Ángel Simón from Manres, executive chairman of Agbar and vice-chairman of Veolia, was chosen this Thursday as the new CEO of Criteria, the business holding of the “la Caixa” Foundation. Simón will replace Marcelino Armenter, who will retire on January 31 after leading the company for the past few years. Criteria’s board of directors has recognized his “work and commitment” as chief executive.
Simón, a career linked to Agbar and Suez
Simón joined Agbar in 1995, when he assumed the delegation of the company in Portugal. Since then, he has held various positions and responsibilities within the group, both in Spain and abroad. In 1999, he left for Chile to head Aguas Andinas, one of the largest water management companies in Latin America, which belongs to the same group. In 2002, he returned to Spain as general manager of Agbar and in 2010, he was appointed executive chairman. In addition, from 2013 to 2022, he was executive vice president of Suez, the French water and waste giant. Before joining Agbar, Simón was manager of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) between 1989 and 1995.
Fainé, renewed as president of Criteria for another four years
In the same meeting, Criteria’s board of directors also approved the renewal of Isidre Fainé, also from Manres, as Criteria’s president for another four years. Fainé, who is also president of the “la Caixa” Foundation, the sole shareholder of CriteriaCaixa, has in recent years led a phase of “consolidation” of the holding as the first shareholder of strategic companies such as Caixabank and Naturgy, and has reorganized and diversified the portfolio of assets, which have a gross value of 26,000 million euros.
Other changes in the board of directors and the budget for 2024
The board of directors has also proposed the appointment of Juan José López Burniol as first vice-president of Criteria. Until now, López Burniol was a member of the CriteriaCaixa board and is also vice president of the “la Caixa” Foundation. In addition, the proposal to renew the councilors José Antonio Asiáin, Marcos Contreras, Jean-Louis Chaussade, Isabel Estapé, Josep-Delfí Guardia and Francesc Homs for another four years has been approved. The new composition will be definitively approved once the “la Caixa” Foundation’s Board of Trustees approves it on February 15.
On the other hand, the budget for 2024 will be 600 million euros, 12% more than last year, when it reached 538 million euros. In the last 15 years, Criteria has allocated 7,000 million to social, scientific, educational and cultural initiatives.
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