our team
We move for the common good
At United Way España we respect, value and celebrate the unique perspectives, attributes and characteristics that make each person who they are and we work under a strong commitment to sustainability, diversity and inclusion. We create a work environment that promotes innovation and creativity.
our team
Stable work team that develops all our projects in Spain, Italy and Portugal.
Marina Fuentes Arredonda
CEO
Marina’s great passion is education. But of the good kind of course. Because she thinks that education is the most powerful tool we have to reach our wellbeing. Whether personal, the community’s or that of the world. If we are educated to take care of ourselves, to take care of others and this planet, we will never stop having a positive existence.
After 20 years as a business owner, mainly in the film industry, she decided to dedicate herself to her other great passion: helping the most disadvantaged through education. In United Way she has found the perfect match since its mission coincides with her vision of a collaborative world where companies, volunteers and institutions work to create a positive impact in their community. We already know the saying: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”.
Marina holds a degree in Business Administration from the European University of Paris and a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Colorado. Born in the United States, she speaks French, Spanish and English.
Marta Navarro Milián
PROGRAM OFFICER
Marta has developed her entire career in the social sector, in addition to being involved to different projects as a volunteer.
Her experience designing and coordinating projects has allowed her to work closely with large entities and companies, also having almost daily contact with the beneficiaries and their families.
She has a degree in Psychology and Marketing. She has worked in Spain, Belgium and France and speaks Spanish, English and French.
Before joining United Way, she worked with people with disabilities, with women and in mental health in France.
She has extensive knowledge of the social sector in Spain and is convinced that “many few add up to a lot” and feeling very lucky to enjoy her work and vocation so much, she knows that synergies and collaboration between all social agents are necessary to combat inequalities
Raffaella Accroglianò
Project Coordinator in Italy
From the time she was little, Raffaella was attracted to situations and marginalized and vulnerable people, even though they were on the other side of the world and were images on a TV screen.
She is convinced that “the slight flapping of the wings of a butterfly can be felt on the other side of the world”, that is, it corresponds to all of us even if it happens in very distant places.
In his more than 20 years of work, Raffaella has dedicated himself to seeking funds, writing projects, coordinating and evaluating them. She has been the director of reception centers for migrants and has worked with public and private institutions, NGOs and international organizations.
She has worked in Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Argentina and Italy.
Graduated in Political Science in Rome, she has continued and continues to train on social issues. She is currently undergoing training in counseling.
She speaks Italian, Spanish and English.
Ana de Miguel
Customer Relationship Manager
Ana has a great knowledge in marketing and customer relations as a result of her extensive experience in companies related to technological innovation and communication.
Ana believes in the ability of people and companies to achieve a better society through their commitment to the most vulnerable people and in the importance of education as a driver of change. Young people are the foundation of our future and our planet.
The best traveling companion to advance the positive impact that our community needs is United Way, and she feels fortunate to be part of this common project.
She speaks English and Spanish and studied Business Management and Marketing at ESIC.
Mencía Igartua Pascual
Project Coordinator
Mencía strongly believes that a more equal world is as necessary as feasible, and this motto has inspired her entire working and personal life.
Mencía has worked as therapist and coordinator of various educational and training projects, collaborating with social agents, NGOs and public bodies in Spain. She lived in Middle East and in The Netherlands. While working for a multinational company there she realized that companies are also powerful agents of change.
Within United Way Mencia has found the way to integrate the main pillars of social progress: investment in education and cooperation between companies and other social agents as key tools to achieve social progress.
Mencia holds a degree in Psychology at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, an Expert in Social Intervention at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and a Master in Management of Human Resources at the UDIMA. She is fluent in Spanish, English and Italian.
Lola Cassinello González
Project Technician
Lola is convinced that social transformation is the engine of continuous improvement and that all the actors that conform society have the potential to make it possible.
For Lola, the community builds the social fabric, and that is why she believes that being united and coordinated is the lever to achieve equal opportunities and full social integration.
In her spare time she enjoys swimming, yoga and theater improvisation, which help her develop transversal skills that are very useful in the workplace and in the third sector.
She started her professional career in the third sector in 2019.
She studied law at UAM and now with the aim of expanding her knowledge and becoming a better professional she studies Social Work at La Salle
Board
Highest management board of the United Way Spain Foundation to which its government, administration and representation correspond. All members of the board of trustees are pro-bono.
