The annual report of the General Intervention of the State Administration (IGAE), published this week, shows that the number of senior officials and advisors in the state public sector rose to 1,607 in 2023, 2% more than the previous year. Of them, 433 jobs are high ranks. This classification includes members of the Government, management positions of entities such as the National Markets or Competition Commission (CNMC) and the State Society of Industrial Participations (SEPI) and leaders of public entities, among others.
María Belén Gualda Gonzálezis the president of SEPI, the Spanish public entity that has been dedicated to the management of publicly owned business interests since 2021. In 2023, she was the senior position that earned the most money per year, with a remuneration of 245,125.89 euros gross annual.
The president of SEPI has a series of key functions and responsibilities. Mainly, she is in charge of the direction and general management of the entity, supervising and directing its operation and its investee companies, ensuring their alignment with the Government’s policies and objectives. It also deals with the institutional representationacting as spokesperson and official visible face of the society in its relations with other entities, government agencies and the general public.
Today, the SEPI’s scope of action covers 14 participating companies directly and majority, which constitute the SEPI Group, with a staff of almost 80,000 people. It is also a shareholder in the RTVE Corporation, has a supervised public foundation and direct minority stakes in 10 companies and indirect stakes in more than 100 companies. Among these 14 companies, stand out Correos Group, the EFE Agency, Hipódromo de la Zarzuela, Grupo Navantia and Grupo Mercasa. With minority participation, SEPI has a presence in important companies such as Telefónica, Indra, Hispasat and Enagás.
The financial supervision It is another of its functions, controlling the financial operations, investments and budgets of SEPI and its investee companies. In addition, it arranges the expenses and orders the corresponding payments.
It is also responsible for ensuring that SEPI comply with all legal regulations and current regulations, moderates the development of debates and suspends them for justified reasons, and resolves ties with his vote, for the purposes of adopting agreements.
Among its obligations is also work closely with the Government to implement industrial and economic development policies and requests the appointment of representatives from other Ministries. and takes care of define and propose the strategy and corporate policies to the board of directors of SEPI, as well as approving the agency’s contracts, in accordance with the limits set by the Board of Directors.
Finally, it also regularly reports to the board of directors on the status and progress of SEPI’s operations, and evaluate the results obtained. In addition, it presents the operating and capital budgets and the action, investment and financing programs of SEPI and, where appropriate, of its dependent companies. With the council, it also agrees on the convening of ordinary and extraordinary sessions and the setting of the agenda, taking into account, where appropriate, the requests of the other members, provided that they have been made sufficiently in advance.
As specified in the transparency portal of the General State Administration, Gualda is civil engineerCanals and Ports (by the Higher Technical School of Civil Engineering, Canals and Ports of the University of Granada), expert in Management Development (by the University institution of the Society of Jesus) and Higher Technician in Prevention of occupational hazards with a specialty in Occupational Safety, Ergonomics and Applied Psychosociology and Industrial Hygiene.
