The US Spain Executives Community is a non profit organization founded in Washington DC in 2014 by a group of business people, executives and entrepreneurs. It has around 300 formal members, leaders from the public and private sector located in multiple cities in the US and Spain. Its newsletter and communications reach around 1,000 people. It has been featured by prestigious media multiple times, as shown in these articles by El Pais/Cinco Dias and The Washington Post.
The organization is led by a Board of Directors whose members are shown below. The Board was renewed after the electoral process that took place in February, 2024. Additional members will be included in the coming weeks.
Kat O’Brien
President/Presidenta, Barcelona
Kat O’Brien ha sido enamorada de España desde que estudió un semestre en Toledo a los 19 años, y desde entonces ha vivido distintas etapas en Madrid, Valencia y Barcelona de estudios, prácticas o trabajo. Se ha sido muy activa en fomentar relaciones de negocios y colaboraciones entre España y los EE.UU., y en organizaciones civiles que promueven actividad y relaciones entre los dos paises.
Actualmente, Kat vive en Barcelona y trabaja como una VP of Corporate Engagement en Emergent, una ONG estadounidense de sostenibilidad. Lleva más de una década trabajando en partnerships/business development, ambos en la startups Polaroo (fintech) y ClimateTrade (sostenibilidad) y en grandes corporaciones como o Mastercard, ESPN o Samsung Pay. Tiene una MBA de Wharton, un Masters of International Studies de la Lauder Institute en la University of Pennsylvania, y un Bachelor of Arts en Government and International Studies, y Spanish, de la University of Notre Dame. Kat comenzó su carrera como una periodista deportiva en el Fort Worth Star-Telegram y Newsday.
Originalmente, Kat es de Davenport, Iowa, y se ha vivido mayormente de adulto en NYC. También forma parte del Board de la nonprofit The Opportunity Agenda. Vive en Barcelona, y está muy ilusionada entrar en un rol de liderazgo en la USEC.
Kat O’Brien has been in love with Spain since she studied for a semester in Toledo at 19 years old, and since then, has lived in Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona at different times, for periods of study, internship or work. She has been very active in promoting business relationships and partnerships between Spain and the U.S., and in civil organizations that promote activity and relationships between the two countries.
Kat currently lives in Barcelona and works as a Vice-President of Corporate Engagement in Emergent, a U.S.-based NGO in sustainability. She’s been working in partnerships and business development for more than a decade, both in startups such as Polaroo (fintech) and ClimateTrade (sustainability) and in multinationals such as Mastercard, ESPN or Samsung Pay. She has an MBA from Wharton, a Masters of International Studies from the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Arts in Government and International Studies, and Spanish, from the University of Notre Dame. Kat began her career as a sports journalist at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Newsday.
Originally, Kat is from Davenport, Iowa, and she has lived most of her adult life in NYC. She also is on the Board of the nonprofit The Opportunity Agenda. She lives in Barcelona, and is very excited to take on this leadership role in USEC.
Esther Urios
Vice-President/Vicepresidenta, Washington DC
Esther es una apasionada por el intercambio cultural entre España y Estados Unidos y ha jugado un papel clave en la representación del colectivo empresarial español en diversos eventos en EE.UU. Su dedicación no solo se ha visto reflejada en la promoción del intercambio cultural, social y empresarial, sino también en su esfuerzo por impulsar nuevas iniciativas que fortalezcan los lazos y el entendimiento mutuo entre ambos países, especialmente con el colectivo de jóvenes profesionales.
Esther se graduó con su B.A. in Economics de UNC Chapel Hill en 2015 y recientemente obtuvo su MBA del George Washington University School of Business donde se graduó Magna Cum Laude. Actualmente, Esther trabaja como consultora en el área de Estrategia y Marketing de Deloitte y ha trabajado tanto para empresas privadas como para organismos públicos en España y Estados Unidos.
Esther es originaria de Madrid, España, y ha residido en Estados Unidos durante los últimos 10 años. Actualmente vive en Washington DC.
Esther is passionate about cultural exchange between Spain and the U.S. and has played a key role in the representation of the Spanish business collective in diverse events in the U.S. Her dedication not only has been reflected in the promotion of cultural, social and business exchange, but also in her effort to push forward new initiatives that strengthen ties and mutual understanding between both countries, especially among young professionals.
Esther graduated with her B.A. in Economics from UNC Chapel Hill in 2015 and recently received her MBA from George Washington University School of Business, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. She currently works as a consultant in the area of Strategy and Marketing at Deloitte, and has worked both for private companies as well as public organizations in Spain and the U.S.
