The succession of Ángel Escribano at the helm of Indra has for weeks triggered a list of aspirants who, although some have tried to discreetly withdraw from the pools, remain in the spotlight. Among them stand out Carlos Ocaña, director of Institutional Relations of Real Madrid and former chief of staff of Miguel Sebastián, Raül Blanco (PSC), former president of Renfe and former secretary general of Industry, and José Vicente de los Mozos, CEO of Indra and veteran industrial executive at Renault, whose profiles combine public, institutional, and operational experience.
As they are professionals who are not part of Indra's board of directors, the procedure requires their prior appointment as directors by co-option -appointments of provisional directors to fill vacancies, without waiting for the general meeting-, so that immediately afterwards, they can be appointed chairmen, and subsequently their ratification at a shareholders' meeting, according to the Capital Companies Act, a procedure that could take place at the end of the month.
Angel Simón, a neutral profile
Ángel Simón, an experienced person with a liberal profile, has had quite an affinity with the PSC in the last ten years, in its fight against Ada Colau in the Barcelona City Council. Although he has been identified with the PSOE, he has neither been a leader nor an affiliate. His relationship, therefore, is more in terms of institutional and influence networks. It could be Sepi's proposal.
- His period at Agbar and Aigües de Barcelona coincided with local governments of the PSC-PSOE in Catalonia, where he participated in negotiations of concessions and public services, which generated trust between public managers and socialist politicians.
- During his time at CriteriaCaixa, an entity with strong ties to the “la Caixa” Foundation, his management of strategic stakes in companies such as Telefónica or Naturgy placed him in frequent contact with State bodies and ministries linked to the PSOE, especially during moments of SEPI supervision or energy sector regulation.
- His profile is perceived as “neutral” in political terms, but technically close to the PSOE in the sense that he can confidently dialogue with ministerial teams and authorities linked to the Government, which makes him attractive as a candidate in strategic sectors where the State has influence.
In summary, he is not a politician nor does he appear as affiliated, but his career has made him operate in tune with the socialist administration, consolidating a profile of a technical-institutional executive capable of interacting with the State in strategic sectors.
Carlos Ocaña
The first of them is Carlos Ocaña. Ocaña's career responds to a recognizable pattern in the economic elite: the fluid transition between the Administration and big business. Trained in the technical field, his time at the Government's Economic Office during the period of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero placed him at the core of economic policy, before moving towards positions in companies and organizations where public and private interests converge. His profile is not media-oriented, but functional: institutional knowledge and capacity for dialogue.
His connection with the socialist environment is more structural than organic. Without an explicit party career, he has been linked to circles of trust close to the PSOE and has maintained an intellectual relationship with Pedro Sánchez. This type of connections, common in technocratic profiles, acquires special relevance in regulated or strategic sectors, where dialogue with the State is part of the business model itself.
The leap to the corporate front line was consolidated with his entry into Telefónica as a representative of the public shareholder, in parallel with the strengthening of SEPI. From that position, his role has been less executive than strategic: to act as a link between business logic and institutional priorities, at a time of reorganization of large listed companies.
His arrival at the presidency of Indra must be read within that same framework, although with a relevant nuance: he does not replace Marc Murtra, but Ángel Escribano, whose profile responds to the industrial logic of the defense sector, without direct political connection. The replacement thus introduces a change of nature in the leadership: from a specialized businessman to a technical profile with institutional experience, in a company where the strategic dimension transcends the purely corporate.
Raül Blanco, Miguel Sebastián possible presidents of Indra:
Raül Blanco Díaz is an economist and manager with a career marked by the interface between the Administration and industry. Born in Barcelona in 1975, he trained in economics and spent more than a decade in the Government of Catalonia and in the City Council of L’Hospitalet in positions related to employment and economic development before making the leap to the central Government. He was Secretary General for Industry and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, where he participated in the management of PERTE funds and reindustrialization policies.
In 2023 he was appointed president of Renfe Operadora, a position he left in January 2025 to join the private sector as executive director of strategy for SAPA Plasencia, the defense firm that has become Indra's third largest shareholder, strengthening its position in military technology and internationalization. His profile combines public negotiation, public company management, and industrial strategy, which gives him a solid angle to lead Indra in a demanding geopolitical context.
Miguel Sebastián Gascón, a man of Zapatero, is a veteran economist and historical figure of Spanish economic socialism with an extensive academic-political and corporate career. Graduated and doctor in Economics, he was director of the BBVA Research Department before joining as economic advisor to José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and directing his Economic Office in La Moncloa. Later, between 2008 and 2011, he held the portfolio of Minister of Industry, Tourism and Trade in the socialist Government, a period in which he promoted industrial, energy and telecommunications initiatives.
After his governmental stage, he has been a university professor, consultant and member of the board of directors of Indra by designation of the State Society of Industrial Participations. His name appears as an alternative candidate due to his deep knowledge of industrial policy, his international experience and his ability to manage the relationship with the public sector and regulators in strategic industries, although some analysts highlight his more academic than operational profile in corporate management.
José Vicente de los Mozos
Current CEO of Indra, José Vicente de los Mozos Obispo represents the classic industry executive profile with strong operational leadership. Born in São Paulo in 1962 but linked to Spanish industry since his professional beginnings, his career was built at Renault, where he spent more than four decades -from apprentice to executive vice president of the Alliance and global director of manufacturing and logistics- and where he was president of Renault Spain and also led the sector's employers' association, ANFAC.
In 2021, he became chairman of the IFEMA Executive Committee, and in May 2023, he was appointed CEO of Indra Sistemas, assuming the executive management of the company. His candidacy for the presidency embodies internal continuity and operational execution, with deep knowledge of complex operations, production, logistics, and large industrial structures, which gives him credibility with markets and investors but a less political-institutional profile than other candidates (Wikipedia).