SEPI Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales

• Ms. Cristina Garmendia, Mr. José Antonio Vera, Manuel Conthe y Fernando Suárez are appointed as members of the Board of Trustees

During the meeting of its Board of Trustees, this evening, FUNDACIÓN SEPI has resolved to appoint Ms. Cristina Garmendia, Mr. Manuel Conthe, Mr. Fernando Suárez and Mr. José Antonio Vera as new Trustees in this institution.

Thus, these prominent figures join a Board of Trustees which is also made up by SEPI’s Chairman, Mr. Ramón Aguirre, its Vice President, Mr. Federico Ferrer, and by a further three Members; Ms. Carmen Becerril, Mr. Manuel Alves and Ms. Eva Guajardo-Fajardo.

It must be pointed out that the management of Fundación SEPI is entrusted to its Board of Trustees, whose Members are appointed by SEPI, which is the Sole Founder. This Trust arose from the merger, at the end of 2012, of Fundación SEPI and Fundación Laboral SEPI.

Fundación SEPI has shown its satisfaction with having in its Board of Trustees such significant personalities and with such long careers, which allows them to provide their knowledge and experience for the advancement of the Fundación’s different business areas and activities.

New trustees

Ms. Cristina Garmendia is a graduate in Biological Sciences, and was Minister in charge of Science and Innovation. Besides she was behind the setup of the biotechnological group Genetrix, is a founding partner of Ysios Capital Partners, and has played a prominent role within the institutional field as the Chairperson of the Asociación de Empresas Biotecnológicas (biotechnological companies association). Currently she is Chairperson at the company Genetrix and of the listed company Sygnis.

On his part, Mr. Manuel Conthe is a graduate in Law and a Civil Service commercial expert and economist (Técnico Comercial y Economista del Estado). During his professional career he has been the Chairman of the Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (Spain’s Securities and Exchange Commission), Financial Vice President at the World Bank, and Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Economics. He also chairs the Advisors Committee of the financial newspaper Expansión and the weekly Actualidad Económica and he is an independent Director at the company Acerinox.

Mr. Fernando Suárez is the Rector of Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. During his professional career he has also been professor at the School of Social Sciences and Law, besides being a professor in a number of universities and schools. Mr. Suárez has taken part in different R&D projects, and he has written many scientific and technical books, studies and documents.

Finally, Mr. José Antonio Vera is a graduate in Ciencias de la Información and currently is the Chairman of the state-owned news agency Agencia EFE. During his long professional career, he has been Editor in Chief of the newspaper “La Razón”, besides being the editor in charge of publications in that newspaper and in the weekly “A tu salud verde”.

Fundación SEPI

With the appointment of these Trustees ends the process for integrating the Fundación SEPI, after on November 2012 the Board of Directors of the state-owned industrial holding company Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales (SEPI) resolved to merge Fundación Laboral SEPI and Fundación SEPI, as part of the restructuring and rationalization plan for the state-owned corporate and foundational sector, which the Council of Ministers resolved on March 16th, 2012.

Fundación SEPI has a staff or 68 employees, and its object is that of both merged foundations. It also has at its disposal their respective assets. Fundación SEPI’s goals are to carry out and diffuse studies and researches of an industrial, economic and entrepreneurial nature, to manage Colegio Mayor Universitario (hall of residence for university students) and of the training facilities at Campus formativo Los Peñascales, an important grants program for the professional training of young graduates which enter the labor market, as well as other social activities.