Nabil Daoud
President
Nabil Daoud was born in Lebanon, joined Lilly in 1994 as a financial analyst in Switzerland. He subsequently held several positions in the Marketing and Sales area in the United States before becoming Lilly’s General Manager in Colombia in 1999. In 2004 he moved to the Middle East region to manage the Egyptian subsidiary and then the MENA affiliate (Middle East and North Africa), later occupying several positions of responsibility in this region.
In 2014, Nabil Daoud became vice president of Eli Lilly and Company for South Asia, Middle East and Africa, a position he held until January 2018 when he became the president of Lilly Spain, Portugal and Greece.
Nabil Daoud graduated in Economics and Finance from the Paris-Dauphine University and completed postgraduate studies in Business Management at the School of Advanced Studies in Commerce in Paris and at ESADE, in Barcelona.
Michael K. Hayde
Michael K. Hayde was born and raised in Compton, California. He has enjoyed and benefited from having lived in Southern California all his life. In his formative years his family instilled in him the traditional values of Irish Catholicism. He has had mentors all his life and learned very quickly from those who had more experience and were willing to help him. Mike has been fortunate to work at Western National Group, a company founded 60 years ago and based in Orange County, for 47 years. Since 1994 it is the CEO.
Along with Orange County Sherriff, Brad Gates, he founded Drug Use is life Abuse, a nationally recognized non-profit teaching youth in Orange County about the issues of drug abuse. He has been active in fundraising for Big Brothers Big Sisters, Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Boy Scouts of Orange County, City of Hope, University of California Irvine Medical Center, and Chapman University. Mike is a member of the United Way Ten Million Dollar Roundtable, the Founding Chairman of the Board of United Way Tocqueville in Paris, France, Member of the United Way Worldwide Leadership Council, Board Member of United Way Spain and was the 2013 United Way Tocqueville Award Honoree.
Javier Hernández Galante
Secretary
Javier is a lawyer in the department of tax law in the Madrid office of Ashurst LLP. He has been a partner in the firm since 2013 and has focused his professional career in tax advice, mainly, to international investors making investments in Spain, both in structural and transactional aspects; the prevention of, or advice in, administrative or contentious procedures; and administrative defending of the interests of clients.
In 2006, together with other colleagues, he founded, and has since been the president of, the Comité Ashurst Solidario (Ashurst Solidarity Committee) which addresses the tasks related to corporate social responsibility of Ashurtst in Madrid.
Javier has a degree in Law from UNED and a degree in Economic Sciences from Carlos III University of Madrid. Expert in International Taxation from the Compultense University of Madrid, he is a recurring professor at centers such as ICADE, ISDE, and the Instituto de Empresa.
María Jesús Jiménez Hernández
María Jesús has been working as a consultant for the multinational NTT Data for more than 15 years, focused on the field of Technology and Operations of the banking sector, being the partner responsible for the Global Corporate Banking practice in the group. His professional career is closely linked to the private sector and in particular to the banking sector in the Global Business divisions such as Corporate & Investment banking, Asset Management, Private Banking and Consumer Finance, having carried out projects for many of the major European banks.
Member of the Board of Trustees of the everis Foundation since 2018, where she collaborates proactively as a mentor in the “Pulsar” mentoring program for girls with high potential and risk of social exclusion. Member of the Management Committee of everis Madrid, responsible mainly for the Notoriety and Brand areas since 2018. Co-founder of “EDUCA”, a platform for the educational organization of talent and the training and financial incentive of families. She combines all this with her family life as a mother of two children and volunteering in several NGOs, including “Save the Children”.
Mª Jesús is a Computer Science Engineer from the Pontifical University of Comillas ICADE-ICAI, Postgraduate in Quantitative Techniques from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and Financial Risk Manager from the Institute of Stock Market Studies. Maria Jesús speaks Spanish, English, French and initiation into Chinese.
Rosa Piñol Raurich
Rosa began her professional career in the Financial field, as an Investment and Financial Management analyst at EAJA (Lotteries of the Generalitat de Catalunya), Trébol Condal Group, Grupo Consejeros y Grand Península, SA (Port Aventura).
The last 19 years she has developed her career in the Abertis Group and in Cellnex Telecom. In the Abertis Group as Director of Resources of Abertis Telecom (Barcelona) and Abertis Aeropuertos (London) leading Integration and transformation projects, member of the Steering Committee.
