The Diplomat
The former minister Josep Piqué has been signed as president of the Spanish subsidiary of MBDA, the European leader in the design and manufacture of missiles and missile systems, according to the newspaper El Confidencial.
The former minister has obtained the backing of the three shareholders in the joint venture: Airbus (37.5% of the capital), BAE Systems (37.5%) and Leonardo (25%). The Spanish State participates in Airbus’ capital through the Sociedad Española de Participaciones Industriales (SEPI), which holds 4.10% of the shares. Mr. Piqué is not the first Spaniard who arrives at MBDA’s top management, since Pedro Morenés, former Minister of Defense, was appointed General Manager for Spain in June 2010.
Josep Piqué (Vilanova i la Geltrú, 1955) served as Minister of Industry and Energy (1996-2000), Government Spokesman Minister (1998-2000), Minister of Foreign Affairs (2000-02), Minister of Science and Technology and member of the Congress of Deputies (2002-03), senator (2004-07) and member of the Parliament of Catalonia (2003-07). He was a member of the Congress of Deputies, heading the Partido Popular’s candidacy in the Barcelona constituency, between 2000 and 2003.
In the private business sector, he held different responsibilities in Ercros (1988-1996), Vueling (2007-2013), Airbus (2012-2015) or OHL Group (2013-2016), among other companies. Apart from that, he is a member of the board of directors of SEAT, Amadeus, and Anea, among other companies, and is chairman of the aeronautical company ITP Aero. He was also chairman of the Spain-Japan Council Foundation between 2010 and December 2022.
