Executive Board
Members of the Executive Board
- Rector and Vice-Rectors
- Manager and deputy managers
- General Secretary
Rector and Vice-Rectors
The rector is the highest academic authority at the University and, thus, takes on the corresponding responsibilities for representing and governing the University, without prejudice to those responsibilities assigned in the Statutes to the Board of Trustees.
The appointment and dismissal of the rector has to be ratified by the Catalan government, at the behest of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, in accordance with the procedure established in the Statutes, after having heard the Council.
The rector chairs the Governing Council and any other meetings of the University’s governing bodies, apart from the Board of Trustees, the Standing Committee and the Council of the Foundation for the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.
The rector, or the person they delegate, attends the meetings of the Board of Trustees and the Standing Committee of the Foundation for the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, in an advisory capacity.
The rector of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya shall be appointed by an absolute majority vote of the trustees and shall remain in office for a maximum of seven years, without the possibility of extension, in accordance with that established in the Foundation’s Statutes, and after having heard the research and teaching staff.
The rector of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya must have a doctoral degree.
The rector is assisted in their duties by the vice rectors. The rector shall determine how many vice rectors there will be. The rector shall appoint, dismiss and assign functions to the vice rectors in accordance with the regulations.
The vice rectors are full members of the Governing Council.
If the rector is absent or ill or if the position is vacant, their functions shall temporarily be covered by the vice rector they have delegated to or, should they not have done so, to the vice rector with greatest seniority.
Rector
Dr. Àngels Fitó (born Barcelona, 1970) has a PhD in Business and Economics from the University of Barcelona, is a full professor at the UOC, and has been Vice President for Competitiveness and Employability since 2019 until 2023. She combined her teaching work with a professional career in accounting and tax consulting for private companies and public institutions. She has also been deputy chair of the Catalan Professional Association of Economists since November 2021, and a member of the Government of Catalonia's Economic Policy Advisory Board.
Vice Rector for Teaching and Learning
Teresa Guasch has a PhD in Psychology from Ramon Llull University (URL, 2003) and a degree in Educational Psychology. She also has postgraduate qualifications in Educational Psychology for Diversity in Schools from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB, 1997) and Curricular Guidance for Teaching and Learning Strategies from the URL, UAB and UOC (1999). Guasch has been dean of the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences since 2014 and is a senior professor at the UOC. Her research and innovation activities focus on the study of teaching and learning processes in virtual environments from an educational psychology perspective.
Vice Rector for Research, Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship
Xavier Vilajosana has a PhD in Computing from the UOC and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. He is a professor, and lead researcher in the Wireless Networks (WINE) research group at the IN3. He was recently awarded an ICREA Acadèmia grant. He has developed 32 patents, 26 of which are already in use at multinational corporations, and he has taken part in the creation of a number of start-ups.
Vice Rector for Governance and Academic Policy
M. Jesús Martínez-Argüelles has a PhD in Economics and Business from the University of Barcelona, and master's degrees in Industrial Quality from Spain's National Distance Education University, and in Economics from Pompeu Fabra University. She has been dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business since 2019. Before that, she had been a member of the faculty (2000 to 2019), associate professor of Business Organization (2008 to 2019), and associate dean for teaching (2016 to 2019).
Vice Rector for Alliances, Community and Culture
Manel Jiménez-Morales has been a professor of Cinema and Television at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) since 2000. He has a PhD in Social Communication, alongside a master's degree in Advanced Studies in Social Communication and two degrees in Audiovisual Communication (UPF) and Comparative Literature from the University of Barcelona. He has been a visiting scholar in the Department of Literature at the University of Oxford, and the School of Theater, Film, and Television at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and a researcher at the British Film Institute in London. Until 2023, he had been Vice Rector for Educational Transformation, Culture and Communication at the UPF and a member of the European University Association's Learning & Teaching Steering Committee.
Manager and deputy managers
The general manager is responsible for the day-to-day management of the university; for the legal, financial and budgetary oversight of its activities, and for any other matters entrusted to them by the FUOC Board of Trustees.
The general manager is appointed and dismissed by the FUOC Board of Trustees, on the advice of the rector. The general manager is also responsible for managing the FUOC.
The general manager may be assisted by as many deputy general managers as deemed necessary.
General Manager
Jordi Marin is graduated 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.
Deputy General Manager for Research, Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship
Ciro Llueca holds a diploma in Library and Information Science (University of Barcelona), a degree in Information Science (UOC), a bachelor's degree in Law (UOC) and a master's degree in Digital Documentation (Pompeu Fabra University). He has worked in libraries, archives and cultural centres and with ELIS, the main international open access information and documentation repository. He was director of the Library and Learning Resources department at the UOC from 2015 to 2022 and has taught at a number of universities in Spain and Latin America.
Deputy General Manager for Teaching and Students
Gemma Carrera has a degree in Psychology from the University of Barcelona and a master's degree in Education and ICT from the UOC. Her career has focused on the field of academic management and she has held various positions of responsibility at the UOC. She has been responsible for the initial and pedagogical guidance of bachelor's degree and vocational training students, and for overseeing the progress of master's degree and lifelong learning students. She has also supported teaching staff in teaching organization tasks and has participated in a number of international forums on higher education.
Deputy General Manager for Development
Daniel Téllez holds a degree in Computer Science from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and a master's degree in the Management of Information Systems and Technologies from the UOC. He has drawn on his extensive experience in managing technological and innovation projects to lead strategic initiatives for the expansion and internationalization of the UOC, and to advance the digitalization of education in Catalonia through transformative projects.
Deputy General Manager for Talent, Transformation and Organization
Ricard Gómez holds a degree in Economics from the University of Barcelona and a master's degree in Information Systems from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. His career has focused on the field of information and communication technologies, and he has led digital transformation projects in a number of organizations. Currently, as deputy general manager for Digital Transformation, he leads the UOC's digitalization and technological innovation projects.
General Secretary
The rector appoints a general secretary from among the UOC's staff.
The general secretary assists the rector and certifies the decisions of the bodies in which they serve, in accordance with the Organizational and Operational Regulations.
General Secretary
Pere Fabra has been lecturer in Philosophy and Theory of Law in the Law and Political Science Department at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya since 1997. He has a doctorate in Law from Pompeu Fabra University and degrees in Law and Philosophy from the University of Barcelona. Before joining the UOC, he worked as a lawyer specializing in administrative law. He has carried out research at J.W. Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, and been a visiting scholar in the Department of Philosophy at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA.
At the UOC, he has been Assistant Director (2000–2003) and Director (2003–2008) of the Law and Political Science Department, Vice President for Faculty and Academic Organization (2008–2013) and Ombudsman.