Ignacio Gonzalez steps down as Nueva Pescanova’s chief executive in June

IGNACIO GONZÁLEZ steps down as the Nueva Pescanova Group’s chief executive on June 16, seven and a half years after joining the company.

A statement from the frozen fish group, a household name in Spain which is popularly referred to by its original name of Pescanova, announced that González’s reasons were “strictly personal” and “reached by mutual agreement.”

His resignation comes not long after the news last April that Nueva Pescanova’s largest shareholder, the Galician bank, Abanca, was selling 80 per cent of its holding to Canadian seafood company Cooke Inc.  The transaction, which puts an €800 million value on the company, has yet to be formalised.

The present chief executive’s role will be taken over by José María Benavent, the group’s executive chairman since 2020 and chairman of board of directors, 2019.

“His extensive experience in the company will allow him to continue with the process,” a Nueva Pescanova communique announced on May 23.

Gonzalaez, who is also president of AECOC, which represents 26,000 Spanish ompanies dedicated to manufacturing and distribution, has been Nueva Pescanova’s only chief executive since its creation in 2015 following the collapse of Pescanova.

In 2021, the last year for which figures were available, Nueva Pescanova made a net profit of €7 million – its largest to date – with a turnover of €1.09 billion. In contrast, its principal shareholder Abanca’s 2022 accounts revealed losses of €60.5 million during the first nine months of the company’s financial year.