In 2014, Abertis Telecom became Cellnex Telecom, listed on the Stock Exchange in May 2015 and being part of the IBEX 35. From its inception until August 2018 Rosa was CRO (Chief Resources Officer) and member of the Steering Committee of Cellnex leading organizational model to respond to the international expansion and to create organizational and government structures that an Ibex 35 company requires, actively participated in the Appointments and Remuneration Committee of the Board of Directors.
She is currently a member of the Board of Cellnex Italia
Rosa studied Mathematics and graduated in Economics from the University of Barcelona. She is PDG (General Management Program) of IESE and attended the High Performance Boards at the IMD of Lausanne (Switzerland).
Silvia Hidalgo
Silvia Hidalgo was born and raised in Washington D.C. where she attended the international and French schools. She benefited from an international education and was instilled with values of inclusiveness and humanity. Silvia attended the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Madrid and later worked at the European Commission in the Humanitarian Office on Former Yugoslavia.
She later worked in Bosnia and Herzegovina as Head of the ECHO Sarajevo office (1995-1998). Silvia later left for Central America in the wake of Hurricane Mitch where she acted as Regional delegate for the Spanish Red Cross. In 2001, she would create DARA a non-profit organization focusing on evaluation and impact in humanitarian action and development and develop the Humanitarian Response Index and lead system wide evaluations.
Silvia is a member of Dahlia, a UK based organization focusing on evaluation and communication and accountability. She serves on the board of DARA, FRIDE a European think tank.
She continues to work as an independent evaluator for governments and UN agencies and has, in addition to specializing in humanitarian action and global disaster response, worked on conflict resolution, women’s empowerment efforts, governance, sanitation and public-private partnerships against corruption.
Antonio Macia Creus
Toni is founder and CEO of hidra partners, having previously been co-founder and CEO of Penteo and its foundation (’93-’10), as well as co-founder and advisor of Azceda (’93-’11).
He is intensely active as CEO/CXO’s Counselor & Advisor, and is a member of various Boards of Directors and Advisory Boards.
He is also an active participant in the start-up ecosystem, both as investor and advisor, as well as in Business and Social Associations.
Toni holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from ETSEIB (UPC) and a PDG from IESE Business School.
Mercedes Sierra Toral
Mercedes is a civil engineer and has spent most of her professional career in the private sector working for the engineering company SENER, where she has held various positions of responsibility.
She is currently Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of this company in the USA where the company is focused on the development of large infrastructure programs.
Previously she has worked in the Aerospace field both in SENER and for the Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial (CDTI), which currently belongs to the Ministry of Science and Innovation.
Mercedes has been a member of several Advisory Boards and Committees such as the European Space Agency (ESA) Human Spaceflight Committee or the Department of Energy (DOE) in the USA.
She also holds a degree in Art History and a Master in Business Administration from IESE Business School.
Rosa María Sánchez-Yebra
Rosa María Sánchez-Yebra Alonso is now an Independent Board Director at Abanca Corporación Bancaria, and Member of its Integral Risk Commission. She is also Independent Director at Impulsa Galicia, a public-private partnership to promote strategic projects in the Region of Galicia. Before that, she served a five-year mandate as ViceGovernor for Social and Sustainable Development Strategy at the Council of Europe Development Bank In Paris ( www.coebank.org).
Between 2014 and 2016, she was Secretary General of the Treasury and Financial Policy in Spain. In that capacity, she served as Deputy Minister at the Eurogroup and Ecofin and was Member of the Board of the Bank of Spain, the Spanish Securities Supervisor (CNMV), Vice-President of the National Banking Resolution Authority (FROB), and Vice-President of the National Guarantee Deposits Scheme (FGD).
She has previously held other senior posts in the Spanish administration and sat, among others, on the Board of Spain’s National Promotional Bank (ICO), the Spanish State Agency for Trade Promotion (ICEX), the Spanish State Agency for Export Credit Financing (CESCE), and the State Holding of Corporations (SEPI).
She is a Member of the Civil Servants’ Senior Corps of State Economists and Trade Specialists and holds an MBA from IE Business School and also an MSc and a PhD in Pharmacy.
BENEFACTORS
The Foundation has the privilege to have benefactors who help to grow the United Way project in Spain.
Jorge Maortua
Advisor
Javier Medem
membership president. Fundraiser committee
Born in Madrid in 1967, belonging to a family of 9 brothers, married to Almudena del Moral in May 2002, and father of three children: Adriana, Álvaro and Javier. He studied his Baccalaureate at Retamar College, he has a Law Degree from the Complutense University of Madrid, and he is an entrepreneur since he was 22 years old.
