politician. Upon her appointment, the media highlighted that her only experience in the private sector was two years at the now-defunct Caixa Laietana. A law graduate from the UPF (University of Valencia) with a master's degree from Esade, she served as a councilor in Mataró in 1999 and in 2012 became a deputy in the Ciutadella region, where she served as her group's spokesperson from the outset. Forceful but pact-making, she cultivates good relationships with business leaders and unions, and enjoys the full trust of Salvador Illa. Now she faces the difficult challenge of repaying his confidence with funding that pleases both the PSOE and the pro-independence parties.

Marta Domínguez (MediaMarkt)

When Marta Domínguez (Barcelona, ​​​​1984) began her teaching studies with English as a foreign language, she had little idea that twenty years later she would end up as the marketing director of MediaMarkt. While studying, she started working in one of this company's stores by chance, and that's how she discovered a new vocation: "The world of retail "It caught me," he explains.CompaniesFrom there, he grew in the store, where he worked for 6 years. Then, he wanted to see the world outside the multinational electronics products company, and joined Nike, but soon after returned to MediaMarkt, now under the role of product manager for 10 years. Two years ago, with several training programs under her belt, she was promoted to marketing director.

Domínguez asserts that "things have changed a lot" in terms of gender, but there were a few years when "being a woman was a challenge," she says. "When I became a mother, 10 years ago, I worked reduced hours for 5 years, and I did notice that my visibility in the company slowed down a bit," she explains. "Now this is changing," she asserts, also in terms of having female role models in management positions: "There are still a lack of them, but there are many more than there were ten years ago," she asserts.

Anna Font (Bonprecio)

The commercial director of the Bon Preu Group, Anna Font (Torelló, 1981), is the daughter of one of the founders of the supermarket chain, Joan Font, and has experienced the business world since she was very young. "She has always been very present in family conversations and in everyday life, and for example, as a teenager, she worked in supermarkets during the summer," she explains.CompaniesAnna Font graduated in psychology and completed postgraduate studies and university research in this field. "I could have continued along these lines, but I felt I could have a good time at Bon Preu and contribute. The first two years I was on the ground, in the stores, and then I spent seven years dedicated to the online channel and internal talent development programs," explains the executive. Finally, in 2020, she took over as commercial director, which at Bon Preu includes offline and online sales, communications, and marketing.

"In my case, I don't know if it's because I'm a woman, because I'm young, because I'm a psychologist, or whatever, but I think there's a way of being more respectful in certain things. Perhaps I'm gentler in my manner and more sensitive as things change, as things change, as things happen, there are many more men than women. These are trends that are changing and will continue to evolve," she says.

Núria Cabutí (Penguin Random House)

One of the most powerful women in Spain's publishing industry, Núria Cabutí (Barcelona, ​​1967) is the CEO of Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, and her position as CEO of the group is the conductor of a group with an annual turnover of more than €150 million, more than 50 publishing labels, and a significant export of its products to other countries. Cabutí is also vice president of Círculo de Economía (Economics Circle). She studied economics at the UAB (University of Barcelona), holds a degree in economic studies from Oxford Brookes University, and an MBA from IESE (University of Barcelona). She began her career at Bertelsmann in 1992 as a financial analyst, and, as a great lover of reading, has since built her entire professional career in the publishing sector.

One of Cabutí's demands is the need for female authors. However, she asserts that currently, 40% of the books they publish are by women, and that female voices are increasingly on the rise. She also asserted that, although the publishing industry is often described as sexist, she hasn't encountered any difficult situations in this regard. However, she asserts that "there's always room for improvement" and encourages companies to take action on gender and diversity issues. "But the first thing is that women must believe in themselves," she points out.

Raquel Serrat (Unió de Pagesos)

Since February, livestock farmer Raquel Serrat (Manlleu, 1976) has been the new national coordinator of the Unió de Pagesos (Union of Farmers). After 25 years of leadership under Joan Caball, Catalonia's main agricultural union has opted for renewal and, for the first time, appointed a woman to its leadership. Serrat is one of the organization's well-known faces and is well-versed in peasant demands.

The owner of a family cattle and horse farm in Ripollès, Serrat faces the challenge of ensuring that the Unió de Pagesos (Farming Union) leads the changes that must allow the sector to overcome the current crisis. Drought, administrative bureaucracy, and generational change—especially in small and medium-sized farms, the bulk of the Unió de Pagesos' members—are the problems that need to be solved at the national level. She will address all of this with more competence than ever following the creation a few months ago of the Gremio de la Pagesia (Farming Union), the result of the mass demonstrations of a year ago.

Inka Guixà (La Farga)

Just over two years ago, in December 2022, Oriol Guixà, the then CEO of La Farga YourCopperSolutions, stepped aside and appointed his daughter, Inka Guixà (Barcelona, ​​1981), CEO of the family-run copper semi-finished products company. But Inka Guixà had been working within the company for some time, preparing for this step forward. Her good work at the helm of the company had already attracted attention in the business sector, and in 2019 the magazine Forbes included her in the ranking of the 35 best female general managers in Spain.

With a degree in Business Administration and an MBA from Esade, she began her professional career at Damm and also worked for the pharmaceutical company Novartis, until she joined La Farga in 2009. Over the course of more than 15 years, Inka Guixà has held various executive positions, including one at a company that has been operating for more than 15 years. Guixà has made a name for herself among the country's business community and is a founding member of the Círculo Impacto B initiative, a member of the advisory board of Banco Santander in Catalonia, and a member of the Economic Policy Committee of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce.

Ana Vallés (Sorigué)

"My leadership model is humanistic, focusing on people, with the goal of achieving sustainable development and conscious progress." This is how Ana Vallés, president of Sorigué and the Sorigué Foundation, describes her approach to managing one of the preeminent companies in the construction sector.

Vallés, niece of the founder and honorary president of Sorigué, joined the group in 1992, holding various positions in different areas of the company, and in 2011 assumed the presidency of the corporation. Since then, she has promoted a strategic plan based on innovation, knowledge, and positioning. This strategy has facilitated the group's current diversification into urban and industrial services, waste and water management, as well as the real estate sector. She graduated in economics and business administration from the University of Valencia and later expanded her training in the field of humanities, a passion she pursues through the Sorigué Foundation, through which, since 2000, she has built one of the most important private collections of contemporary art in Spain.