Spanish executive Amparo Moraleda has been elected as Airbus's new global president by its board, in a decision made on Tuesday in Amsterdam. She will assume the role on October 1, replacing German René Obermann, and will be the first woman and the first non-French or German in the position since the group's founding in 1970.
Amparo Moraleda, a Madrid native and industrial engineer from ICAI at Universidad Pontificia Comillas, has been selected to chair Airbus starting October 1. Company sources confirmed the news first reported by Expansión, citing her expertise in technology, innovation, and international career at firms including IBM Spain (president from 1995 to 2009), CaixaBank (vice president until February 2026), Vodafone, and A.P. Møller-Mærsk. She has been on Airbus's board since 2015.
The appointment breaks the tradition of French or German presidents and reflects "the crucial role of Spain in Airbus's strategy," a spokesperson said. The company, with its decision-making body in Amsterdam, employs about 165,000 people worldwide, generates €73.42 billion in annual revenue, and holds a €618.824 billion order backlog. In Spain, it has 14,000 employees across eight sites, including the Getafe megaplant (10,000 workers) and facilities in Illescas, Albacete, Seville, and Cádiz.
"This demonstrates Spain's weight within Airbus, with a significant industrial footprint," the spokesperson stated. Moraleda, current head of the remuneration committee, said in a statement: "I thank the board for its confidence [...] My commitment to the company and its shareholders is total." Her reappointment as director will be put to shareholders at the next annual general meeting.
Airbus faces challenges such as ramping up commercial aircraft deliveries against Boeing rival and leading European defense programs like FCAS, in which Spain is actively involved.
