The first female consul in history (and other signings of the week)

BarcelonaThis week's executive transfer market highlights the appointment of lawyer Emma Gumbert as the new Consul Major of the Consolat de Mar, the first woman in history to hold this position. Furthermore, the Telefónica Foundation has a new executive chairman, Inditex has a new general manager, and Illy has appointed a new leader for Spain.

Emma Gumbert, the first female Consul Major in history

The plenary session of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce has approved the appointment of lawyer Emma Gumbert as the new Senior Consul of the Consulate of the Sea, the Chamber's business mediation, conciliation, and arbitration center. With this appointment, the institution begins a new era "to become a leader in the promotion of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in the business world," according to a statement. Gumbert will also be the first woman to hold this position in the Consulate's more than 750-year history. The last consul was Jordi Domingo, currently President of the Council for the Republic.

Gumbert is a labor lawyer and mediator specializing in labor dispute resolution, a trainer, and a speaker. She holds a law degree from the University of Girona, a master's degree from the Center for Financial Studies, and a postgraduate degree in alternative dispute resolution from the University of Barcelona-ICAB. Since 2023, she has had her own firm specializing in labor law and mediation, and also serves as a mediator at the Labor Court of Catalonia (TLC).

Enrique Goñi, new executive president of Fundación Telefónica

Telefónica Foundation begins a new era with the appointment of Enrique Goñi as its new Executive Chairman. The entity aims to become a European benchmark in promoting strategies that boost technological competitiveness and social impact, consolidating Spain as the epicenter of debate and action in responsible technological innovation.

Enrique Goñi is Deputy Chairman of Criteria Caixa and Chairman of the Hermes Institute, roles he will continue to hold. As founder of the Hermes Foundation, he also chairs its Board of Trustees, an institution committed to promoting rights in the digital sphere. A law graduate from the University of Navarra and a PADE graduate from IESE, he began his career at Barclays Bank and later served as Deputy General Manager and CEO of the MutuAvenir group of companies. He has also worked at Agrupació Mútua and Caja Navarra, and in 2010, together with the directors of Caja Canarias and Caja Burgos, he founded Grupo Banca Cívica as executive chairman, which was later joined by Caja Sol. He is also a member of the Spanish Chapter of the Club of Rome and the advisory committee of the Latam Global Leadership and Competitiveness Program at Georgetown University.

Inditex appoints Ignacio Fernández as corporate general manager.

Changes in senior management at Inditex. The fashion company has appointed Ignacio Fernández as corporate general manager. Furthermore, the group's board of directors agreed to the appointments of Andrés Sánchez Iglesias, until now the tax director, as financial director and member of the management committee, and Fernando de Bunes Ibarra, until now the risk management director, as director of sustainability. Meanwhile, Javier Losada Montero, until now the sustainability director, has agreed to leave Inditex once the transition process is complete, after 32 years with the company.

Pietro Chevallard, new general manager of Illy for Spain

Illycaffé, the multinational sustainable coffee company, has announced the appointment of Pietro Chevallard as the new General Manager of Illycaffé Spain. Chevallard succeeds Javier Valle, who has led the Spanish subsidiary since 2022. With extensive international experience in the consumer goods sector, Chevallard joins Illy with the aim of strengthening its presence in Spain.

Francesc Torres, re-elected rector of the UPC four years later

Professor Francesc Torres will once again be rector of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia-BarcelonaTech (UPC) four years later, according to the provisional results of the university's elections, obtaining 53.280% of the weighted votes. Torres, who held the position from 2017 to 2021, won the elections, with the candidate and current UPC rector, Daniel Crespo, obtaining 36.161% of the weighted votes, while the blank vote was 10.559%, the university announced in a statement on Friday.

Torres's candidacy included Jordi Berenguer, Neus Consul, Pedro Diez, Agusti Fernandez, Elena Fernandez, Santiago Gaso, Maria Jose Jimenez, Ariadna Lorenzo, Vega Perez, Jordi Romeu, Santiago Silvestre and Andreas Sumper.

Joan Vives, new manager of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation

The Pasqual Maragall Foundation and its research center, the Barcelona Beta Brain Research Center (BBRC), have strengthened their management structure with the appointment of Joan Vives as the new manager of both institutions. He has over twenty years of experience managing biomedical research centers in Europe and Africa. The Foundation and its research center, the Barcelona Beta Brain Research Center, are strengthening their management structure at a time of sustained growth, with over 250 employees and a membership base approaching 100,000.