Marc Murtra, new Executive President of Telefónica, replacing José María Álvarez-Pallete

Jane Anderson
Jane Anderson
Marc Murtra, nuevo Presidente de Telefónica

Marc Murtrauntil now President of Indra, has been appointed Executive President of Telephone following an extraordinary meeting of the company’s board of directors held on Saturday afternoon. He thus replaces José María Álvarez-Palletewho held the position for nine years.

The movement has occurred at the proposal of the State Society of Industrial Participations (SEPI)the largest shareholder of Telefónica, and has also had the support of the rest of the main shareholders, including CriteriaCaixa and BBVA. In a statement, the company explained that the change has been made “in view of Telefónica’s new shareholder structure and that some of its relevant shareholders have expressed the convenience of undertaking a new stage in the Executive Presidency”.

Telefónica points out that the renewal of the presidency seeks to adapt to the new shareholder structure

Thus, the Board of Directors has agreed the orderly renovation of the Presidency of the Society “to adapt it to its new shareholding structure”, and the appointment by co-option of Marc Murtra as Executive Director of the company and Executive President of the Board of Directors, delegating the corresponding powers to him.

Likewise, Álvarez-Pallete has submitted his resignation at the request of the board of directors. The body has expressed his thanks to the manager for his years of work at the head of the company, his collaboration and “for the many services provided and for his extraordinary effort, dedication and contribution during his long professional career in the Group”; as expressed by Telefónica in its statement.

Through their profiles on different social networks, José María Álvarez-Pallete has expressed his gratitude to the company and has taken stock of his time at Telefónica. “Telefónica has been much more than a place of work for me. It has been my home and my school”; has commented. “Here I have met the brightest and best prepared professionals. Together we have been able to transform challenges into opportunities, to turn the impossible into possible, to make the bad something good, and the good something, if possible, even better.”.

Mar Murtra’s career

Marc Murtra, with training in industrial engineering and finance and business administration, has a career spanning almost three decades. He began his professional career in the nuclear industry in British Nuclear Fuels in the United Kingdom, and continued developing his experience in the strategy consultancy DiamondCluster.

He worked for several years in the public sector, as Telefónica itself has shared in its statement. He was a specialist in Digital Strategy, Digital Transformation and Public-Private Partnerships and carried out the work of general director of Red.es and that of Chief of Staff of the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Commerce of the Government of Spain.

Murtra also served, between 2016 and 2019, as Managing Partner of the consulting firm Create Investmentand later served as Managing Partner and member of the board of Closa Investment Bankers.

Throughout his last stage he has combined the presidency of Indra with his role as a member of the councils of different organizations: Karibou, Ebro Food, ITP Aero and La Caixa Foundation.

In addition, it also acts as associate professor of Financial Management, Financial Economics and Master of Science in Finance and Banking at Pompeu Fabra University.