The Supervisory Board endorses Josep Lluís Sanfeliu's candidacy for the presidency of Barcelona Global

• Josep Lluís Sanfeliu presents an Executive Committee made up of 20 members, nine of whom are new additions

• Sanfeliu will be supported by three vice-presidents: Rafael Fontana, lawyer and honorary president of Cuatrecasas; Carmina Ganyet, Corporate Director General of Colonial; and Lluís Seguí, co-founder and CEO of Miura Partners

• Josep Lluís Sanfeliu's candidacy will be put to a vote by the Barcelona Global members at the General Assembly on 19 June.

The Barcelona Global Supervisory Council, meeting today at the BStartup Banc Sabadell headquarters, has endorsed the candidacy of Josep Lluís Sanfeliu, co-founder and Managing Partner of Asabys, for the presidency of Barcelona Global. It will now be the members who vote on the candidacy on 19 June at the General Assembly.

The Barcelona Global Supervisory Council is made up of representatives of the corporate founding members, as well as a group of members representing the organisation's cross-cutting diversity. Around 70 people took part in today's session. Josep Lluís Sanfeliu has presented the composition of the Executive Committee (Comex) that will accompany him over the next two years, comprising 20 entrepreneurs and professionals from finance, business, health, innovation, technology, gastronomy, communications and social action, among others.

Sanfeliu has proposed three vice-presidencies, which will go to Rafael Fontana, a lawyer and honorary president of Cuatrecasas; Lluís Seguí, co-founder and chief executive of Miura Partners; and Carmina Ganyet, corporate director general of Colonial, the only one to be reappointed to the same post.

New additions

Nine of the members proposed for the new Executive Committee are new additions: Silvia Alsina, general director of Roman; Chema Casas, general director of Telefónica in Catalonia; Romain Fornell, Michelin-starred chef and entrepreneur; Michael Goldenberg, Managing Director of Value Retail; Ousman Umar, founder and president of Nasco Feeding Minds; Ernest Quingles, co-founder of Axia&Partners; and Isabel Vidal, General Manager of Grup Focus, as well as vice-presidents Rafael Fontana and Lluís Seguí.

The 11 members who will continue on the Executive Committee are, in addition to Vice-President Carmina Ganyet, Maria Alsina (CaixaBank); Michael Blackman (ISE); Ana Godó (Grupo Godó); Sergi Loughney (La Caixa Foundation); Ainhoa Moll (Prensa Ibérica); Jaume Oliu (Harvest Capital Management); Daniel Puig (FBCN); Lidan Qi Xhou (Aleu Medical); Josep Tabernero (Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology); and Carles Ventura (Banc Sabadell). Héctor Bros, a partner at Cuatrecasas, will continue as secretary of the Executive Committee, and Mercè Conesa as general director of Barcelona Global.

Josep Lluís Sanfeliu has explained his strategy for this new phase, which will be based on three pillars: "people, strategic sectors with a future and a local foothold in the city, and attracting investment, always with a cross-cutting priority: to build a more open, welcoming, competitive and prepared Barcelona to lead major international projects."

Sanfeliu has added that one of his objectives is "to turn Barcelona Global's influence into tangible impact so that the city is recognised as a global capital of talent, as a city capable of retaining, attracting and growing talent, represented by people who have been born here or have chosen Barcelona; people, companies and new investments that contribute to the creation of economic prosperity and social progress."

For his part, President Ramon Agenjo highlighted in his speech ‘the pride of presiding over an association like Barcelona Global, which works to improve the city’, and added that leading the Association is a relay race in which the new president takes over from the previous one to continue the projects and strengthen the Association.

Agenjo has congratulated his successor, highlighting his great passion for the city, as well as the energy and generosity in accepting the leadership of the project. Josep Lluís Sanfeliu has been a member of Barcelona Global since its foundation in 2011 and has served on the Executive Committees of five previous presidents.

Ramon Agenjo has chaired Barcelona Global since 2024. The statutes of Barcelona Global state that the terms of office for the presidents and the Executive Committee are two years. In the case of the presidency, there is no possibility of re-election until at least one term has elapsed.

Barcelona Global has been chaired to date by its founder María Reig, Joaquim Coello, Emilio Cuatrecasas, Marian Puig, Gonzalo Rodés, Pau Guardans, Aurora Catà and Maite Barrera, all of whom are currently honorary presidents.

Josep Lluís Sanfeliu

Josep Lluís Sanfeliu (Barcelona, 1974) is co-founder and Managing Partner of Asabys. A law graduate, his professional career has been developed mainly in the legal, financial and managerial fields, first at Cuatrecasas and then at KPMG and Almirall, and currently as an institutional investor in the biomedical sector.

Sanfeliu holds a degree in Law from Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), a master's degree in International Law from the University of Michigan and an MBA from IESE Business School, in addition to studying piano and music at the Liceu Conservatory.

Josep Lluís Sanfeliu co-founded the venture capital firm Ysios Capital in 2008, specialising in biotechnology. During this time he has been a private investor in leading technology start-ups in Barcelona.

In 2018, he co-founded Asabys Partners, one of Spain's leading venture capital firms in biotechnology and health technologies innovation, from which he has helped to boost companies in areas such as oncology, cardiology, neurotechnology, mental health, biomedical artificial intelligence and medical devices.

His ties to Barcelona extend from his years as a tour guide and Olympic volunteer to his current philanthropic involvement in various social and cultural institutions such as Barcelona Actua, the Aura Foundation, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Palau de la Música, the Catalunya Cultura Foundation and the Oak House School Foundation.