This generation of Spanish leaders reaches the pinnacle of large international companies. Javier Oliván López, born in 1977 in Jaca and raised in nearby Sabiñánigo, rose to become the second in command at Meta, Facebook’s parent company. His journey includes an MBA in Electrical and Industrial Engineering earned at a North American university after training in Navarra, funded in part by a Rafael del Pino Foundation scholarship. During his time at Stanford, he met Mark Zuckerberg as Facebook was expanding from a campus network into a global platform.
Oliván, who faced initial hurdles in the Spanish market, urged Zuckerberg to internationalize Facebook. The founder took notice and eventually recruited the Spanish executive who, nearly fifteen years ago, swapped Pyrenean mountaineering for the surfing beaches of Santa Cruz. Oliván’s rapid ascent within Meta culminated in him becoming the chief number two, succeeding Sheryl Sandberg.
Contemporary to Oliván is Nicolás de Ros Wallace from Alicante, born in 1975. He was appointed as the CEO of Canyon, the German cycling company renowned for its high competition bicycles. Ros Wallace joined the Nike group, where he spent part of his career across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. His prior roles at Inditex and other international responsibilities, especially in Zara’s business, helped shape his leadership in the cycling industry.
Oliván and Ros Wallace are part of a cohort of Spaniards who have climbed to the upper echelons of multinational enterprises. Some reach the top as presidents or chief executives, while others serve as number two executives. The rank and file extend across industries including pharmaceuticals, airlines, beverages, banking, insurance, technology, and sports equipment. Notable names include Joaquín Duato at Johnson & Johnson; Belén Garijo at Merck; Luis Gallego at IAG; Ramón Laguarta at PepsiCo; Sol Daurella at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners; José Viñals at Standard Chartered; Iñaki Ereño at Bupa and Antonio Lorenzo at Scottish Widows; Enrique Lores at HP; and Bárbara Martín at Decathlon. These executives share a track record of excellence in academics and linguistic proficiency.
Common traits emerge among these leaders: cosmopolitan experience, determination, ambition, adaptability, and a willingness to take calculated risks. In many cases, advancement has come through a sequence of roles within the same organization, and total compensation has been substantial, including base salaries, incentives, and long-term rewards. For example, one of the top executives has a base salary around one and a half million dollars, with annual incentives and long-term incentives running into tens of millions of euros. While many maintain ties to Spain for family reasons, they often reside abroad, leveraging their international exposure. Oliván, the Meta executive, speaks English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. He is married to a German partner he met during an Erasmus program in Munich and is father to two children.
Mireia Las Heras, a professor at the IESE Business School, notes that these cases demonstrate talent without borders, gender, origin, or age constraints. She points out that there is no singular Spanish specialization; rather, a diverse range of expertise contributes to leadership across different sectors. As an illustration, she observes that Spain has produced leaders who excel in technology and global strategy rather than a single, narrow field.
The Spanish leadership landscape expands further when including mid-level executives who head business units or geographic regions. Natalia Berenguer serves as general secretary at Danone, while Javier San Juan leads L’Oréal Latin America. These figures underscore a broader pattern: Spanish professionals increasingly occupy influential roles across global markets, reinforcing Spain’s capacity to contribute top-tier leadership to multinational groups. [citation]