Leopoldo González-Echenique, elected by the Congress President of the RTVE Corporation

The choice has been by absolute majority, in the second round. González-Echenique is the third president of the corporation appointed by Parliament.

The Plenary of the Congress has appointed the lawyer of the State Leopoldo González-Echenique Castellanos de Ubao as president of the RTVE Corporation according to Royal Decree 15/2012, of April 20, which modified the administration regime of the RTVE Corporation, provided for Law 17/2006 of June 5, on the radio and television of state ownership. This is the third president of the radio and public television that is appointed by Parliament. It will also preside over the Board of Directors of this body.

The appointment of Leopoldo González-Echenique went ahead with the support of the absolute majority of the Congress (194 of the 279 votes cast, 74 blank and 4 null).

The new president of the Corporation replaces Alberto Oliart at the head of RTVE. The inauguration of González-Echenique will take place this Friday at Congress. In the same act will take possession of the other four new RTVE counselors elected last week by Congress and the Senate: José Manuel Peñalosa, Fernando Navarrete and Marisa Ciriza, proposed by the PP, as well as Oscar Pierre, proposed by CiU. Subsequently, already in RTVE headquarters, the constitution of the Board of Directors will take place with its new members and the ratification of the appointment of the president of the Corporation.

Biographical profile

Leopoldo González-Echenique (Madrid, 1969), Bachelor of Law and Economic and Business Sciences from the Pontifical University of Comillas Icade and a member of the State Lawyers since 1996, will be the new president of the RTVE Corporation.

Between 1996 and 1998 he was destined in the services of the State Advocacy in Barcelona and in the Interior Ministries (1998) and Economics and Finance (1999-2000). He has also been deputy director of the Legal Services of the National Securities Market Commission (1998-1999) and from June 2000 to October 2002, director of the Technical Cabinet of the Undersecretary of Economics, simultaneously the functions of the position with those of the State-as lawyer of the Second Vice President and Minister of Economy, Rodrigo Rato.

In October 2002, he was appointed General Director for the Development of the Information Society of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MCyT) and was part of the ‘Soto Commission’ (Commission of Experts for the Development of the Information Society), created at the proposal of Minister Josep Piqué.
He was Secretary General of Barclays Bank, between 2003 and July 2008, when he joined the NH Group, where he has been general secretary until June 2012.

He has been a advisor to different entities, such as Red.es, Center for Industrial Technical Development (CDTI), Audenasa, Banco Zaragozano and Ence. He conducted a Senior Business Management program at the IESE Business School between 2005 and 2006.

Since the beginning of his professional career he has also developed an intense teaching activity and has participated in numerous training courses to officials and other professionals, organized by the Civil Government of Barcelona, the Institute of Fiscal Studies, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Health ... is an academic of the Royal Academy of Jurisprudence and Legislation, it has the Great Cross of Civil Merit and in 2009 it was included in the list of Iberian lawyer ‘ Forty ’.

Renewal of the Council

The renewal of the Board of Directors of RTVE began on June 20 with the designation by the Senate of José Manuel Peñalosa and Fernando Navarrete as new advisors of RTVE, both at the proposal of the PP. The Upper House supported its appointment by absolute majority in the second round.

In the vote on June 21, the Congress of Deputies, also in the second round, approved the appointment as a new member of the Board of Directors of the González-Ehenique Corporation and Marisa Ciriza Coscolín, both at the proposal of the PP, as well as Oscar Pierre, at CiU's proposal.

In this way, as provided by Royal Decree 15/2012, of April 20, to modify the administration regime of the RTVE Corporation, the Parliament has chosen the five members of the Board of Directors who were pending renewal (4 proposed by the PP-translation of the PSOE to designate candidate-, and 1 per CiU). Next to these, they remain in said organ until their term ends: Andrés Martín Velasco and Rosario López Miralles, proposed by the PP, Miguel Angel Sacaluga, proposed by the PSOE, and Teresa Aranguren, proposed by IU.