– UK, London – Ferroglobe PLC (Nasdaq: GSM), a leading producer of silicon metal, silicon-based alloys, and manganese-based specialty alloys, today announced the appointment of Belen Villalonga, Silvia Villar-Mir de Fuentes, Nicolas De Santis, and Rafael Barrilero Yarnoz to its board of directors effective May 13, 2021.
Ferroglobe further announced that Bruce Crockett has been appointed to serve as the lead independent director, effective May 13, 2021. Mr. Crockett has served on the board of Ferroglobe since its formation in 2015 and currently serves as the chairman of the audit committee.
“We are pleased to welcome Belen, Silvia, Nicolas and Rafael as new directors to Ferroglobe’s board,” said Executive Chairman, Javier López Madrid. “They join the Company at an exciting time as we execute our strategic turnaround plan aimed at transforming the company and bolstering its long-term competitiveness. The addition of these directors to our board complements our current directors’ skills and experiences, and we are confident they will provide valuable perspectives and support to management, as we continue to execute our strategy, drive profitability and enhance value for all Ferroglobe stakeholders. We look forward to their contributions and are excited they have chosen Ferroglobe.”
About Belen Villalonga
Belen Villalonga is a Professor of Management and Organizations, a Yamaichi Faculty Fellow, and a Professor of Finance (by courtesy) at New York University’s Stern School of Business. Between 2001 and 2012 she was a faculty member at the Harvard Business School. Her teaching, research, and consulting activities are in the areas of corporate governance, strategy, and finance, with a special focus on family-controlled companies. Her award-winning research has been cited over 15,000 times in scholarly articles and international media outlets. Professor Villalonga is an independent director and audit committee member (and former chair) at Grifols, a global leader in hemoderivatives that is part of Spain’s IBEX35 blue-chip index and is also listed on Nasdaq. She is also a member of the board and the risk, audit, and compensation & talent management committees at Banco Santander International, the Santander group’s private banking subsidiary in the United States. She was also an independent director for 13 years at Acciona, a leader in the renewable energy and infrastructure industries, as well as at Talgo, a high-speed train manufacturer, where she chaired the strategy committee.
She holds a Ph.D. in Management and an M.A. in Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles, where she was a Fulbright Scholar. She also holds a Ph.D. in Business Economics from the Complutense University of Madrid. In addition to the board of directors, Professor Villalonga joins the Company’s audit committee.
About Silvia Villar-Mir de Fuentes
Silvia Villar-Mir de Fuentes currently serves on the board of directors of Grupo Villar Mir, a privately held Spanish group with investments across a broad range of diversified industries, which is the beneficial owner of approximately 54% of the Company’s share capital. Mrs. Villar-Mir de Fuentes currently serves on the board of directors of Obrascón Huarte Lain, a Spanish multinational construction and civil engineering company, where she is a member of the audit committee.
Mrs. Villar-Mir de Fuentes is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics and Business Studies, with a concentration in finance and accounting, from The American College in London, United Kingdom.
About Nicolas De Santis
Nicolas De Santis is a technology entrepreneur, strategist, and author with substantial experience in executive and non-executive roles. Mr. De Santis is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Corporate Vision, a strategy and innovation consultancy and incubator which advises multinational corporations and start-ups globally on digital business transformation (including artificial intelligence and machine learning), business strategy, branding, business model innovation, sustainability strategies, and corporate culture. Previously Mr. De Santis served on the board of publicly traded Lyris Technologies (acquired by AUREA Software in 2015). He began his management career at Landor Associates (now WPP Group). As a technology entrepreneur, he co-founded several high-profile start-ups, including opodo.com, where he served as Chief Marketing Officer. Mr. De Santis is a regular lecturer at business schools and universities on business strategy, global branding, and European Affairs, including IE Business School, Madrid, and the University of Wyoming. He is the author of Corporate Vision System, Futurize You Company, Innovate Culture & Manage Complexity.
About Rafael Barrilero Yarnoz
Rafael Barrilero Yarnoz is a senior advisor at Mercer Consulting. Mr. Barrilero Yarnoz has developed his career as a partner of the firm and as a member of the executive committee, leading the advisory talent and reward service for the boards of the main companies and multinationals. He has also led the business throughout the EMEA. Previously, he led the Watson Wyatt consulting firm in Madrid. He began his career as a lawyer at Ebro Agricolas focused on labor law, before serving as Ebro’s head of human resources.
He has a law degree from Deusto and a Masters’ in Financial Economics from ICADE, as well as a master’s in human resources by Euroforum-INSEAD.
About Ferroglobe
Ferroglobe is one of the world’s leading suppliers of silicon metal, silicon- and manganese-based specialty alloys, and ferroalloys, serving a customer base across the globe in dynamic and fast-growing end markets, such as solar, automotive, consumer products, construction, and energy. The Company is based in London.
For more information: https://www.ferroglobe.com/
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