ACS and Alantia seek four new directors for Abertis and sign a Blackstone advisor

MADRID, 27 May. (EUROPA PRESS) -

ACS and its Italian partner Atlantia have launched a selection process to appoint four new directors in the highest governing body of Abertis, the Spanish highway concession company that controls 50% minus one share of Florentino Pérez's company and 50% plus one share of the Benetton family.

For the time being, the board of directors of Abertis, chaired by Marcelino Fernández Verdes, a director with a long executive career at ACS, has appointed the replacement for Fabio Cerchiai, until recently president of Atlantia, as a new member of the board, according to the the convening of its next shareholders' meeting.

This is Claudio Boada, Blackstone's senior advisor for Spain and Portugal since 2012. Precisely, the American investment manager recently allied with the Benettons to launch a Public Acquisition Offer (OPA) for the capital that they do not yet control of Atlantia.

Boada also participates in several of Blackstone's real estate companies in Spain, being president of Anticipa Real Estate, Testa Inmobiliaria and Fidere, and member of the board of HIP Hotel, as well as non-executive president of Aegon Spain.

Born in Barcelona in 1952, the new director of Abertis studied industrial engineering at the Polytechnic University of Madrid and obtained an MBA from the University of Southern California. He began his professional career in 1977 at Banco de Bilbao, in Dillon, Read Overseas Corporation (London) and Banco de Progreso, held various positions at Lehman Brothers and HSCB, and was president of the Círculo de Empresarios.

In parallel, the Abertis board has called an extraordinary shareholders' meeting for June 28 to approve his appointment and increase the number of directors to nine, since its shareholders, ACS and Atlantia, want to sign four new directors, compared to the five that exist today.

The identity of these four signings is still unknown, since the selection process is now taking place and the skills, experience and merits of those who will soon become new directors of Abertis, who will share a table with Fernández Verdes, Francisco José Aljaro (CEO), Claudio Boada, Carlo Bertazzo and Pedro José López.