Àngel Simon
Born9 November 1957
Manresa, Spain
EducationPolytechnic University of Catalonia and ESADE
OccupationExecutive president of Grupo Agbar since 2010
Websitewww.angelsimon.com

Ángel Simón Grimaldos is a Spanish businessman, the executive president of Grupo Agbar since 2010.[1]

Ángel Simón Grimaldos studied roads, ports and canals engineering at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. In 1989, he became the head of the Área Metropolitana de Barcelona. He holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech (1980) and an MBA from ESADE Business School.

The Agbar Group, with over 150 years of history, has a staff of 16,239 and comprises more than 128 companies that operate in the complete water-cycle sector, serving more than 26 million inhabitants throughout the world (Spain, Chile, Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Peru, etc.).[2]

Barcelona before the Olympic Games

Between 1980 and 1989, Simón held various technical and management positions in companies and government agencies. After managing SOGEMASA, a public supply company, and Sociedad Catalana de Capital Riesgo, S.A.'s projects in the years leading up to the 1992 Olympic Games, the then mayor of Barcelona, Pasqual Maragall, appointed him to manage the Mancomunitat de Municipis de l'Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona and the other entities that together made up Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB) and which were replacing the Corporació Metropolitana de Barcelona following its dissolution by the Convergència i Unió government in 1987.[3]

Driven by the preparations under way for the 1992 Olympic Games, it was a period that saw the city of Barcelona transformed thanks to projects such as the Olympic Village, the ring roads and the opening up of the coastline, as well as the implementation of projects such as the rehabilitation of the Llobregat and Besòs riverbanks, the creation of Serra de Collserola Natural Park and the Metropolitan Sanitation Plan.

Business Activity in Latin America and Portugal

Between 1989 and 1995, he was manager of the Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB). He joined Agbar in 1995 and was subsequently appointed company delegate in Portugal, a country which, like Spain, signed the Treaty of Accession to the European Economic Community (EEC) on 12 June 1985, which came into force in 1986.[4] He held the post of Agbar delegate in Portugal until 1998, when he became the Group's international general manager for the water and sanitation sector (until 1999).[5] In 1995, he became a delegate to Grupo Agbar in Portugal. In 1998, he was named the international general director of Agbar. From 1999 to 2002, he was the head manager of Aguas Andinas, and CEO from 2002 to 2010.[6]

In the last decade of the 20th century and into the coming decade, Agbar had a significant presence in Argentina, in cities such as Santa Fe, Córdoba, Rosario and Buenos Aires. It has been an active participant in Aguas Argentinas, a company in which it attained a 25% share, since 1993. In 2003, Agbar, together with its partners in SUEZ, filed claims before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) for lack of protection of its investments, returning the concession in 2005. The courts awarded compensation in favour of the shareholders amounting to around US$7 billion.[7][8]

The change made to the Portuguese Constitution, which has undergone seven revisions since 1976, in 1997 opened the country up to public-private partnerships and allowed Agbar to acquire the Setúbal water service and the sanitation service in Vale do Ave. The latter was the main area of operation of the Lusaga company, which had traditionally operated the Alcanena Tannery Treatment Plant.[9]

After three years in Portugal, in 1998 Simón took over international management of the Group's water and wastewater sector in 1998. In this post, he furthered Agbar's international reach, coinciding with the global impact Barcelona achieved following the 1992 Olympic Games.[10]

He designed and led Agbar's entry into Chile in 1999 through the acquisition of Empresa Metropolitana de Obras Sanitarias (EMOS), the country's leading company and its second to be put out to tender for public-private participation, after ESVAL.[11] He was EMOS's first general manager following the Chilean government's transfer of this company's control to the Group.[12][13]

The objective at the time of the company's acquisition was to go from a 3% wastewater treatment rate to treatment of 100% of the water.[14] The roll-out of the Zanjón de la Aguada project was one of the major undertakings. The renovation and modernisation of this waterway, which runs through the capital, Santiago, and frequently broke its banks, placed Chile at the forefront in South America and made it a benchmark.[15] Simón remained at the Chilean company's helm for three years, during which time it was renamed Aguas Andinas following an internal process to attain greater proximity to the public.[16] It is currently one of the most highly regarded sanitation companies in Latin America and provides service to more than 7 million inhabitants in Santiago de Chile and its metropolitan area.

In 2000, Agbar teamed up with Aguas de La Habana as a technological partner, becoming the first mixed company with foreign capital to manage a public service in the country.[17]

Between 2002 and 2004, Simón was CEO of the subsidiary dedicated to the water and sanitation sector.1 After his time in Chile, in September 2004 Simón was appointed managing director of the Agbar Group,[18] during Ricardo Fornesa's final period as president after an 11-year career with the Group.

