Jordi Marin to take over from Antoni Cahner as the new general manager of the UOC and CEO of the FUOC

At the proposal of the rector, Àngels Fitó, the FUOC Board of Trustees named Jordi Marin as the new general manager of the UOC and CEO of the FUOC in its meeting on 8 September. Marin will take over from Antoni Cahner on 1 October. The Board of Trustees, which is the body responsible for representing, governing and administering the FUOC, thanked Cahner for the work he has done since 2014 to ensure the university could consolidate its position and grow.

The change comes in response to the rector's desire, backed by the FUOC's Board of Trustees, to increase the university's ability to respond to the new challenges identified in the Strategic Plan 2026-2030. In the words of Àngels Fitó, the context of constant transformation in which we are immersed "forces us to start a new stage that requires strengthening the organizational leadership with someone with new and specific skills in transformation, innovation and entrepreneurship, and a strategic vision and experience".

From 1 October, the new general manager of the UOC and CEO of the FUOC will be Jordi Marin. A graduate in Economics from the University of Barcelona, he has also studied, among other programmes, a master's degree in Public Management at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, and an executive master's degree in Public Administration at ESADE. He has a wealth of professional experience in university management, and is an expert in strategy, business development, and strategic, organizational and technological consulting.

He has solid experience in managing change in complex settings, and in leading entrepreneurial projects and teams. He has also been an adjunct professor of Public Management at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and ESADE, and the UPF Board of Trustees' vice chair for economic affairs. Highlights from his professional career include his taking part in the creation of TecnoCampus Mataró, of which he was general manager between 2006 and 2010, and in the starting up of the Mataró-Maresme Digital Consortium.

He was later appointed the Government of Catalonia's secretary for Telecommunications and the Information Society. In 2010, he moved to the private sector and took charge of Indra's relations with public administrations and went on to lead the company's Smart Cities area. Between 2014 and 2018, he was Microsoft's Director General for Catalonia.

Since 2018, he has been senior advisor in transformation of organizations and digital transformation at a range of institutions. He has also been general manager of Planeta Formación y Universidades' AI Innovation Center, director of innovation at Fira de Barcelona, coordinator of Barcelona Innova Lab Mobility, and held advisory roles with corporations such as Electra or Planeta, and collaborated with companies such as ABACUS or VASS.

Words of thanks for Antoni Cahner

During the meeting of the Standing Committee of the FUOC's Board of Trustees, held on Monday 8 September, the rector, the president of the Board of Trustees, Pere Vallès, and the rest of the board's members thanked Antoni Cahner for his work as CEO of the FUOC and at the head of the administrative staff over the last 11 years. They paid tribute to his leadership that has seen the university consolidate its position and establish firm foundations in a period marked by strong growth, complex organizational challenges, and a general context of political and economic instability.

"This legacy means we can face up to the new challenges of the future with confidence and resilience", stressed Rector Fitó.

General manager of the UOC and CEO of the FUOC

As laid out in the university's Organizational and Operational Regulations, the general manager is responsible for the day-to-day running of the university. They are also responsible for controlling the legal, financial and budgetary aspects of the UOC's activities, and for any other tasks the Board of Trustees of the Fundació per a la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya charges them with. They are appointed and dismissed by the Board of Trustees. By virtue of their position, they are also the chief executive officer of the FUOC.

They are a full member of the Governing Council and attend the meetings of the FUOC's Board of Trustees and Standing Committee in an advisory role.

The general manager may be assisted by deputy general managers, who they can assign the corresponding functions and dismiss. The rector appoints them, at the proposal of the general manager.