Gual signs with a consulting firm and other moves of the week

The Easter holidays haven't stopped the avalanche of appointments. Jordi Gual, until now president of VidaCaixa, announced his new professional project shortly before the end of his term at the insurance company. Likewise, Cellnex has a new Nordic leadership, Grans Hotels de Catalunya appoints a new president, and CECA has a new general manager. These are the most notable moves of the week:

Robert Pajos, new CEO of Cellnex Nordics

European telecommunications infrastructure operator Cellnex Telecom has appointed Robert Pajos as the new CEO of Cellnex Nordics, the joint venture between Cellnex (51%) and Stonepeak (49%), through which it operates in Sweden and Denmark. Pajos will join Cellnex's Executive Committee.

Robert Pajos, of Swedish origin and with a master's degree in computer engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, has more than 20 years of international experience in the technology and telecommunications sector at companies such as Ericsson and Telia, among others. Until now, Pajos was the head of marketing and sales at RunMags, a magazine publishing software for selling advertising, attracting subscribers, managing production, and collecting payments, based in Tallinn, Estonia.

Jordi Gual joins a financial consulting firm

The current non-executive chairman of VidaCaixa now has a new professional project: starting May 1, he will join the board of directors of the financial consulting firm Oxera Consulting. A few weeks ago, CaixaBank, VidaCaixa's sole shareholder, announced Gual's departure and the appointment ofGonzalo Gortázar, CEO of CaixaBank, is appointed as the insurance company's new non-executive chairman. Gortázar worked in tandem with Gual at the helm of the bank, when the latter served as its chairman from 2016 to 2021.

Oliver Tuszik, new vice president of global sales at Cisco

Oliver Tuszik has been named executive vice president of global sales at the technology company, joining the executive committee effective April 27. Tuszik will replace Gary Steele, who will remain for a few weeks to facilitate the transition, becoming the company's global sales leader "to support customers and partners in the era of artificial intelligence and accelerate Cisco's growth," the company explained in a statement.

Tuszik, who has been with Cisco for over a decade, is currently president of the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region. He joined the company as general manager for Germany, also leading the global sales division for nearly five years. Prior to joining Cisco, Tuszik was general manager of Computacenter in Germany, one of Cisco's most important partners.

Grandes Hoteles de Cataluña appoints Yassine Bouallala as its new president.

Grandes Hoteles de Catalunya, the brand that brings together 67 small and medium-sized hotels in Catalonia, is embarking on a new era with a new president: Yassine Bouallala, who replaces Jordi Mias, who has held the position for the past eight years.

Born in Morocco in 1989, Bouallala is the manager of Hotel Torremirona, a four-star hotel located on the Torremirona golf course in the Empordà region. He has extensive experience in operational and strategic management at various tourist establishments, as well as experience in teaching and consulting. He has been a member of Grands Hotels de Catalunya since 2018, the last four years as a member of the governing board. He now faces the challenge of expanding the association to other parts of Catalonia.

Antonio Romero, new general director of CECA

The board of directors of the banking association CECA has appointed Antonio Romero as the entity's new general manager. The decision, adopted unanimously, must be ratified at the general meeting, which will take place on April 24. Romero, who will take office on April 30, will replace José María Méndez Álvarez-Cedrón, who has held the position since January 2011. Romero holds degrees in law and economics from the Comillas Pontifical University, and in political science and sociology from the UNED (National University of Madrid). He is a member of the Higher Corps of Civil Administrators of the State.

In 2000, he joined the legislation team at the Directorate General of the Treasury and Financial Policy, specializing in international banking regulations through his participation in numerous forums of the Council, the European Commission, and the OECD. In 2004, he began his career at CECA, where he has held the position of Corporate Director of Association Services and Resources. Romero is Chairman of the Coordination Committee of the World Institute and the European Savings and Retail Banks Group (WSBI-ESBG). At the national level, he is a member of the Economic and Social Council of Spain; he is also a member of the advisory committee of the CNMV (Spanish National Securities Market Commission) and a founding member of the executive committee of the Center for Responsible and Sustainable Finance of Spain (Finresp). Since 2012, he has been a member of the management committee of Cecabank.