DIRECTOR
María Salgado Madriñán began her professional career in 1992 at the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Miami.In 1993, she became Head of the Department of Foreign and Internal Trade at ANFACO - CECOPESCA and, subsequently in 1995, she joined Internaco Group as Head of the Professional Engines Division.Later on, in 1997 she became manager of the INTERNACO Industrial Division (Benza Energy), where she served until 2002.
In 2004, she co-founded GDES Wind, S.L., an international company in wind blades (formerly Sálvora Vento, S.L.) were she was the managing director and partner until 2017. In her capacity as such, she was responsible for financial management, financial control, internal and external reporting, client relations, legal and compliance matters, including labor regulations, industry standards, EHS, and M&A operations. María Salgado Madriñán has over 14 years of experience at the top management of GDES Wind S.L., actively participating in the company’s growth through international and technological innovation projects.
She was a member of the board of the Spanish Wind Energy Association (AEE) between 2015 and 2016. She has participated in Renewable Industry Forums through AEE, Renewable UK, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and the Chair of Smart Industry (ICAI) Comillas Pontifical University ICAI, among others. She has also mentored several start-ups in innovation, sustainability and renewable energies. In 2020, she joined WAS (Women Action Sustainability), a non-profit association whose main purpose is to raise sustainability to the first strategic level of companies, entities, institutions and society.
She has extensive international experience in Europe, the United States, Latin America and Australia. In Europe, she managed wind and industrial projects in 10 countries and developed strategic alliances. In the United States, she was responsible for launching GD Energy Services Wind Inc., and was vice-chairperson and manager of new projects, and responsible for client relations. In Latin America, she launched GDES Eólica do Brazil LTD.She also managed and coordinated projects in numerous countries across the globe such as Australia, Japan, China, South Korea, Morocco, Ethiopia and South Africa.
In 2022, she directed the Mauricio and Carlota Botton Foundation, based in Madrid, managing in particular the signing of agreements with MIT and Cambridge University for the support of Physics Research.
María Salgado Madriñán has a bachelor’s degree in Law from Complutense University of Madrid and a diploma in Business Administration from CEU San Pablo University, where she graduated in 1992. She also has an executive MBA from the IE Business School (2004) and undertook a Digital Business Executive Program at ISDI (2018). In 2019, she attended the Advanced Program in Smart Industry, Leadership and Digital Transformation at ICAI, Pontifical University, and in 2020 she earned the INSEAD Certificate in Corporate Governance for the International Directors Program (IDP) in Fontainebleau (France).