More to Mallorca: New Avenues of Growth

Ioana Krempanszky Popa is The Regional Director for Middle East for The Business Year, where she has been working for the past 6 years. She has successfully created partnerships with the worlds' largest entities in highly competitive markets, and lead teams to complete successful projects in several countries, such as the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Jamaica, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Nigeria. She graduated from the University of Vienna, Austria, with a Master's Degree in Cognitive Science, majoring in Behavioural Economics.

Carmen Planas holds a degree in pharmacy from the University of Navarra, a degree as a specialist pharmacist in clinical analysis from the Ministry of Education, a master’s degree in hospital management and administration from ESADE, and an executive master’s degree in hospital and healthcare company management from EADA, among other qualifications. 

Antoni Mercant Morató was elected president of the Chamber of Commerce of Mallorca in 2018. He is a captain in the Merchant Navy and holds a degree in nautical and maritime transport. Since 2012, he has been the representative of the shipping company Trasmediterránea on the Balearic Islands. He is also the president of SPort Stevedores Management Company (SAGEP) of Palma and Ibiza. He is a member of the board of directors of the Association of Employers of Maritime Activities of the Balearic Islands (APEAM) and the Navigation and Port Council. He works closely with the Directorate General of Ports of the Balearic government and the Port Authority, mainly in matters related to safety in the transport of dangerous goods. 

Francisco Albertí has more than 30 years of professional career mainly in the tourism sector, having developed his career as development director in Riu Hotels, Meliá Hotels International and, from 2009-2019, in Iberostar (also from 1999-2005), as well as in the oil business in BP Oil (retail operations and marketing in Spain and Venezuela). Holding a law degree from the University of the Balearic Islands and a master’s degree in audit from Pontifical University of Salamanca in Madrid, the new partner head of KPMG office in Balearic Islands has been a member of the committee of experts of the Balearics regional government, a speaker at various seminars and sectorial conferences, as well as author of a public study about the touristic destination Riviera Maya in 2007 and speaker at the first World Conference of Sustainable Tourism in Lanzarote in 1995.

Vincent Truant began his professional career in Switzerland and joined Caja Mediterráneo, based in the Balearic Islands, in 2007. There he has held various positions, including portfolio manager. Later he began working as personal banking director position until he joined Sabadell Urquijo Private Banking in 2013, where he undertook positions of greater responsibility, until finally becoming the director for the Balearic Islands. 

Hans Lenz is the Managing Director of Engel & Völkers in the Mallorca Southwest region. Born on the island of Mallorca, Hans gained a prize for international understanding in High School and finished a university degree in Tourism Management. After a successful career in aviation he has been fully dedicated to real estate since 2007. In addition to this he is the President of the Real Estate Agency ABINI and Chairman of the nature conservation foundation Mallorca Preservation. Recently Hans has joined the Steering Committee of APD in order to further engage the international and local business communities in Mallorca.

Antoni Pons is founding partner and CEO of the communication consultancy agency DISSET, founded in January 1994. He was CEO of the media agency Proximia Baleares (Havas Group) between 2008 and 2015. He was Dean of the Official College of Advertising and Public Relations of the Balearic Islands, vice-president of the Publishers' Guild of the Balearic Islands, president of the Association of Young Entrepreneurs of the Balearic Islands and president of the Association of Communication and Public Relations Consultants of the Balearic Islands, member of the Executive Committee of the Confederation of Business Associations of the Balearic Islands (CAEB), member of the plenary and the Tourism Committee of the Chamber of Commerce of Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera, and member of the Economic and Social Council of the Balearic Islands (CES), among other positions.

Gabriel Llobera has been the Vice President of CAEB since December. 2017. He is also the President of the Association of Hotel Chains of the Balearic Islands (ACH) and vice president and former president of AHPM. He is a member of the Tourism Group of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations (CEOE). He is also the former president of FEHM and s currently a member of the board of directors. Llobera has worked at Garden Hotels since 1987 as general manager of the company, and as CEO since 2007. His work is based on coordinating positioning strategies to strengthen and consolidate the company in the sector.