Spaniard Francisco Pérez Botello (Volkswagen) elected Vice President of the German Chamber of Commerce

The German Chamber of Commerce for Spain has announced the appointment of Francisco Pérez Botello as its new vice president. Pérez Botello, who chairs Volkswagen Group Spain Distribution, was appointed during the institution's general shareholders' meeting, where the 2024 annual accounts and activity report were presented and the board of directors was renewed.

Francisco Pérez Botello, a graduate in Physics and with a Master's in Business Administration and Management from Esade, was born in Isla Cristina in 1963 and took over as president of Volkswagen Spain in 2014.

His career at the company began in 2010 as director of the Volkswagen brand in the country. His extensive professional career in the automotive sector also includes important management positions at other leading brands such as Ford.

Pérez Botello expressed his gratitude for the trust placed in him: "Many thanks to the General Assembly and the Board of Directors for placing their trust in me to serve as Vice President of the Chamber. It will be a pleasure to continue collaborating to promote trade relations between Spain and Germany."

In his new role, Francisco Pérez Botello takes over from Carles Navarro, CEO of BASF Spain, and will share responsibilities with Manuel Zafra, president of Merck in Spain, who assumed the position last March.

The general meeting also served to appoint new members to the Board of Directors, including Fernando Silva, President and CEO of Siemens Spain; Adrián Orbea, President of Henkel Ibérica; and Rubén Folgado, General Manager of Messer Ibérica de Gases. These additions are in addition to the renewals of members such as Stephane de Creisquer (MAN Truck & Bus Iberia), Veit Stutz (Allianz Seguros España), Michael Voss (Sparber Air Cargo), Mónica Weimann (Gómez-Acebo & Pombo), and Manuel Zafra (Merck in Spain).

The event was opened by the President of the German Chamber of Commerce, Osmar Polo, who offered a positive assessment of Spanish-German relations. Polo highlighted the results of the AHK Spring 2025 Barometer, which indicates that 95% of German companies in Spain rate their current situation as good or satisfactory, reflecting an environment of collaboration and mutual growth.