- The annual congress held at the Euskalduna Palace in Bilbao has staged the handover of Mondragón's president, Iñigo Ucín, so far head of the group, and from now on, Pello Rodríguez. In addition, cooperatives within the group have established a roadmap for the coming years, with the aim of making a group "more competitive" and "open".
As announced, Pello Rodríguez (Urretxu, 1975) will be the president of the largest industrial group in the Basque Country, Mondragon, from 1 August. Iñigo Ucín, who was president of the General Council for eight years, has been in charge of taking over at the Euskalduna Palace in Bilbao during the annual congress held this Wednesday.
Ucin is going to retire and has talked to TuLankide magazine about what it meant to be in the presidency of Mondragon: "When I've seen other Mondragon realities, very different, from different backgrounds, with very different collectives, projects and stories, I've had a closer view of the whole reality. After all, it is a very diverse set of companies that make a huge contribution to society."
They say that the change of office has taken place in a "natural" way, as Rodríguez has been occupying positions as a deputy to the lehendakari for years. Born in the Danobat cooperative, the urretxuarra has extensive experience in the management of business projects both in the Basque Country and abroad, and now it is up to him to lead the cooperative giant.
They say that the change of office has been carried out in a "natural" way, as Rodríguez has been working as an adjunct to lehendakari for years. Starting in Danobat, Urretxu’s cooperative group has moved to lead the group
Competitiveness, cooperation and "business with the future"
As he explained, Rodríguez aims to make "more competitive" companies and the "more open" Mondragon Group. To this end, the 650 representatives or commitments of the cooperatives have approved at the annual congress held this Wednesday in Bilbao a plan of 2025-2028 years.
This plan envisages, among other actions, the creation of more agile groups and the strengthening of financial funds to support new projects. In addition, they will focus on new "business with the future", such as artificial intelligence: "Always integrating sustainability in a broad sense into the business strategy."
Collaboration will be another key to the coming years, as confirmed in Bilbao. Yes, among the cooperatives of the group, and to that is added the motto Multiply, adding the motto and collaboration with other organizations, to value the social impact that this "openness" generates.
70,500 workers
The integrated entities and cooperatives in Mondragon employ 70,500 people. Despite the fact that in 2022 there was a decrease in jobs when they left the Ulma and Orona Group, this figure has increased since then.
In addition, in 2023, for the first time the EUR 11 billion in turnover was exceeded and Mondragon members gained a profit of EUR 593 million.