Carmela Arias y Díaz de Rábago
Carmela Arias y Díaz de Rábago | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1920-02-20 A Coruña, Galicia, Spain |
| Died | 2009-10-27 A Coruña, Galicia, Spain |
| Occupation | Banker |
| Known for | First female president of a bank in Spain (Banco Pastor) |
Carmela Arias y Díaz de Rábago (20 February 1920 – 27 October 2009) was a pioneering Spanish banker who, in 1971, became the first female to assume the presidency of a bank in Spain, a role she maintained for three decades. She was also recognized by her noble title, Countess of Fenosa.
Biography
Born in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain, Arias was the daughter of Carmela Díaz de Rábago y Aguiar and Vicente Arias de la Maza, the latter being the grandson of Don Pedro de Agar y Bustillo, who served as regent of Spain during the Courts of Cádiz. Her secondary education took place in Barcelona.
Following the Spanish Civil War, Arias began studies at the Barcelona School of Architecture; however, she had to pause her education due to a severe pulmonary illness that persisted for approximately two decades and was eventually resolved through surgery performed in Stockholm in 1953.
In December 1966, she wed Pedro Barrié de la Maza y Pastor, Count of Fenosa and her paternal cousin. After his passing in 1971, she inherited the title Countess of Fenosa and assumed leadership as president of Banco Pastor, based in A Coruña, as well as the Pedro Barrié de la Maza Foundation—positions she had previously held as vice president. Her stewardship spanned thirty years.
Additionally, Arias held the roles of honorary president and subsequently vice president and delegate committee member at the energy firm Unión Fenosa. In February 1992, she facilitated a partnership between the Xunta de Galicia and Banco Pastor that established a development fund aimed at fostering significant business initiatives within Galicia.
Due to advancing age, she stepped down from her presidency at Banco Pastor in 2001, with her nephew succeeding her; nevertheless, she continued to serve as a director and honorary president.
Arias passed away at her residence in A Coruña on 27 October 2009 at 89 years old. She left no descendants. The majority of her personal assets, excluding family estates, were bequeathed to the Pedro Barrié de la Maza Foundation according to her testament.
Selected other positions
- Chairwoman, governing board of the Juana de Vega Board of Trustees
- Honorary member of the World Organization for Preschool Education
- Member of the Royal Board of Education
Selected honors
In 1991, Arias was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of La Coruña.
- Recipient of the Castelao Medal from the Xunta de Galicia in 1989
- Holder of the Gold Badge from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
- Named Galician of the Year in 1996
- Awarded Gold Medals by University of Galicia (1982) and Royal Academy of Arts of San Fernando (1989)
- Decorated with the Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Charity
- Received Gold Medals from both Spanish Association for the Fight against Cancer and Chamber of Commerce of La Coruña
- Honored with Gold Badge from Albéniz Musical Group
- Awarded the Cross 'Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice'