El consumo renueva sus primeros ejecutivos

The consumer sector is undergoing a wave of executive replacements as companies adapt to geopolitical uncertainty and inflationary pressures. Companies across the sector registered 98 changes in their top executive positions last year, a slight decrease from 118 in the previous year, but still within the range of 2024 and 2023. The majority of these changes, 30%, were in general direction roles, a significant increase from the 21% the previous year.

These findings come from Transearch's annual study on boardroom movements in large consumer companies. Experts believe this reflects a re-evaluation of current leadership structures to better fit the shifting market conditions. Alejandro Gortari, co-author of the study, explains that some companies made cuts due to reduced consumption, such as Diageo, while others aimed to enhance efficiency.

Among companies that changed top executives last year, El Corte Ingl�s promoted Javier Catena as CEO following Santiago Bau's departure, while Heineken Spain appointed Guilherme Cury Silva as president from JTI. Pascual replaced César Vargas as CEO and announced a shift to five independent societies, with each led by their respective general managers.

Diageo also announced Paulo Guludjian as the new general director for Iberia, and Mahou San Miguel promoted Peio Arbeloa to become general director in January. The study highlights that 65% of these changes were filled with internal talent, slightly below the record 71% from the previous year. Women made up 37% of all promotions, compared to 31% in 2023.

The largest number of changes occurred in general direction roles, accounting for 28% of all changes, a significant increase from the 21% in the previous year.