Ignacio S. Galán

Executive Chairman

Ignacio Sánchez Galán is Executive Chairman of Iberdrola and of the Group's subholding companies in the United Kingdom (ScottishPower), the United States (Avangrid) and Brazil (Neoenergia)

Born in Salamanca in 1950, throughout his career he has managed leading companies in various industrial and technological sectors, profoundly changing the profile of all of them based on his vision of the future and his ability to anticipate new trends.

Since his arrival at Iberdrola, his focus on international expansion and his commitment to electrification as an essential factor in reducing emissions has led the company to invest more than €140 billion in renewable energies, smart grids, energy storage and new vectors such as green hydrogen, making it the leading electricity company in Europe and one of the two largest in the world in terms of market capitalisation. Iberdrola is today present in dozens of countries such as Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, France, Portugal, Italy, Australia and Japan, and supplies energy to more than 100 million people.

In addition, its firm commitment to environmental protection and social responsibility has led the company to become a benchmark in the main sustainability indices. Iberdrola is the only European electricity company included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index since its creation and has been one of the most prominent electricity companies at the global level according to the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index and the FTSE4Good. The company has also been recognised for its good corporate governance practices by the publications World Finance and Ethical Boardroom, and as one of the most ethical companies in the world by the Ethisphere Institute.

Selected in 2019 by Harvard Business Review as one of the five most important CEOs in the world and the first in the utilities sector, Ignacio Galán is convinced of the importance of promoting young talent and the exchange of experiences, cultures and knowledge as essential factors for the motivation of an increasingly global team. For this reason, since his arrival at Iberdrola, he has promoted pioneering policies that promote training, equality, diversity and inclusion.

Institutional activity and recognition of Ignacio S. Galán

Ignacio Galán is Doctor Honoris Causa of the universities of Salamanca, Edinburgh and Strathclyde (Glasgow) and Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde. He also chairs the Social Council of the University of Salamanca and is a member of the Presidential Advisory Board of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

He was honoured in 2014 by Queen Elizabeth II with the honorary award of Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his work to promote the British energy sector and UK-Spain trade and investment relations.

Among the numerous awards he has received throughout his career, the following stand out:

Included on TIME100 Climate List of the 100 most influential leaders driving business climate action.

Awarded the 2023 Best Business Leadership in Energy Transition award from the El Periódico de la Energía Awards.

Recognised in 2023 with the José Echegaray Ecoprensa award for personalities of international relevance who have contributed the most to promoting the liberal spirit and ideology.

In 2023, it received the Medal of Honour from the World Association of Jurists at the United Nations for its promotion of environmental, social, governance and financial performance principles.

Selected among the five best CEOs in the world by Harvard Business Review (2019).

Recognised as one of the 10 most influential CEOs in the world in the fight against climate change, according to Bloomberg.

Twelve times nominated best Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in the European electricity sector by the Institutional Investor Research Group. Also nominated best CEO of European utilities and Spanish listed companies in investor relations, according to the Thomson Extel Survey and best CEO in Investor Relations, by IR Magazine on three occasions.

Platts Global Energy Awards CEO of the Year (2006).

One of the 100 CEOs included in Brand Finance's Brand Guardianship Index (2021).

Forinvest 2020 Career Achievement Award.

National Innovation and Design Award 2019, in the category of Innovative Trajectory, awarded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

Universal Spaniard by the Independent Foundation in 2019.

2008 Business Leader of the Year Award by the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

We are the energy that moves the world. Video voice-over transcription [PDF]

Professional career

He is Executive Chairman of the Iberdrola Group. His appointment marked the beginning of one of the most successful transformation processes carried out by a large company in recent years.

Joined Iberdrola as Executive Vice President and CEO.

Managing Director of Airtel Móvil, S.A. (today Vodafone España, S.A.U.). There, he took on the great challenge of dealing with the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector in Spain. In record time, he designed the deployment of the mobile network that allowed the launch of the then new GSM telephony to compete in the market.

Chairman of Eurojet, the European consortium for the development and manufacture of the Eurojet 200 engine that equips the Eurofighter.

He directed Industria de Turbopropulsores (ITP) from its inception, promoting the design, manufacture and maintenance of aircraft engines and gas turbines. Galán integrated workers and technicians from the reconversion of the naval sector of the Ría de Bilbao into the ITP workforce.

Ignacio Galán began his professional career at Sociedad Española del Acumulador Tudor, where he held various executive and management positions, playing a key role in the company's international expansion.

"After more than two decades of implementing a pioneering vision based on electrification as a way to increase energy autonomy and decarbonise production systems, we have unveiled a new plan in 2024 that will enable us to accelerate our growth, further optimise our financial strength and create even more value for our shareholders, our employees and the societies we serve."

Ignacio S. Galán

Executive Chairman of Iberdrola

Other relevant positions held by the president

Member of the European Round Table for Industry (ERT), the JP Morgan International Council, the World Economic Forum's (Davos) Top Electricity Executives Group, the Renewable Hydrogen Coalition and the Global Leaders Council of UNICEF's Generation Unlimited organisation.