FemCat names David Marín president and opens a period of reflection

The annual partners' assembly of the FemCat Private Business Foundation has approved the appointment of David Marín as the entity's new president, replacing Elena Massot, who took office at the beginning of 2019. FemCat usually renews its presidency every two years, but Massot's term, CEO of the developer Vertix, has been extended for one more year as a consequence of the pandemic.

The new president of FemCat is a partner and CEO of the company InaccésGeotècnica Vertical, which he founded with his brother in 1993 as a result of a joint venture with an Italian multinational. Inaccés is a company specialized in the consolidation and stabilization of land and slopes and in projects for protection against rockfalls and snow avalanches. It usually works for large groups in the construction sector and has an international presence in several countries.

According to FemCat, the new presidency "will open with a strategic reflection, necessary to continue advancing in FemCAT's foundational objectives, at a time of great uncertainty and paradigm shifts at a global level." Sources from the entity explain that 17 years after its founding, both the world and Catalonia "have changed a lot," which means that there are now "new challenges" to face. "We are clear that FemCAT's foundational work axes are still valid, but we must reflect on what these changes imply, to be where our proposals and projects have the greatest impact in the service of the country," they argue.

FemCAT was born with the mission of making Catalonia one of the best countries in the world. To this end, different programs have been activated that have emphasized promoting entrepreneurial and innovation capacity, and social cohesion. FemCat currently has about a hundred individual partners, meaning it is not a foundation of companies, but of entrepreneurs and executives who are directly involved in the various programs that are launched.

In addition to electing David Marín as the new president, the FemCat assembly has, as usual, renewed its board of trustees, with various departures and entries of members to this governing body that pursue a dual objective: rejuvenation and the presence of more women, maintaining a wide diversity of sectors and types of companies. Now, out of a total of 37 members, one third of the board (11) are women. Among the members of the new FemCat board of trustees are Ernest Pérez-Mas (Parlem), Gabriel Jené (La Mallorquina), Santiago Sabatés (Eurofragance), David Nogareda (Hipra), Mercè Pujol (Ficosa), Maria Josep Arasa (Faura-Casas), Jaume Alsina (BonÀrea), Josep Martínez Vila (Saba) and Xavier Cámara (Grup Enciclopèdia).

Until now, the vice-presidents of the entity were Oriol Guixà, David Marín, Ariadna Marín and Germán Ramón-Cortés. With the renewal agreed this Wednesday, Ariadna Marín ---general director of the company Coatresa Group--- will continue to be vice-president, but now she will be accompanied by the president of the Bon Preu group, Joan Font; Oriol Pinya, founding partner of Abac Capital; and Xavier Fitó, director of the horticultural business unit of Semillas Fitó. Immaculada Amat, president of the real estate company Amat, remains as secretary, and Teresa Navarro as general director.

For her part, Elena Massot becomes honorary president along with the other six entrepreneurs who preceded her in the position: Pau Relat, Ramon Carbonell, Miquel Martí, Carles Sumarroca, Josep Mateu and Joaquim Boixareu.

During the mandate of the outgoing president, marked by the pandemic, continuity has been given, among others, to the School and Business program, which aims to bring business people closer to students to encourage entrepreneurial vocation. The Language Observatory has also been promoted to accelerate the knowledge and mastery of English in Catalonia, a determining factor for increasing business competitiveness, and support has been given to entities that promote STEM vocations in girls, young women and women.