Esther is originally from Madrid, Spain, and has lived in the U.S. for the last 10 years. She currently lives in Washington, D.C.
Board
Xabier Lopez Sastre (Treasurer), Washington DC
Xabier Lopez Sastre is a strategic consultant with over seven years of international experience in consulting and banking. He currently works as a digital strategy and customer experience consultant at Deutsche Bahn North America in Washington, D.C., transforming the mobility and transportation connections in the United States. Before moving to the U.S., he led projects at major consulting firms like Deloitte and VML Consulting (WPP), and prior to his consulting career, he worked in the Global Debt Financing team at Banco Santander. His connection to the United States dates back eight years when he studied at Marquette University through an international program at the University of Deusto, where he graduated in Business Administration and Management with a specialization in Strategic Management. He later completed a postgraduate degree in Big Data Technologies in Madrid. Xabier is undoubtedly an essential asset for this new phase of USEC, where his experience in defining innovative strategies, projects with international clients across various industries and sectors, and expertise in project and budget management will help us achieve our goals and grow the organization.
Javier Garcia Rodrigo, Madrid
Javier Garcia Rodrigo holds a M.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain) and a double M.S. in Business Innovation Management from Universidad de Barcelona (Spain) and EAE Business School (Spain). Driven by a passion for bridging the gap between dynamic policy environments and the ever-evolving landscape of emerging technologies, Javier currently serves as head of Telefónica’s R&D Projects and Innovation Management Office. In this capacity, Javier orchestrates collaborative efforts with EU institutions and technology groups, spearheading initiatives that drive forward-thinking innovation and shape the future of telecommunications. Passionate about education and entrepreneurship, Javier has conducted over 30 workshops on innovation and technology for distinguished institutions such as the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, the United Nations, Google Campus Madrid, and CEIM (Business Confederation of Madrid). Currently, he holds positions as an Associate Professor in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship at Universidad San Pablo CEU (Spain) and as a Visiting Professor at ISDE Business School (Spain).
In 2015, he was recognized for his leadership potential by the U.S. Embassy in Madrid and the Meridian International Center, being selected for the inaugural cohort of the “Meridian Social Innovation Fellowship”.
Pilar González de Orduña, Washington DC
Pilar holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Autonomous University of Madrid, with research proficiency in Economic Analysis Fundamentals. She is currently on leave from civil service at the Advance Corps of Social Security Administration Technicians. She has 19 years of experience in the General State Administration, where she has specialized in social security legislation, pensions, and budgets. Her previous roles include Chief of Staff for the Secretary of State for Social Security, Senior Advisor for the Secretary of State for Social Security and Secretary General at the Labor, Migration and Social Security Office in the US at the Embassy of Spain in Washington DC.
Founder and CEO of Gorduna LLC, a consultancy firm, providing comprehensive advice to businesses and individuals on social security legislation, employee benefits and public pensions. Recognized for her expertise in designing strategies to maximize Spanish public pensions and American benefits for expatriate workers. She is a licensed Health and Life Insurance Agent in the US.
Passionate about the sustainability of public pension systems worldwide and their impact on society, she delivers lectures public pensions to Spanish Associations in the US, Spanish Chambers of Commerce in the US, the Spanish community in International Organizations and Universities, including Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, UN, Harvard or the Illinois Institute of Technology.
She has conducted courses on Budgetary Preparation in the General State Administration and exam preparer for the admission to the Social Security Administrative Corp.
Begoña Vizcaíno, Miami
Begoña is a partner in the Deals division at PricewaterhouseCoopers and is renowned by her clients for her expertise in M&A advisory, including acquisitions, divestitures, and mergers of companies across the United States, Europe, and Latin America. With over 20 years of experience in transaction consulting, Begoña has advised on more than 150 M&A transactions, primarily within the financial sector. Her extensive experience has been enriched by working with diverse international clients from offices in Madrid (Spain), Mexico City (Mexico), Miami, and New York (United States).
Begoña holds a degree in Business Administration and Management from the University of Navarra (Spain), is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the state of New York and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. She is a founding partner of the Women’s Hispanic Executive Association in Florida and is also involved in numerous associations dedicated to promoting the participation of women and minorities in the professional sphere, such as EJE&CON in Spain, Mujeres enFinanzas in Mexico, and ALPFA in the United States. Additionally, she served on the Board of Directors of the Spain-USA Chamber of Commerce for six years.
Raúl Peralba Fortuny, Madrid
President of Positioning Systems, the first consultancy boutique in Spain and Europe specialized in Competitive Positioning & Brand Engineering (The branding & differentiation thinkers)
Partner of Trout & Partners, Worldwide Pioneers in Positioning and co-founder of the consulting boutiques network created, in 1996, by Jack Trout (1935-2017) with affiliates in 16 Countries.
