Salvador Alemany takes possession as president of the Board of Trustees of the UB

 

The rector expressed his satisfaction for the appointment of the new president and highlighted Alemanyʼs personal and professional values, stating that “he is a person who loves the UB and who has a suitable profile to tackle the current challenges that our institution and our country must face”. He added that “his profile will surely foster the relationship university-enterprise-administration, the collaboration between public and private sectors, as well as the essential formulas to guarantee the sustainability of our university, as the public university it is and that we want it to continue being”.

 

In this regard, the rector emphasized that the UB has a definite roadmap. He stated that “as a public institution we firmly defend our autonomy and we are aware of the difficulty of the task that the public administrations carry out, which we try to support”. He also expressed his critical spirit “with the actions of the government that are theoretically based on the recognition of the importance of higher education for the future of the country and that, on the other hand, such importance is not politically reflected on the prioritization of the budget”. The rector insisted on the fact that the university should not be stigmatised: “We are not inefficient, we do not hide violent people, we do not have democratic surplus”, he claimed. And he also claimed that the public university is part of the solution “that will allow us to emerge stronger out of the crises”.

 

In his speech, the rector also had words of praise for the outgoing president, Joaquim Coello, to whom he was thankful for his task as president of the Board of Trustees. Dr. Ramírez ended his speech addressing to the new president, Salvador Alemany, to whom he offered bridges of dialogue “so that the UB can continue offering a quality public service, facing the current situation of economic crisis and of social changes, looking for the opportunities that this situation may offer us to improve as a society and to make another world possible».

 

In his first statement as president of the Board of Trustees of the UB, Salvador Alemany talked about his student years at the University. He took pride in having a Bachelorʼs degree in Economic Sciences from the UB, a link with the University that he has always kept throughout the years. In fact, Alemany has devoted to bring the innovative talent of the UB closer to Abertis, the enterprise he runs since 2009. In his speech, he also showed admiration for the task carried out by the university community and the universityʼs relevant role “when it comes to give answers that allow us to emerge from the current situation we are facing”. In this respect, he claimed that we need a “metamorphosis of the university system”.

 

Joaquim Coello, outgoing president of the Board of Trustees, apologised to all those people with whom he didnʼt reach compromises during his term either “by action or omission”. At the same time, he encouraged Salvador Alemany in his new position as president of the Board of Trustees and he was also thankful to the rector, stating that «Iʼve received more than I gave».

 

In his turn, the secretary of Universities and Research of the Catalan government, Antoni Castellà, showed his gratitude to the outgoing president and congratulated the incoming one. He also stated that the UB «apart from being a knowledge centre, it is also a democratic centre».

 

 

On 3 April, the Catalan government appointed Salvador Alemany as president of the Board of Trustees of the UB, taking over Joaquim Coello, who had already completed his term. Alemany (Barcelona, 1944) graduated in Economic Sciences by the UB and he also holds a Diploma in Economic Sciences from IESE. He is president of Abertis Infraestructuras, SA, since 2009; and of Saba Infraestructuras, since 2011.

 

Alemany is currently president of the Consell Assessor per a la Reactivació Econòmica i el Creixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya (Advisory Board for the Economic Recovery and Growth of the Catalan Government). Previously, he had been president of the Cercle dʼEconomia (Economic Circle) (2008-2011) and the Associació Espanyola dʼAparcaments i Garatges (Spanish Association of Parking areas and Garages). He also headed the Comissió Econòmica de la Cambra de Comerç de Barcelona (Economic Commission of the Chamber of Commerce of Barcelona). In the sporting area, he was president of the Basketball Section and vice-president of the FC Barcelona during the years 1986-2003. He also founded the Euroleague Basketball.

 

Among other distinctions, Alemany has been awarded the Premi Economista dʼEmpresa (Business Economist Prize) by the Col·legi dʼEconomistes de Catalunya (Catalan Association of Economists) (2008), the Medalla Ildefons Cerdà (Ildefons Cerdà Medal) by the Col·legi dʼEnginyers de Camins de Catalunya (Catalan Association of Civil Engineers) (2008) and the Creu de Sant Jordi (Cross of Saint Jorge) by the Catalan Government (2011).