Mediaset España was looking for the new face who would be in charge of the presidency of the audiovisual group after the resignation of Borja Prado in December 2023. After evaluating several options, at the meeting of the Board of Directors, held on May 21, it was decided that Cristina Garmendia Mendizábal will be in charge of occupying this relevant position.
“His work and entrepreneurial vision have been recognized on different occasions with awards for business research and innovation,” highlighted the official statement issued by the company.
The former politician has been linked to Mediaset España since 2017, when she became part of the company’s independent advisory board. Likewise, she was a member of the Appointments and Remuneration Committee and the Audit and Compliance Committee of the aforementioned company.
Therefore, it is not surprising that her work within the audiovisual group has helped her gain the position of president. And this is not the only position of power that she has held throughout her career, as she was Minister of Sciences and Innovation during the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero from 2008 to 2011.
The Basque politician has a Doctor in Biological Sciences, specifically in the specialty of Genetics. Added to this is her training in an MBA from the IESE Business School of the University of Navarra. Something that has allowed her to be part of several companies and organizations, among which are the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations or the Genetrix group, which she founded in 2000.
And although he will now take charge of Mediaset Spain, it is not the only relevant position he holds. This is joined by the presidency of the COTEC Foundation. In addition, she is an independent director on the boards of directors of Caixabank and Grupo Logista, becoming vice president of the latter, as noted in the official statement.
This appointment comes five months after the abrupt departure of Borja Prado from the presidency of the audiovisual group. The former president of Endesa was, thus, less than a year and a half at the head of the company after succeeding Paolo Vasile and Alejandro Echevarría. On the other hand, Alessandro Salem and Massimo Musolino remain in their positions as CEOs.
It remains to be seen if this new appointment of Cristina Garmendia will in some way affect the Telecinco grid, and its other family channels, or if they will follow the same strategy they have carried out until now. Although it is likely that the former politician wants to give her point of view on the low audiences that have been recorded in recent months in some of the spaces.