In 2006, Simón played a leading role in Agbar's first major European operation in the United Kingdom, with the purchase of Bristol Water through a friendly takeover bid.[18] In October 2012, 70% of the company was sold to the Canadian investment fund CIP, with Agbar staying on as manager.[19] In 2008, Simón became CEO of Agbar, a position he held until being named president.

As CEO, he took on the task of refocusing the Group's activity, which in recent years had diversified and expanded into other sectors, so as to concentrate exclusively on the water sector in all its aspect. This allowed the company to divest itself, between 2007 and 2010, of companies such as Cespa, Applus+, ACSA, Adeslas and ASM.[20]

In 2010, Àngel Simon became the executive President of the Spanish water treatment company Grupo Agbar.[1] Since 2013, he is the senior executive vicepresident of Water Europe of Suez (formerly Suez Environnement), and led the acquisition of Aguas Andinas.[21] In 2016, he announced the sale of the water management concession of the city of Barcelona.[22] In 2018, he stood against Podemos' proposition to "remunicipalize" Barcelona's water system.[23]

Responsibilities

In June 2010, following the takeover by Suez Environnement, he took over as executive chair of Agbar.

From 2013 to 2022, he held the position of Executive Vice President of Suez, in charge of Spain, Southern Europe and Latin America.[24]

In 2021, the French group Veolia, a world leader in resource management (water, energy and waste) and in ecological transformation, made a public offer for the acquisition of Suez shares.[25][26] Following the validation by the European Commission,[27] in January 2022, the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) published the results of Veolia's takeover bid for 95.95% of Suez's capital.[28][29]

Following this process of integration in Veolia, since March 2022, Angel Simón has held the position of Senior Vice President Iberia & Latam on Veolia's Executive Committee.[30][31]

He also became president of Aigües de Barcelona, Empresa Metropolitana de Gestió del Cicle Integral de l'Aigua, S.A., a post he still holds today. The public-private company, which serves almost thirty municipalities and more than three and a half million inhabitants, was created in 2012, and its creation would later be corroborated by a ruling of the High Court of Justice of Catalonia in 2019.[32] Societat General d'Aigües de Barcelona (SGAB) owns 70% of the company, Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB), 15%, and Criteria Caixa, 15%.[33]

In 2012, the company he manages, AGBAR, created the Solidarity Fund to help families at risk of social exclusion who could not pay their water bill, working jointly with the social services of the town councils involved.[34] This initiative was positively assessed by the Catalan Institute for the Evaluation of Public Policies (Ivàlua).[35]

Entrepreneur of the Year 2020

In 2020, Catalan employers' organisation Foment del Treball awarded him the Medal of Honour for Entrepreneur of the Year 202025 in honour of his defence of public-private collaboration and his work to ensure access to water and sanitation, essential services during the pandemic.[36] He was also selected by the Cercle d'Economia to chair the European Green Deal commission[37] to promote networking, knowledge transfer, equal opportunities and the circular economy.

Agbar today

The Solidarity Fund, managed through the Agbar Foundation, aims to be an example of a new model of company-society relations and involvement and of commitment to the territory to help integrate all members of the community and improve people's quality of life. Among its objectives is to promote social innovation as a basis for sustainable development and transformation. The fund is based on a concept of water as a shared public resource, and a commitment to the territory.[38]

The company is committed to promoting Barcelona as a major global hub for knowledge and innovation in water management, which is a fundamental resource in the face of climate change.[39] In different forums of debate, Agbar has advocated for promoting a new company-user social pact to guarantee a stable framework that puts people at the centre.[40]

Angel Simón chairs the Agbar Foundation,[41] which manages the Agbar Water Museum, and the Aquae Foundation,[42] aimed at environmental education and awareness. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Princess of Girona Foundation.[43] In July 2022, the Princess of Girona Foundation Awards Ceremony was held at the Water Museum in Cornellá de Llobregat.[44]

Distinctions

  • June 2017: Medal of honor from the College of road engineers (Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos)[45]
  • February 2018: Received the key to the city of Barcelona[46]

