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Ignacio Galán, executive president of Iberdrola, was invested this morning as President of the Social Council of the University of Salamanca (USAL) during a ceremony held in Valladolid with the President of the Regional Government of Castile and León, Alfonso Fernandez Mañueco, and the Regional Minister of Education, Rocío Lucas, in the presence of the rectors of all the public universities of Castilla y León, including Ricardo Rivero, Rector of the USAL.

The Governing Council approved on 15 September, after the end of the previous term of office, the renewal in office of the executive president of Iberdrola, as well as the presidents of the Social Councils of the Universities of Burgos, León and Valladolid.

Ignacio Galán thus begins his third term on the Social Council of the University of Salamanca, a body made up of 26 members from the social, business and economic world whose function is to guarantee the participation of Salamanca society in this institution and to represent the diverse social interests of Salamanca and the university community. 

Along with Galán, Luis Alfonso Abril Pérez, Luis Javier Cepedano Valdeón and Óscar Campillo Madrigal, presidents of the Social Councils of the universities of Burgos, León and Valladolid, respectively, have taken up their posts.

The Social Council of the University of Salamanca agreed last Saturday to renew its members. Specifically, 15 of the 26 councillors have been renewed, so that 11 new appointments have been made. Pedro Díaz will chair the Economic-Financial Committee; Josefa García Barrado the Academic-Scientific Committee; the Social Relations Committee will be led by Carmen Escalera; Sergio Pérez will chair the Planning Committee; and finally, Miguel Ángel Martín Herrero will chair the Regulations and Compliance Committee.

Boosting training and talent

Ignacio Galán's firm commitment to the university world, training and the promotion of talent in all areas of its life has led him to support various academic initiatives that facilitate the preparation and specialisation of young people and their incorporation into the world of work. He holds Honorary Doctorates from the universities of Salamanca, Edinburgh and Strathclyde (Glasgow) and is a member of the Presidential Advisory Council of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Born in Salamanca, Ignacio Galán holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the Higher Industrial Engineering School ICAI of the Comillas Pontifical University in Madrid, a diploma in Business Administration and Foreign Trade from ICADE of the Comillas Pontifical University and a diploma from the Escuela de Organización Industrial in Madrid.

Galán is Executive Chairman of Iberdrola and Chairman of the Iberdrola group's subholding companies in the United Kingdom (ScottishPower), in the United States (AVANGRID, a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange) and in Brazil (Neoenergia, a company listed on BOVESPA).

Since his arrival at Iberdrola in 2001, his commitment to international expansion and the need for electrification through renewable energies, smart grids and energy storage have transformed the company into one of the largest in the sector in the world, with a presence in dozens of countries such as Spain, United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, Portugal, France, Italy and Ireland, as well as Australia, Poland, Sweden and Japan, and supplying energy to more than 100 million people around the world.

In addition, the new president of the social council of the University of Salamanca is a member of the World Economic Forum (Davos), is president of the Renewable Hydrogen Coalition and is a member of the Executive Committee of the European Round Table for Industry (ERT) and of the International Council of JP Morgan. 

Among other awards, in 2020 he received the Management Leadership Award from the Spanish Quality Association and the Business Career Achievement Award from El Economista. In 2019, he was rated as one of the five most important CEOs in the world and the first in the utilities sector by Harvard Business Review, and as one of the 30 most influential leaders in the fight against climate change by Bloomberg. He also received the National Innovation and Design Award for Innovative Trajectory from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

In 2014, he was awarded the Commander of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.