He began his professional career working for Olivier Dassault, and became independent in 1992 to dedicate himself to the hunting profession. Founder of the prestigious hunting organization called La Nava, he is also promoter and investor in real estate, technological, industrial and financial activities.
He is an active collaborator of several NGOs, Vice President of the Association in Defense of the Environment and Hunting, and member of the Humanae Foundation. Thanks to Michael Hayde, founding Patron of United Way Spain, he knows the work of United Way and the donor becomes involved in the work of the Foundation since its inception.
Amélie de Marsily
Fundraising Committee Director
Amélie de Marsily is currently the Academic Director for the IE Center for Health, Well-Being & Happiness.
Amélie started her career as a lawyer, and then moved to run a business inside a large US corporation. Apart from law, Amélie studied Positive Leadership and Strategy at IE, and has recently trained as a mindfulness teacher.
She is originally French, and speaks fluently Spanish, English, French and Swedish.
Javier Hildebrandt
Fundraiser Committee
Licenciado en Ciencias Económicas por la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, y Executive MBA por el IE, Javier tuvo sus inicios profesionales en National Atesa (ahora Enterprise Rent a Car) y posteriormente en ALSA como adjunto al CEO. En 2015 decidió emprender y actualmente presta servicios de asesoramiento contable y finanzas a Startups.
Miembro del Comité de Recaudación de Fondos de United Way España desde 2018, defiende la enseñanza en las escuelas de la cooperación y del tercer sector desde la infancia, ya que la suma de unos pocos logran un mucho.
Antonio Ruiz Va
Una forma bien interesante de afrontar la vida es sentir siempre que eres útil en lo que haces para los demás. Dicho muy sintéticamente, viene a ser la filosofía de UW.
Pues así aprendí a vivir, con un gran ejemplo y una valiosa herencia de mis padres, maestros, que tenían un orgullo extraordinario de sentirse funcionarios del servicio público de la enseñanza. Me consta que tenían una doble pulsión: enseñar los conocimientos precisados a sus alumnos, pero, sobre todo, educarles para ser personas.
El ayudar a los demás empecé a experimentarlo en mi juventud acudiendo a las iniciativas de José María de Llanos, el Padre Llanos, en los suburbios de Madrid y después en el Servicio Universitario del Trabajo que llegué a dirigir en Madrid hasta su desaparición a finales de los ’60.
Aparte de mis actividades laborales como Economista y Actuario de Seguros en bastantes empresas y organizaciones, como CEISA, TREMASA, SEAT, Grupo ZETA, INH y REPSOL, AGBAR, ADESLAS, ERNST & YOUNG, GAS NATURAL FENOSA, siempre en posiciones directivas, participé en las juntas de gobierno de los Colegios de Economistas de Catalunya y Madrid, y como Secretario General del Consejo General de Colegios de Economistas de España. Y también he participado en el Consejo Directivo de AED, la Asociación Española de Directivos.
En la década que ya terminó, tuve la enorme satisfacción de contribuir a la fundación del ICLD, International Center for Leadership Development, de la Fundación CEDE, y desarrollar el proyecto como Director Académico. Cientos de altos directivos de grandes empresas multinacionales pasaron por esta experiencia única.
Fui miembro del Consejo de Redacción de Mundo Social y ahora pertenezco al Consejo Editorial de Executive Excellence. Soy miembro de Intermon Oxfan, GreenPeace y Amnistía Internacional. Y colaboro con varias ONG de carácter más familiar.
Como decía un buen amigo, como lema vital, “el ruido no hace el bien y el bien, no hace ruido”.
Esas son mis creencias y experiencias.
Angie López
Fundraiser committee
Experienced Business Development Director with a track record of working in research, online media content and advertising strategies for Lycos Europe (then part of the Bertelsmann Group). During those 10 years, Angie was instrumental to the company’s commercial growth across Europe. Later, as part of the management team of WeSee Ltd.
Skilled in leadership, business planning and negotiation. With periods in Germany and Hong Kong, Angie’s professional career started in London where she lived for 28 years before moving back to Spain in 2016.
This international set up and the constant exposure to businesses in Asia, Europe and the US, has given Angie an understanding of different cultures and their needs.
