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ordi Hereu is back in the front line. After working as a consultant for the last decade, the former socialist mayor will be proposed by the State Society of Industrial Participations (Sepi) as the new president of Hispasat. This communications satellite company is a leader in the distribution of satellite content in Spanish and Portuguese and is 89.68% owned by Red Eléctrica Española (REE), which bought the company almost two years ago from Abertis for nearly one billion euros.
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Sepi is the main shareholder of the Spanish electricity grid operator, where it controls 20% of the capital. In addition, it also has a direct stake in Hispasat of 7.41%. Another 2.91% of the satellite operator is in the hands of another state public body, the CDTI. At the head of Hispasat, Hereu will replace Rosario Martínez. He will preside over a board of directors that also includes former minister Beatriz Corredor ---president of Red Eléctrica---, several members representing this majority shareholder, and also representatives of Sepi, the Ministry of Defense, and the CDTI.
Hispasat manages a fleet of about ten satellites that provide coverage to Europe and America and distribute more than 1,200 radio and television channels. It is also a provider of broadband and satellite connectivity services that include Internet access and serves governments in terms of security networks. One of the company's main challenges is to ensure that satellite technology also plays a prominent role in the deployment of new telecommunications networks with 5G technology.
Jordi Hereu was mayor of Barcelona between 2006 and 2011 and later co-founded Fledge Barcelona and went on to chair the consultancy IdenCity, focused on the transformation of cities and territories. He was currently a consulting partner at Barcelona Plataforma Empresarial, a firm that promotes both business internationalization and the attraction of companies to Barcelona.