About NH

Ramón Aragonés Marín (Madrid, 1954) studied Hospitality and Tourism Management in Palma de Mallorca University and Louvain University. He joined Hesperia Hotels in 2000 as Operations Manager. He was then promoted to Managing Director of Hesperia Hotels from 2000 to 2009, and after that Managing Director BU Spain of NH Hotel Group. In 2011 he was appointed Chief Operations Officer in the Executive Officer and member of the Management Committee. He has a vast experience in the hospitality industry. Before joining NH Hotel Group he worked as Hotel Manager for over 10 years in Spain, Belgium and Venezuela. 

Beatriz Puente Ferreras holds an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University in Chicago, where she studied Finance, Management and Marketing and was one of three international Fulbright Scholars. She also has a Bachelor in Business Administration with a major in Auditing from C.U.N.E.F. (Colegio Universitario de Estudios Financieros).

Before joining NH Hotel Group as CFO (July 2015), Puente worked as CFO of AENA for over two years, where she was in charge, among other matters, of strategic planning, financial control and investor relations, and she was a member of the Executive Committee. In addition, she was responsible for preparing and coordinating the company’s privatization process and its IPO (The largest IPO since 2007 and 2011 in Spain and Europe) and leading the Steering Committee (shareholders, global coordinators, joint-book runners, lawyers and auditors) and communication with the CNMV.

Beatriz spent almost eight years at Vocento (Spanish media group), which she initially joined as an Investor Relations and Corporate Development Director and was responsible of the preparation of Vocento’s IPO. In 2007, she became CFO. She was also a member of the Executive Committee.

At Citigroup European Investment Banking (Salomon Smith Barney), Puente held various positions. First, she was Associate for Investment Banking in Latin America in New York, then Vice President for Investment Banking (Financial Institutions and M&A) in London and Madrid.

During her professional life, she has also been part of companies such as Quintiles, where she worked as Financial Director and Ernst & Young as a Senior Auditor for clients in the food and beverage, lodging, personal care and retail sectors.

In addition to her work, Beatriz has been a member of C.U.N.E.F.’s advisory board since September 2015 and has taught the Mergers and Acquisitions module in its Master of Finance since 2010.

In 2012, Beatriz received the Seeliger y Conde Talented Young Executives Award (CFO). 

Rufino Pérez Fernández studied Economics and Business Administration at the Universidad de Vigo and has an Executive MBA in Tourism Enterprise Management from the Instituto de Empresa.

He has developed most of his professional career in the hotel industry, holding positions such as Head of Internal Audit, Organization and Systems Director and Chief Operations Officer.

After the integration of Hoteles Hesperia in NH Hotel Group - December 2009- he has served as Commercial Director for Spain, Portugal and Andorra and Managing Director in this business unit.

In February 2013, he was appointed Chief Commercial Officer in NH Hotel Group, leading hotel chain with close to 60.000 rooms in 29 countries. He led the areas of Sales, Pricing and Revenue Management, Reservations (individual and groups) and Commercial Business Intelligence.

From June 2016 to mid-2017 Rufino served as Executive Managing Director of Resources, leading the Organization and IT, Human Resources, Business Intelligence and Procurement global disciplines, and reporting to the Delegated Commission of the Board of Directors.

Currently he holds the position of Chief Operations Officer and Global Transformation Leader.

Laia Lahoz who boasts a Degree in Law School from the Pompeu Fabra University and a Master’s Degree in International Cooperation from the University of Barcelona, has a vast professional experience in Mergers & Acquisitions, Asset Management and Legal Affairs.

She started off her career in the renowned law firm Garrigues and introduced herself into the hospitality industry in 2004 when she joined Hesperia Hotels as Head of the Legal Affairs Department.  

A few years later she moved on to become Managing Director of the Hesperia Investor Group and in 2013, after the integration of the Hesperia hotel chain into NH Hotel Group, she was appointed Senior VP of Portfolio Management, becoming responsible of the Company’s global asset management strategy.

In June 2017, and after extraordinary results in her previous role, Laia was appointed NH Hotel Group’s new Chief Assets and Development Officer, becoming a part of the Company’s Executive Committee and reporting directly to the CEO. From this new position, she continues to lead the Group’s asset strategy and takes on the responsibility of its global expansion and development as well.

Isidoro Martínez de la Escalera (Barcelona, 1965) studied Engineering at the E.T.S.I.I. of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and has a PDD (Management Development Program) from  IESE Business School. He has held leading responsibilities in the areas of General Management and Marketing in multinational companies operating in the fast moving consumer goods sector such as, Procter & Gamble , 20th Century Fox H.E, Pepsi, Antena 3 or Grupo Osborne. Isidoro has also developed a career as digital entrepreneur in the role of founding partner of the PR agency QMS and in the digital marketing agency, MultiPlatform Content.