Angie holds a PADE (Programa Alta Dirección Empresa) from IESE Business School, University of Navarra
Elena de Carandini Raventós
Elena works in the ecosystem of Social Impact, Innovation and Sustainability, in business and the third sector. With strategic and proactive vision in creating synergies and alliances so that projects are born, evolve and multiply their economic, social, and environmental impact.
Owner of the Raymat Castle, where she works with the chateau as a lever for change to create social impact in the community through the future Raimat-Lleida Community Foundation and the Raimat LAB: innovation and learning platform, formed by companies and impact entities social, working to achieve economic, social and environmental sustainability (castellderaymat.com) | Boscana Innovation Hub Director | Promoter of Fin & Phil, Finance + Philanthropy + Philosophy for teens (finandphil.com)
Elena is patron of Boscana Foundation | Patron of the María Raventós Foundation | Adviser of the Exit Foundation | President of the Impact and Sustainability Commission at Equestrian Circle | Member of Ideas & Philanthropy to promote social causes | Benefactor of United Way Spain
COLLABORATORS
Network of independent professionals who collaborate directly with United Way Spain to shape its mission and contribute to synergy.
Ashurts
Law Firm
A leading international law firm worldwide. Thanks to their technical expertise, local knowledge and international network, they offer an experience for their clients that other professional service providers find difficult to match. And they work committed to being a sustainable law firm that has positive impacts for its clients, employees, the environment and the communities in which they work.
Luk Comunicación
BRANDING AND MARKETING AGENCY
Communication agency specialized in branding and digital communication. But it is also a new kind of social impact consultancy, committed to working with non-profit organizations, foundations and social enterprises. In close collaboration with their clients, they create strategies, brands and digital experiences that increase the impact of customers in their communities and around the world.
GPS Imagen y Comunicación
RRPP AGENCY
Founded in 1988, GPS Imagen y Comunicación is an agency focused on business results. Its exclusive methodology allows them to offer a tailor-made service, realistic and adapted to real needs, which, from a 360º vision, uses tools of communication, PR, online and offline marketing and sales. They focus on the results and their experience of more than 30 years in the market, which allows them to have a global vision of the different needs of companies and organizations, to offer ad hoc solutions based on pro-activity, multi-functionality and versatility. They have delegations in Mexico, Colombia and Morocco and are part of the global agency network Community.pro.
Solaris Ocean Design Studio
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Our passion and specialty is CINEMA, but our paths include advertising, web or corporate identity. Being able to give graphic solutions to any need is our greatest pride and our best asset.
Tocqueville Society
Alexis de Tocqueville was a French aristocrat, diplomat, historian, politician and philosopher of the 19th century. Writer of books such as “Democracy in America”, the founders of the United Way were inspired by his work on justice and equality to name this society that promotes philanthropy in pursuit of the common good.
Lilly is one of United Way’s longest-serving Global Corporate Leaders, a relationship that dates back to the First World War. Today, the work of United Way Spain is possible thanks to the commitment of Lilly and especially John and Sarah Lechleiter, who created the Lechleiter – Lilly Grant that funds part of our structure. We would also like to thank our founder Mr. Michael K. Hayde and his wife Laura Khouri for their unconditional support from the beginning with their generous annual donation.
Tocqueville Donors
Special thanks to our donors Sarah y John Lechleiter.
Lilly is one of United Way’s longest serving Global Corporate Leaders. A relationship that has lasted a century and dates back to the first World War, and that began when J.K. Lilly was a patron of the community fund that was made to help those affected by the war.
We also want to make a special mention to Sarah and John Lechleiter and Lilly. Together they created the Lechleiter – Lilly grant, with the aim of matching the donations received and that these funds can be allocated to the structure of the entity during our first years of operation in order to grow and allocate 100% of the donations to the projects that we do.
Lilly and their staff have been a constant example of generosity for yet another year, betting on United Way and trusting in our work model
Special thanks to our donors Laura Khouri y Michael K. Hayde.
Based in Orange County, Laura Khouri and Michael K. Hayde, are two philanthropists that have long served their community and the world through their support of United Way.
Mr. Hayde for example was the patron founder of United Way in France, UK and Spain while serving as a Board Member in Spain and in France. He also serves as Treasurer and in the Worldwide Board of Trustees and is part of the Leadership table.
They both support different causes and advance the common good in their day to day life and business decisions, leading by example and being an inspiration for all the people that have the luck to work with them.
