New Appointments and Board Changes at the Unicaja Banking Foundation
Patronage within the Unicaja Banking Foundation approved partial renewal due to the expiration of seven out of fifteen members, as reported after the Thursday session.
The foundation has approved the appointment of Ángela María Callejón Gil, Sonia Díez Abad, Pedro Fernández Céspedes, Juan José Navarro Fernández, Ana María Salinas de Frías, and Tomás Cano Rodrigo as trustees. Cano Rodrigo’s appointment comes on the recommendation of the Diocese of Almería, one of Unicaja’s founding organizations.
These appointments will take effect on 1 November 2022, with a four-year statutory term. The board stressed that the new appointees bring professional profiles into the foundation’s core activities and that the diversity of the board has been enhanced.
In this regard, the Unicaja Foundation Board of Trustees noted that José Manuel Domínguez Martínez (president), Pedro Fernández Céspedes, Alberto Fernández Gutiérrez, Juan José Navarro Fernández, and Javier Russinés Torregrosa possess special knowledge and experience in financial matters. Additionally, Ángela María Callejón Gil, Patricia Cid González, Sonia Díez Abad, Antonio Pascual Acosta, and Ana María Salinas de Frías are recognized as independent individuals with substantial professional prestige.
On the side of the founding organizations, Tomás Cano Rodrigo represents the Diocese of Almería. Among public or private organizations that reflect collective interests, Antonio Jesús López Nieto represents the Junta de Andalucía.
The board awaits the proposal to appoint the representative of the Moctezuma Foundation. The position of managing director, Filippo Faraguna Brunner, who resigned on October 25, remains open given the closeness of his resignation to the patronage celebrations.
Similarly, Sergio Corral Delgado, the managing director of the Unicaja Banking Foundation, and the board of trustees, including Juan Sebastián Medina Serramitjana, are noted for their ongoing involvement on the governance side.
New Members of the Board of Directors
Ángela María Callejón Gil holds a PhD in Economics and Business Sciences from the University of Malaga, where she serves as a full professor in Financial Economics and Accounting. Since 2021, she has been treasurer of Eben Spain, the European Business Ethics Network, and she founded the International Forum for Women and Society in Malaga. She is also affiliated with the Chair of Economics and Sustainable Finance at the University of Malaga and the Iberdrola Chair of Economics and Business Ethics at the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas, among other roles.
Tomás Cano Rodrigo earned a PhD in Biblical Theology from the Pontifical University of Comillas, a degree in Religious Studies from the Faculty of Theology of Granada, and a law degree from the University of Almería. He serves as pastor general of the Diocese of Almería and as an advisor to Unicaja.
Sonia Díez Abad holds a PhD in Economics and Business Sciences from the University of Malaga, a BA in Psychology from the same university, and multiple postgraduate credentials from Harvard University. The foundation notes that she was recognized among the 25 most influential people in education in Spain and received the Andalusian Businesswoman Award from the Andalusian Women Businesswomen and Managers Association.
Juan José Navarro Fernández possesses a Bachelor of Economics and Business Sciences from the University of Malaga. He has held various leadership roles at Unicaja, including deputy general manager of Intervention and Accounting, head of Planning, Control, Auditing and Accounting, and member of the Organization Management Committee.
Ana María Salinas de Frías serves as a professor of Public International Law and International Relations at the University of Malaga. She also acts as a legal adviser to the Council of Europe’s Directorate of Public International Law, serves as a substitute judge at the European Court of Human Rights, and acts as vice-rector for Research and Doctorate at the University of Malaga.
Pedro Fernández Céspedes holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid. He has held various positions with Radio Televisión Española, served as a director of Unicaja, and been a member of its control committee. He was awarded the Cruz de Isabel la Católica by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2000.