References

  1. 1 2 "Ángel Simón reorganiza la cúpula de Agbar, Empresas, expansion.com". www.expansion.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  2. ↑ kinton.es. "Historia". sgab (in European Spanish). Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  3. ↑ "Corporació Metropolitana de Barcelona | enciclopèdia.cat". www.enciclopedia.cat. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  4. ↑ Anonymous (5 July 2016). "Países". Unión Europea. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  5. ↑ "Índice de personajes", Caballería, diplomacia y ficción entre España e Italia, Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca, pp. 159–162, doi:10.2307/j.ctt2050w07.9, ISBN 978-84-9012-855-8, retrieved 14 May 2021
  6. ↑ "Ángel Simón Grimaldos, presidente ejecutivo de Agbar, presidirá iWater Barcelona 2016". Tecno Aqua. 15 October 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  7. ↑ Bayón, Álvaro (17 December 2018). "El Ciadi obliga a Argentina a pagar 200 millones a Agbar y Suez". Cinco Días (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  8. ↑ "Argentina pagará 350 millones a Agbar, Suez y Vivendi por rescindir concesión". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 8 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  9. ↑ García, Javier (3 September 1997). "Portugal aprueba una reforma constitucional que autoriza referendos sobre la UE". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  10. ↑ "Barcelona '92, molt més que uns Jocs -". Catalan-Architects (in Catalan). Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  11. ↑ "Agbar y Lyonnaise toman el 42% de la empresa de aguas de la capital chilena". El País (in Spanish). 11 June 1999. ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  12. ↑ "El Mercurio.com". 3 March 2016. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  13. ↑ "El Mercurio.com". 3 March 2016. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  14. ↑ "Pacto Global".
  15. ↑ "El Mostrador".
  16. ↑ "El Mercurio". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  17. ↑ DÍAS, CINCO (7 June 2002). "Aguas de Barcelona invierte 5 millones de euros en mejorar su red de La Habana". Cinco Días (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  18. 1 2 G, T. (29 September 2004). "Agbar nombra director general a Ángel Simón tras la salida de Jové". Cinco Días (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  19. ↑ "Agbar vende Bristol Water por 152 millones". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 5 October 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  20. ↑ AGENCIAS, RTVE es / (22 October 2009). "La Caixa compra Adeslas por 1.178 millones y cede Agbar a la francesa Suez". RTVE.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  21. ↑ Orellana, Gustavo (10 August 2019). "Ángel Simon, el hombre clave del grupo Suez que creó Aguas Andinas". LT Pulso. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  22. ↑ "Agbar ve peligrar la base de su imperio: la concesión del área de Barcelona". El Confidencial (in Spanish). 21 March 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  23. ↑ Molina, Carlos (8 October 2018). "Ángel Simón: "El agua es de dominio público y no cabe remunicipalizarla"". Cinco Días (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  24. ↑ "Suez Environnement nombra a Ángel Simón (Agbar) responsable de Agua en Europa". Europa Press. 22 March 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  25. ↑ Sánchez, Irene Casado (12 April 2021). "Las francesas Veolia y Suez entierran el hacha de guerra". elperiodico (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  26. ↑ "Veolia logra luz verde del consejo de Suez para su opa de 9.000 millones de euros". EXPANSION (in Spanish). 27 June 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  27. ↑ "Press corner". European Commission - European Commission. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  28. ↑ "Veolia se acerca al 100% del capital de Suez, incluida su filial Agbar" (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  29. ↑ Agencias (27 January 2022). "Veolia controla ya el 95,95% de Suez y la absorberá completamente". Cinco Días (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  30. ↑ "Executive committee". Veolia. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  31. ↑ "Ángel Simón entra en la ejecutiva de Veolia, al frente de España y Latinoamérica". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 29 July 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  32. ↑ "El Tribunal Supremo da la razón a Agbar y valida la legalidad de la empresa mixta del agua". EXPANSION (in Spanish). 20 November 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  33. ↑ Cordero, Dani (14 August 2013). "Creada la sociedad mixta que gestionará el agua en Barcelona". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  34. ↑ H, Creada 20 March 2014 | 22:19 H/Última actualización 20 March 2014 | 22:19 (20 March 2014). "Unas 9.000 familias se benefician del fondo de solidaridad de Agbar". La Razón (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  35. ↑ "Un informe valora muy positivamente el Fondo de Solidaridad de Agbar". Europa Press. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  36. ↑ "Agbar garantiza el suministro y la calidad del agua". Crónica Global (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  37. ↑ "El Círculo de Economía 'ficha' a Ángel Simón y Mas-Colell". Crónica Global (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  38. ↑ "El fondo de solidaridad de Agbar cubre la factura de agua de 25.000 personas". Economía Digital (in Spanish). 20 March 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  39. ↑ "Ángel Simón plantea la creación de un 'hub' mundial sobre la gestión del agua en Barcelona". www.metropoliabierta.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  40. ↑ "Ángel Simón aboga por la ampliación del contrato social". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 21 July 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  41. ↑ "Fundación Agbar". www.fundacioagbar.org (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  42. ↑ "La Fundación del agua". Fundación Aquae (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  43. ↑ "FPdGi - Fundación Princesa de Girona". FPdGi (in European Spanish). Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  44. ↑ "Los Reyes, la Princesa y la Infanta, en la entrega de los Premios FPdGi en Cornellà (Barcelona)". Europa Press. 4 July 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  45. ↑ Valeiro, Javier (16 June 2017). "Angel Simón, vicepresidente de Suez, recibe la Medalla de Honor del Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos". Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  46. ↑ Periódico, El (9 February 2018). "Àngel Simón recibe la Llave de Barcelona y pide huir de los populismos". elperiodico (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 August 2019.
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