Departures of note

Josep Vilarasau Salat was born in Barcelona in 1931. He studied industrial engineering and earned a doctorate in economics, later teaching economics at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. After a career in public administration, he entered the banking sector, becoming director general of the Caja de Pensiones para la Vejez y Ahorros (later La Caixa) in 1976. Vilarasau led the institution through a period of rapid growth, expanding its branch network, modernising its operations with early computerisation, and diversifying its investments into telecommunications, energy and other industries. In 1999 he became president executive of La Caixa and its foundation, a position he held until 2003, after which he served as president of honor. He received several distinctions, including the Juan Lladó prize (2000) and the Tiepolo award (2002). Vilarasau died on 28 July 2026 at the age of 95.