Senior Advisor of FutureBrand España (Grupo McCann Erikson).
He has managed projects in Spain and MERCOSUR and has collaborated with Trout & Partners in projects for multinationals of USA, China and other countries. Some of its main clients: Asoliva (Olive Oil Exporters Association), Crèdit Andorrà Group, Banco Santander, CDTI, Bodegas Benjamin de Rothschild & Vega Sicilia, Cerámica Saloni, European Commission (EU), Compudata / MultiScan, Amanco Group, CUPA Group; Gestamp / Gonvarri Group, Leading Brands of Spain Forum, Avina Foundation, Iberia, ICEX (Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade), MediaPost Group; Mondragón Corp. Coop., Nunhems Seeds (Bayer Group), OMT (World Tourism Organization-United Nations), Pyrénées Andorra, Repsol, Telefónica, TourSpain.
Main author of the Leading Brands of Spain -History of 79 globally renowned Spanish brands (Spanish, English and Japanese versions) and Leading Brands of Spain-Food & Drinks (Ed. ICEX -2003 and 2005). Formerly Deputy Director of International Promotion of the INI (National Institute of Industry), INI Delegate in the Southern Cone of America – Residence in Buenos Aires, and CEO of ABENGOA S.A. Venezuela and Panama. Since 1986, Professor in different business schools in Spain and LATAM.
Juliana Garaizar, Houston
Juliana Garaizar is a Founding Partner of Energy Tech Nexus, a General Partner at Malaika Ventures and a Venture Partner at Climatetech Global Ventures. Previously she was the Chief Development and Investment Officer at Greentown Labs. Juliana is a Lead Investor of the Portfolia Rising America Fund that invests in BIPOC and LGTBQ founders, as well as the Portfolia Consumer and Rising Tide Funds. A Past Board Member of the Angel Capital Association, she is also an Advisory Board Member of the French Tech Houston, the LatinX Startup Alliance and Impulse4women. A Kauffman Fellow experienced in Bridging the Gender Gap in investing, she is part of the City of Houston’s Women Commission. Juliana was the Texas Medical Center Venture Fund Director and the Managing Director of the Houston Angel Network. She was the Manager of the French Riviera’s Sophia Business Angels network and Antipolis Innovation Campus and Project Manager of several International Projects funded by the European Commission.
Previously, Juliana worked for 5 years in Singapore: first as an International Trade Consultant for the Trade Commission of Spain in a broad range of industry sectors and then as a Project Manager for the Asia Technology Office of Citigroup, leading projects at the international level.
Juliana obtained an MBA at the London Business School and Haas School of Business in Berkeley, specializing in Entrepreneurship.
Ines Gonzalez del Mazo is from Madrid and works in NYC. She works as a specialist in Strategy and Execution in Cumberland, the crypto arm of the trading company DRW. She is focused primarily on stablecoins, tokenized funds and crypto. She previously worked in GSR, Citibank, Ripple and for seven years in the World Bank. More specifically, in Citibank, she worked on global strategy for blockchain and investments, and in the World Bank, she worked giving advice to 33 countries about banks, capital markets and payments, and reviewing and editing reports for the G20 and the Financial Stability Board.
Ines has an MBA from Wharton, a Masters of Internationalization from ICEX and a Bachelor’s degree in ADE (Business Administration) from the University of San Pablo-CEU Madrid.
María Imaz, Madrid
María Imaz is a professional with ample experience in communications and public relations. She has a double degree in Publicity and Public Relations, and Humanities from the University CEO San Pablo of Madrid, which has provided her with a solid base in diverse disciplines of communication.
With more than seven years of experience in the sector, Maria has developed key roles in leading businesses. In her prior experience in the communications consultancy LLYC, she worked as a consultant embedded in the department of Public Affairs and Communications of The Coca-Cola Company España. During this time, she not only managed internal and external communications, but she also collaborated closely with hospitality and marketing teams, organizing events that strengthened the presence of the brand in the Spanish market.
Since 2023, Maria is in the role of Communications Manager for the Division of Iberoamérica in Securitas. In her current role, she leads communications efforts for the company in a diverse region, assuring the efficient implementation of the strategies of communications and strengthening the presence of the company in the market. She also is responsible for developing ESG projects, aligning communications initiatives with the sustainability and corporate responsibility objectives of the company.
María stands out for her ability to integrate knowledge in communications with deep understanding of corporate environments, enabling her to manage campaigns and projects in an efficient way aligned with business goals.
