Nerea Aranguren Achotegui, new general manager of the Machine Tool and Industrial Automation divisions of Mondragon: Danobatgroup and MIA

• She will assume the position on August 1, replacing Pello Rodriguez Zabaleta, who will become the Chairperson of the General Board of MONDRAGON Corporation.

Nerea Aranguren Achotegui will be the new general manager of the Machine Tool and Industrial Automation divisions of the MONDRAGON  Corporation: Danobatgroup and MIA. This was endorsed by the Governing Boards of both divisions at a meeting held on Thursday 15 February.  

Currently Managing Director of the Ideko research centre and Director of Innovation at Danobatgroup, Aranguren will take over from Pello Rodríguez Zabaleta, who will become the Chairperson of the General Board of the MONDRAGON Corporation substituting Iñigo Ucín, on 1 August 2024.

Aranguren knows both divisions and MONDRAGON Corporation very well and maintains a close relationship with them. She has been a key figure in driving the industrial digitisation of many of the companies in these divisions, has led various forums and committees in the field of innovation, and serves as a member of the Committee for the Promotion of New Business of the MONDRAGON Corporation. Moreover, she holds prominent positions in various associations and technology-based companies, serving as the chairperson of the business association of the Aeronautical Advanced Manufacturing Centre CFAA and the digitisation company Savvy, and as vice-chair of the Basque Artificial Intelligence Center BAIC, among others.

The new CEO brings extensive experience in the field of Technological Innovation and Industry, taking over the management with a commitment to ensuring the continued progress and leadership of both divisions. "I am very excited about this new stage in my professional career. I am deeply grateful for the trust placed in me and I pledge to do my best to ensure that these two divisions continue to make progress and be leaders in their fields.”

Born in San Sebastian in 1973, Nerea Aranguren Achótegui holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Navarra, specialising in Organisation, and a Ph.D. in Strategic Innovation. She spent most of her professional career at the Ideko research centre where she progressed from a researcher to a department manager, eventually becoming the General Manager in 2016, a position she combined with Innovation Management at the Danobatgroup.

About the Machine Tool and Industrial Automation Divisions

The Machine Tool Division of the MONDRAGON Corporation, better known as Danobatgroup, comprises the cooperatives Danobat, Danobatgroup, Goimek, Ideko and Soraluce, and is a benchmark in machine tools and advanced manufacturing.  

On the other hand, the Industrial Automation Division of the MONDRAGON Corporation includes the companies Fagor Arrasate, Fagor Automation and Mondragon Assembly.