Juan Arrizabalaga, new general manager of IFEMA MADRID

Today, the governing bodies of IFEMA MADRID appointed Juan Arrizabalaga to the general manager position, confirming that he will lead the organisation's management team with immediate effect. This change coincides with a crucial moment for Spain's leading trade fair institution spearheaded the sector's international post-pandemic reactivation. While announcing his appointment, José Vicente de los Mozos, chairman of the Executive Committee of IFEMA MADRID, said: "we are delighted to have an excellent professional like Juan Arrizabalaga to give real impetus to the transformation and growth of IFEMA MADRID. His extensive experience as chief executive of major companies in various countries will help us implement a new strategic plan designed to put Madrid on the global map as a benchmark in our sector".

Before joining IFEMA MADRID, Arrizabalaga held senior management positions in major companies. These include Grupo Globalia, where he was managing director, Altadis, where he was CEO and chairman, and Toys R Us, a multinational where he alternated leadership of the Iberian Peninsula with positions in the United States. Throughout his career, he has also held operations, sales and marketing positions at firms like Cortefiel, Continente/Carrefour and Grupo Mondragón. A founder of start-ups in segments like logistics and agrotech, he also produced and managed large-scale music and leisure events for over two years as CEO at Gazul Producciones.

Arrizabalaga graduated in Chemical Sciences at the University of the Basque Country and did an MBA at IESE, University of Navarre, also training at prestigious colleges like ISDI Madrid and IMD in Lausanne. He is invited to business schools such as the IESE and the Instituto de Empresa, speaks English and French, and co-authored the book "La empresa en España: Objetivo 2020", published by Ediciones Deusto

Photo caption: José Vicente de los Mozos, chairman of the Executive Committee of IFEMA MADRID, and Juan Arrizabalaga, the new managing director of the trade fair institution.