Overview
- The board unanimously approved Javier Catena as consejero delegado on Friday, June 19, 2026, and Santiago Bau left the company by mutual agreement.
- Catena will chair the management committee and receive direct reporting from the group's business units to implement an updated Plan Estratégico.
- He returns to the group with prior experience as chief operating officer, where he ran supply chain, logistics and real estate, and has worked since March as general manager for Spain and Portugal at Ginkgo.
- The appointment follows the company's recent results showing a roughly 22% rise in net profit and its lowest net debt in two decades, a performance the board says underpins higher planned investment.
- The move consolidates authority around president Cristina Álvarez, who took the role in January, and sets the stage for decisions on the updated plan that shareholders will hear about at the July 24 annual meeting.