The space industry claims its economic impact, beyond the mysticism and symbolic weight that have traditionally surrounded it. "We have gone from planting flags to building markets, this is the great change," said the general director of Indra Space, Miguel Ángel Panduro, this Tuesday in Santander. The executive defended that "space has become a critical infrastructure for the economy" because it facilitates the operation of many other sectors, among which he highlighted the energy, logistics, and financial sectors.

The defense company Santa Bárbara, a subsidiary of the North American General Dynamics, maintains its legal battle at the National Court against the allocation of a part of the Spanish government's contracts to strengthen the military and defense industry in the State. This Wednesday, the company presented its appeal to the National Court regarding the resolutions that awarded two contracts from the Spanish government's Special Modernization Programs (PEM): the ATP Wheels contract and the ATP Tracks contract, according to company sources. Both contracts amounted to 7.24 billion euros and were awarded to the temporary joint venture formed by Indra and Escribano Mechanical & Engineering (EM&E).

It has been a business, but also political, outcome that many imagined: the breakdown between France and Germany to move forward with a new European combat aircraft within the framework of the FCAS military program. But the fact that the news has not generated surprise – there had been speculation for some time about the friction between Paris and Berlin around this military project – does not mean that it is not a headache for some. The failure to move forward with this latest generation combat aircraft has left Spain, the other state that is part of the program, trapped. And particularly the defense company Indra.

The last year at the defense company Indra, whose main shareholder is the State, with 28% of the share capital, has been marked by changes in leadership and a failed operation – the possible merger of Indra with the company Escribano Mechanical & Engineering (EM&E Group)–. Regarding all this, and more, were the questions posed this Tuesday in the National Security Commission of Congress to two officials who have been involved in both controversies: Belén Gualda, president of the State Industrial Participations Company (SEPI, the investment arm of the Spanish government), and the director of the Office of Economic Affairs and G20 of the Spanish government, Manuel de la Rocha.

Indra has been restructuring its top management for several months, with recent changes in president and CEO, and the incorporation of new high-level directives. This reinforcement of the technology and defense company's top level also reaches Catalonia, where the company chaired by Àngel Simón has appointed a new territorial director, Enric Blasco. Furthermore, a lifelong banker, José Ignacio Goirigolzarri – he was CEO of BBVA, president of Bankia, and president of CaixaBank – is making the leap into the fashion world as a new independent director of Inditex, the company controlled by Amancio Ortega which owns brands such as Zara, Pull&Bear, Massimo Dutti, and Bershka, among others.

Changes in the governing bodies or management positions of companies are not only driven by new hires. Sometimes, departures gain more weight. In just a few days, two of the main Ibex-35 companies have experienced this firsthand: Naturgy and Indra. In fact, a question mark hangs over the composition of their boards of directors due to the departure in Indra's case of the Escribano brothers, who held 14.3% of the company's share capital, while at Naturgy, it was the English investment fund CVC (13.8%) that divested. Other musical chairs are added to these movements.

The presidency of Anfac, the Spanish association of automobile manufacturers, is on its way to becoming a springboard. Josep Maria Recasens (Girona, 1976) was known in the sector – in 2023 he was appointed president and CEO of Renault Group Iberia –, but he gained visibility when in 2024 he took over from Wayne Griffiths at the head of this organization. Two years later, he becomes number two at Indra, the company that aspires to be the flagship of the defense sector in Spain, or at least that is what the Spanish government intends, which is the main shareholder with 28% of the share capital.

Musical chairs in the Catalan technology sector. The former CEO of Cellnex – the main telecommunications tower company –, Tobías Martínez, will move to lead Openchip, while Pedro Mier will take over the direction of Open Cosmos. Furthermore, the president of Indra, Àngel Simón, continues with the revolution at the company's top and is already looking for a new CEO, who will possibly be announced this Tuesday, after dismissing José Vicente de los Mozos – seemingly in agreement with the Spanish government –, who is the main shareholder of the technology and defense company.

First major change in the technology and defense company Indra since Àngel Simón became non-executive chairman. The company's CEO, José Vicente de los Mozos, is stepping down as number two, as the company reported this Tuesday afternoon through the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV). The departure of De los Mozos represents the second earthquake in the leadership of the company controlled by the State (it is the main shareholder with 28% of the share capital) in a short time. The first was the departure of the until recently chairman, Ángel Escribano.

Indra presents the plan to boost its role in Catalonia. The defense and security company has staged its commitment to the territory with an event organized at the Barcelona Port's Tinglados. The group's new chairman, Àngel Simón, and its CEO, José Vicente de los Mozos, have explained their objectives in Catalonia: to generate 1,500 new jobs and increase their turnover to 550 million euros by 2027. The group currently employs 3,500 professionals and generates sales of 366 million with its 8 headquarters in the territory. Indra's major staging in Catalonia comes just after the arrival of Simón as non-executive chairman of Indra. The former CEO of Criteria inaugurates his public agenda with this Monday's session.

