Mikel Jauregi, Basque Government Minister of Industry, has held an initial meeting at the headquarters of the Bilbao Port Authority with Iván Jiménez, the new president, and Ricardo Barkala, the outgoing president, who has held the position since July 2018 and who stepped down yesterday. Mr. Jauregi sincerely thanked Mr. Barkala for all his work in the post, highlighting his commitment and dedication over the last seven years.
Iván Jiménez Aira has taken office today, July 17, as President of the Bilbao Port Authority, following the publication of his appointment in both the BOPV (Official Gazette of the Basque Government) and the BOE (Official State Gazette), approved by the Governing Council of the Basque Government on June 24.
Mr. Jiménez (Barakaldo, 1975) holds a degree in Law, specializing in legal and economic matters, from the University of Deusto, a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Deusto Business School, and a Master’s degree in Business Analytics from ESADE. He has completed a digital training program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is fluent in five languages (Basque, Spanish, English, French and Italian).
From 2011 to 2025, he was the Director of Bizkaia Talent, a not-for-profit organization promoted, amongst others, by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, and focused on attracting, retaining and connecting highly qualified personnel with the Basque Country. At Bizkaia Talent, he developed strategies based on data, innovation and international partnerships. Mr. Jiménez has also been an advisor on several European Commission projects related to international mobility and regional competitiveness, and a speaker at international events related to international talent management, digitisation and data analytics.
Prior to that, he was responsible for large and medium-sized companies in the northern area of Mapfre, and co-founder of Soineko, the first textile retailer to start selling online in the Basque Country.
The new president has an international outlook and the ability to promote the Port of Bilbao as a strategic hub for global logistics and trade. An executive with more than 20 years of experience in developing strategies based on data, innovation and international partnerships, Mr. Jiménez takes on this new role at the helm of the Bilbao Port Authority with the aim of addressing the challenges facing this key location for the Basque economy, which acts as a strategic hub for international trade and as a key infrastructure for the competitiveness of Basque industry.
His experience in negotiation and institutional relations, combined with his strategic vision and mastery of big data, make him the ideal leader to modernize and project the Port of Bilbao onto the global stage. To this end, he can draw on the potential for development in innovation and digitalization, with a particular focus on strategic data management for operational efficiency, sustainability and smart decision-making.
