Spanish electric utility company Iberdrola announced today that its board of directors has appointed Sara de la Rica Goiricelaya as its new Chairperson for the Sustainable Development Committee. She is replacing Samantha Barber in the position, due to the reclassification of Ms. Barber’s status to “other external director,” following her continuous 12 years of service as an independent director.

Sara de la Rica Goiricelaya joined Iberdrola’s board in March 2019 as an independent director. In her time on the board, she has served as a member of the Appointments Committee of Iberdrola, S.A. She has also been an independent director of Iberdrola España, S.A.U., the country subholding company of the energy businesses in Spain.

She is the Director of Fundación ISEAK (Initiative for socio-economic analysis and knowledge), a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Fundación Gadea, and of the Scientific Committee of the Basque Institute responsible for the Evaluation of the Educational System (IVEI-ISEI) and an honorary member of the Spanish Economics Association. She received her PhD in Economics from the University of the Basque Country and is a Professor at this institution. According to Iberdrola, she has dedicated a large portion of her professional life to the study of and search for solutions on issues such as immigration, the labour market, gender equality and poverty.

Iberdrola’s Sustainable Development Committee’s responsibilities include conducting periodic reviews of the company’s corporate governance system, monitoring the company’s sustainable development strategies, and supervising the Company’s actions relating to sustainable development. The committee also determines guidelines regarding non-financial disclosures and monitors the Company’s actions relating to corporate reputation, among other responsibilities.