The Spanish defense and technology company Indra has begun trading on the stock market this Wednesday with an increase, hours after the departure from the shareholding of Escribano Mechanical & Engineering (EM&E) was announced, the company of brothers Ángel and Javier Escribano, who until Tuesday controlled 14.5% of the capital.

A 180-degree turn at the technology and defense company Indra. The Escribano brothers, Ángel Escribano (until recently, president of Indra) and Javier Escribano, have sold their stake in the Spanish defense company. Specifically, the two brothers controlled 14.3% of Indra's share capital through Advanced Engineering & Manufacturing, the company through which they also control their family business, Escribano Mechanical & Engineering (EM&E), as reported by the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV). The sale of Indra's share capital comes after Ángel Escribano's resignation as president of Indra this April, precisely as a result of a tug-of-war with the Spanish government (which controls 28% of Indra through SEPI) over the potential acquisition by Indra of his family business, EM&E. Since this April, the new president is the Catalan Àngel Simón, former CEO of CriteriaCaixa. The sale of 14.3% of the share capital also means leaving Indra's board of directors, where they until recently held two seats.

María Dolores de Cospedal, former PP politician, has been hired as a counselor for Naturhouse, the company controlled by Félix Revuelta, in a week that has also been marked by Àngel Simón, who is strengthening his position in the leadership of Indra, and Josep Oliu, who is leaving the board of directors of Puig as the Catalan fragrance and cosmetics company negotiates a possible integration with the US giant in the sector, Estée Lauder.

Indra, the Spanish technology and defense company in which the State holds 28% of the share capital, looks optimistically to the future. Like any company that engages, among other things, in the military industry, the war in the Middle East can provide a boost to its business, as Indra's CEO, José Vicente de los Mozos, acknowledged this Thursday, coinciding with the presentation of the first-quarter results of the year. "[The war in the Middle East] can only have a positive impact on results," De los Mozos said when analysts asked him about the impact of the armed conflict. The executive linked it, above all, to demands for anti-aircraft defense products – systems and weapons that allow detecting, intercepting, and even neutralizing aerial attacks.

Abrupt rudder blow for Indra on the Spanish stock market, which has become the most punished stock on the Ibex-35 this Friday in a session marked by widespread red, where the reference selective in Spain has fallen by 1.09% to 17,691.30 points. After weeks of calm and sustained growth due to contracts from the European Defence Fund, the technology and security company has experienced a day of panic that has caused its shares to fall by 8.59%, placing them at 47.68 euros.

The Supreme Court has denied the precautionary measure requested by Santa Bárbara to suspend two loans for special armament modernization programs (PEM) of 3,000 million euros to the temporary union of companies (UTE) formed by Indra Sistemas and Escribano Mechanical & Engineering (EM&M), as reported by the high court this Monday.

The Ministry of Defense has dismissed the appeal filed by the defense company Santa Bárbara Sistemas, a subsidiary of the North American General Dynamics, against the contracts for the new wheeled and tracked artillery for the Spanish army, which the government of Pedro Sánchez awarded to Indra and Escribano Mechanical & Engineering (EM&E) last year, as reported by the ministry. The artillery contracts amounted to 7.24 billion euros and were part of the Special Modernization Programs (PEM) that the government of Pedro Sánchez approved and awarded last year to increase military spending to 2% of GDP, as committed to NATO. In a statement, the ministry explains that it "agrees to the full dismissal of all claims filed" by Santa Bárbara.

Indra's staff learned this Wednesday who has been president for two weeks, Àngel Simón. Both the Catalan executive and the CEO, José Vicente de los Mozos, have summoned employees and explained the company's situation, where the top management has just experienced an earthquake with the departure of the then-leader, Ángel Escribano. The change of presidency, however, is not presented as a turnaround: "Now we are starting this new phase with Àngel Simón, who also supports the [company's] strategic plan," De los Mozos stated this Wednesday morning, during an appearance at a forum organized by El Español. In fact, he has taken on the executive functions as CEO, not Simón. The executive joined the company in 2023, under the mandate of Marc Murtra.

Andrés Villena (Elx, 1980) has spent years investigating business lobbies, family sagas, banks, and institutions to be able to x-ray the structure and functioning of the Spanish elite. The result is Las élites que dominan España,a book that was to be published by Planeta, which finally backed out, and has ended up being published by Libros del K.O. 

In an international scenario marked by geopolitical instability, the Spanish public administration has redirected its financial muscle towards sectors that guarantee strategic resilience. The latest report published by the Licitaciones.io platform on the 2025 fiscal year paints an undeniable reality: security and defense have become the priority of institutional investment. According to the analyzed data, the defense and aeronautics sector already represents 31.2% of the volume awarded to the ten main companies in the State.