Barcelona, 26 January 2021.- The Government has today approved the appointment of Víctor Guardiola Flores as a member of the Supervisory Board and Chief Executive Officer of the ICF, effective from 1 February 2021. Guardiola takes over from the current Chief Executive Officer, Josep-Ramon Sanromà, who is retiring after more than 50 years in the financial sector, the last 10 of which at the head of the ICF, leading a process of transformation at the institution and adapting to European regulations for public credit institutions.

Víctor Guardiola Flores, who has extensive experience in the banking sector, has spent most of his professional career at Caixabank, where he has held management positions in different regional and sectoral areas. Of particular note is his contribution as regional director of various territories to promote and foster activity in the different business segments, as well as his time as director of the Corporate Division. Since 2014, Guardiola has been collaborating with the Secot association as a consultant and advisor for companies, particularly SMEs, entrepreneurs and start-ups.

The chair of the ICF Supervisory Board and the secretary-general of the Ministry of the Vice-presidency, Economy and Finance, Albert Castellanos, commented on Guardiola's career: "A professional with vast experience in the financial sector and in supporting entrepreneurship, with the ability to continue driving the ICF throughout the territory and in international partnerships. He can also contribute new ideas and initiatives at a key moment to consolidate the ICF as the Public Bank of Catalonia and to rebuild the economy".

Castellanos also wished to thank Sanromà for his "dedication, commitment and his capacity for innovation and transformation in positioning the ICF as the Public Bank of Catalonia, in line with the strategic objectives established by the institution's Supervisory Board".

For his part, Sanromà expressed his thanks "for the support of the governing bodies in driving the transformation and evolution of the ICF and, in particular, the collaboration and commitment of the entire team of professionals who have participated, during this period, in the process of building the public bank of Catalonia, which belongs to us, to all Catalans".

Sanromà joined the ICF in 2011 with an extensive background in the financial sector. As the head of the public financial institution, he carried out a transformation process in various areas (business, regulatory, operational, digital, etc.) with the aim of turning the ICF into a public credit institution adapted to the procedures and regulations of European financial institutions. In this regard, the close collaboration with the European Association of Public Banks (EAPB), where Sanromà served as a board member, has been a source of inspiration and made it possible to create a space for sharing best practices and activities with the European public banking community as a whole, and to develop public banking for the 21st century.