Isidro Fainé, President of the La Caixa Banking Foundation, CriteriaCaixa, the Spanish Confederation of Savings Banks, and the World Savings and Retail Banking Institute, and a Full Member of the Royal European Academy of Doctors (READ); Josep Sánchez Llibre, President of Foment del Treball Nacional, Vice President of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations, former member of the Parliament of Catalonia and the Congress of Deputies, former senator, and Honorary Academician of the READ; Cristóbal Colón Palasí, founder of the business and social project La Fageda and Honorary Academician of the READ; and Dídac Lee, a renowned technology entrepreneur and investor and Honorary Academician and Extraordinary Ambassador of the READ, are included in the new ranking «Business Leaders of Catalonia», compiled by the newspaper «El Periódico» in collaboration with the company Glovo.
As the newspaper explains in presenting this select list of 50 figures from Catalan business, the ranking is the result of a survey conducted among more than 500 executives and, in its first edition, is led by the President of Fira de Barcelona, Pau Relat. One third of the list is made up of women, headed by Sol Daurella. The ranking blends veteran leaders such as Isidro Fainé and Cristóbal Colón Palasí with emerging figures like Martina Font, Elisenda Bou-Balust, and Francesc Julià. Reappointed on 12 January by the Board of Trustees of the La Caixa Banking Foundation as its President, Fainé is highlighted as remaining one of the country’s most influential and respected business figures and as leading a foundation that reached a historic budget of €655 million in 2025, 60% of which is allocated to social programs.
Regarding Sánchez Llibre, the article notes that he assumed the presidency of the major Catalan employers’ association in 2018 after a long political career as a deputy and senator. He is also President of the family business Conservas Dani and Vice President of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations. As for Colón Palasí, emphasis is placed on his recent appointment as Honorary Academician of the READ in recognition of a brilliant career that transformed a utopia into a business project that not only holds a prominent position in the dairy market, but is also a global benchmark in social economy and purpose-driven management. Finally, Lee is highlighted for his leadership as a role model for the entrepreneurial ecosystem, serving as an inspiration for many young people.
Fainé began his professional career in banking, holding positions in various financial institutions. In 1982 he joined La Caixa, and in 1999 he was appointed Chief Executive Officer, leading its growth and transformation. He served as President of CaixaBank from 2011 to 2016. His career is recognized for his ability to manage and transform large financial institutions, earning him numerous national and international distinctions. He is internationally acknowledged as one of the great philanthropists and a key figure in banking and the social and solidarity economy sector. He is Vice President of the Royal Academy of Economic and Financial Sciences and, in the business sphere, Vice President of leading companies such as Telefónica and ACS, among other prominent corporate responsibilities.
Sánchez Llibre has received numerous honors, including the Award of the Association of Self-Employed Workers of Catalonia, the Bernardo O’Higgins Medal awarded by the Government of Chile, Honorary Membership of the Official College of Commercial and Business Graduates of Barcelona, the Medal of Honor of Foment del Treball for Business Career Achievement, the Gold and Diamond Insignia of RCD Espanyol, the Gold Medal of the Order of Chambers of Commerce of the Council of Chambers of Commerce, the Red Cross Medal for his personal commitment and involvement with the institution and its humanitarian emergency program «Creu Roja Respon», the Medal of Honor of Automobile Barcelona, Honorary Membership of the Register of Economist Auditors of the General Council of Economists, the Gaudí Gresol Award for Notoriety and Excellence in the category of Business Leadership, and he is the author of the book «Les veritats de l’Estatut».
Trained in Psychology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Colón Palasí began his professional career in various psychiatric centers in Zaragoza, Martorell, and Salt. In 1982 he founded the cooperative La Fageda in Olot as a response to the living conditions of former mental institutions. The project combines productive activities—farm work, gardening, the production of dairy products and jams, and guided tours—with a comprehensive support model that includes employment, training, housing, leisure, and psychosocial assistance. The uniqueness of La Fageda has attracted national and international interest and is studied at business schools such as IESE, ESADE, and Harvard University. The project receives thousands of visitors each year and is recognized as a success story in social economy and people-centered management. Throughout his career, Colón has received numerous institutional distinctions, including the Creu de Sant Jordi, the highest honor awarded by the Government of Catalonia, in 2009, and the recent honorary doctorate from the University of Girona.
Founder and Managing Partner of Galdana Ventures—one of the world’s top-performing funds investing in leading technological markets—and of high-profile technology companies such as Inspirit, Fhios, Inesdi, Scubastore (now Tradeinn), and Barlon Capital, a venture capital firm investing in Spain’s future most relevant brands with strong growth potential, Lee is internationally recognized as one of the leading business angels in Spain’s startup ecosystem. He has collaborated on the Spanish translations of two reference venture capital books, «Secrets of Sand Hill Road» by Scott Kupor and «Blitzscaling» by Chris Yeh. He has received notable distinctions, including an honorary doctorate from Universidad Siglo XXI of Buenos Aires in 2018, recognition as Best Technology Entrepreneur from the University of Cambridge in 2005, and the Medal of Honor of the city of Figueres—his hometown—in 2018. He is a former executive of FC Barcelona, where he led the Digital Area and Barça Studios between 2010 and 2020, helping to turn the institution into a global benchmark in the sports sector.