Martinez de la Escalera joined NH Hotel Group in 2014 as Chief Marketing Officer where he is currently responsible for leading the Company’s global marketing and online sales channels strategy.

Furthermore, Isidoro is a member of the board at Biosearch, a listed company on the stock exchange market of Madrid and teaches in several prestigious institutions such as Instituto Superior para el Desarrollo de Internet (ISDI) or the Universidad de Nebrija.

He published the novel “Humo en la lluvia” in 2010.

Fernando joined Nh Hotel Group in 2014 as Senior Vice President Commercial Strategy & Pricing, in July 2016 we was appointed as Chief Commercial Official and member of the Management Committee.

Fernando leads the Commercial Strategy for all commercial disciplines (Sales, Distribution, Reservations, Pricing and Revenue Management, Business Intelligence, etc.) to ensure top line growth aligned with NH´s Strategic Plan

He is an expert on Revenue Management, Commercial practices and distribution with experience both in the urban and resort arena and operating hotels in all continents.  

Previously to NH Hotel Group Fernando occupied different positions at the Le Meridien, the Ritz in Madrid, Hesperia Hotels and Meliá Hotels International, where he spent 8 years. From Global Director of Revenue Management to Senior Commercial Director EMEA and Premium Brands, not only being responsible for top line results in the area but outbound business, the global sales force and leading the luxury sales strategy for the group.

Fernando has entrepreneurial experience, that he applies on his daily practices. He is an entrepreneur himself, co-funding the Revenue Management & Distribution firm Xotels, ltd in 2006.

As a passionate hotelier and mentor, he founded in 2009 the Masters Degree “Expert on Revenue Management “ at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid, that has consolidated as the most prestigious and solid RM Official education in the  Spanish language. He is as well associate professor at IE Business School, teaching Distribution and Pricing on their MBA programs.

It is usual to see him as keynote speaker in conferences hosted by Eye for Travel or HSMAI.

Fernando Córdova, who holds a degree in Industrial Engineering and Organizational Systems from La Salle University in Mexico, has developed most of his career in the Human Resources field, where throughout time he has held positions of responsibility in different countries.

After various years working in ING Mexico, he was appointed Corporate Subdirector of HR in ING The Netherlands and subsequently, Executive VP for the same company in Spain. In 2014, Córdova joined NH Hotel Group as Senior VP of Human Resources and Internal Communication and more recently, in 2017, he was appointed Chief People Officer.

From this new role, Fernando Córdova – who is now part of NH Hotel Group’s Executive Committee and reports directly to the CEO – leads the Company’s global HR and Internal Communication strategy and co-leads the transformation of its Operational Model.

Córdova is a Board Member of the International Organization of Human Capital Directors (DCH) and in 2017 he was recognized for his outstanding trajectory in Human Resources with the Facthum Award, which he received during the Annual HR Gala of the same year.

Carlos Ulecia Palacios boasts degrees in both Law and Business Administration from the University of Zaragoza and a Master’s Degree in Legal and Tax Advisory from the IE Business School of Madrid. He has developed most of his professional career in the legal areas of renowned international companies, specializing in Mergers & Acquisitions, Contracting, Stock Market and Corporate Governance.

Prior to his current position in NH Hotel Group, Carlos Ulecia was Senior Associate in firms such as Landwell and PWC and in the year 2000, he was appointed Legal Director of Indra Systems, leading the global consulting and technology company’s privatization and its stock market debut as well as contributing to its internationalization process. 

In 2007, he moved on to become General Secretary and Vice-secretary of the Board of Directors of Prisa, a prominent Spanish media conglomerate, where he was in charge of the refinancing and restructuring of the Group’s debt and the coordination of its Board of Directors and Committees.

In 2013, Carlos Ulecia joined NH Hotel Group as its new General Secretary, role that he combined with Secretary of the Board of Directors and Legal Advisor of Sotogrande S.A. until its sale to the Cerberus and Orion funds in 2015. As Secretary General of NH Hotel Group and member of its Executive Committee, Carlos Ulecia is currently responsible for the Legal Affairs, Compliance and Internal Audit Departments of the Company as well as for the management of the Board of Director and its Commissions.

Carlos Ulecia dedicates time to teaching Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate Governance as a visiting professor in the IE Business School of Madrid and periodically participates in seminars and conferences related to the field of law. 

He is a member of the Madrid Bar Association and of the Spanish Corporate Lawyers Association