Overview
Aurora Catà is a partner in Heidrick & Struggles’ Madrid office, working with clients throughout Spain, and a member of the CEO & Board of Directors Practice. She advises CEOs, boards, and shareholders on leadership, succession, board composition and effectiveness, and the appointment, assessment, and development of senior executives who drive growth, transformation, and long-term value creation.
Experience
Aurora’s experience spans executive leadership, strategy, operations, and corporate governance across the automotive, banking, media, technology, and strategic consulting sectors. She is an independent non-executive director (INED) of Banco Sabadell and Repsol, chairing the nomination and remuneration committees.
Before joining Heidrick & Struggles, she spent more than 12 years as a senior partner and board member at Seeliger y Conde. Earlier, she worked in executive leadership roles at Grupo Planeta, Recoletos, and RTVE, and was CFO of Nissan Motor Ibérica. As president of Barcelona Global, she spearheaded Barcelona & Partners, contributed to the approval of Spain’s startups law, and led Barcelona’s successful bid to host the 37th America’s Cup before becoming executive vice president of America’s Cup Barcelona.
Aurora is chair of the International Advisory Board of the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB) and president of IESE Alumni Catalunya and Andorra. A frequent speaker on corporate governance, leadership, and business strategy, she is fluent in Spanish, Catalan, and English.
Education
IESE Business School, MBA, PADE
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Engineer, Industrial Organization
Awards
Aurora received the Grand Cross of Naval Merit, was named an Honorary Member of the Col·legi d’Economistes de Catalunya, received the UFEC International Executive Innovation Award, and was recognized by Forbes as one of the 100 most prominent women in Catalonia.