Angel Simon, the current CEO of Criteria Caixa, has announced his resignation from his non-executive position as president of Agbar (Aguas de Barcelona) after 22 years as general director and then president. The decision to step down was made after a period of high tension with the main shareholder, the French group Veolia.
Simon had been planning to leave last January but Veolia requested him to stay until at least the summer due to ongoing tensions between the two parties. However, given the escalating tensions, Simon decided not to wait any longer and focus on his new role under the leadership of Isidro Fainé.
The letter from Veolia that accused Criteria Caixa of spreading false information and being willing to sell Agbar was a decisive factor in Simon’s decision to step down. Although Criteria sees no merit in Veolia’s accusations, Simon chose not to continue working with the French conglomerate. CriteriaCaixa has been a shareholder of Agbar since 2014, holding a 15% stake in the company and having two representatives on its Board of Directors.
Despite the tensions with Veolia, Simon’s resignation from his role at Agbar will allow him to fully devote his time and energy to his new position at CriteriaCaixa where he aims to lead the company towards continued success.
