The consulting firm Advice Strategic places Isidre Fainé, Gonzalo Gortázar and Marta Álvarez on the podium of business managers of the year

The president of Fundación La Caixa, Isidre Fainé, has been named the most highly valued business manager in 2025 for the eighth consecutive year, according to the latest Business Success report by Advice Strategic Consultant. An essential factor is the perception of the CEO as a good manager by opinion leaders. His social commitment and effective business management in times of uncertainty have been the elements that have given Fainé the top spot as the best business manager in Spain.

In second place is the CEO of Caixabank, Gonzalo Gortazar, who replaces the former president of the entity, José Ignacio Goirigolzarri. Previously, Gortazar occupied seventh position in the ranking. Fainé and Gortazar are followed again in the 'top 5' by three women: the president of El Corte Inglés, Marta Álvarez; the president of Inditex, Marta Ortega, and the president of Banco Santander, Ana Botín.

The Galician businesswoman has once again risen in the ranking this year, moving up to fourth place, compared to fifth place last year (which this time goes to Botín, who was in fourth position in 2024). Following the top 5 are other important businessmen in the country, such as the president of Mercadona, Juan Roig; the CEO of CriteriaCaixa, Ángel Simón; the president of Iberdrola, Ignacio Sánchez Galán; the vice president and CEO of Melia Hotels, Gabriel Escarrer; and the CEO of Cellnex Telecom, Marco Patuano.

As regards these five businessmen, it should be noted that Roig has moved up one position, occupying the post left vacant by the chairman of Telefónica, José María Álvarez-Pallete , with his upcoming departure from office. Meanwhile, Galán and Escarrer have moved up one level in the ranking, respectively. "The study of business success identifies the parameters of business success that allow these businessmen and managers to be assessed, according to 40 business, management or social commitment criteria that explain their contribution to the success of their company," explained Jorge Díaz Cardiel, managing partner of Advice Strategic Consultants.

Following the heads of the La Caixa Foundation and Caixabank, it is noteworthy that three important Spanish businesswomen are once again in the top 5 of business managers . Specifically, opinion leaders attribute a business success story to the presidency of Marta Álvarez at El Corte Inglés. "The reinvention of El Corte Inglés is a success story, of transformation of an emblematic Spanish company, which has obtained its best results in 15 years, in a changing and uncertain environment," said Cardiel.

Marta Ortega is already a consolidated figure in the ranking, having made a name for herself in these three years at the head of Inditex as one of the leading executives in the business world in general and in fashion in particular . Marta Ortega's credits include the recognition of her commercial brand Zara throughout the world and being the company with the highest market capitalisation in the Ibex-35.

Finally, Ana Botín is mentioned for achieving a great geographical diversification and sources of income for the entity, as well as for generating record profits for the third consecutive year and obtaining the highest stock market value for the bank.