Overview
Mallorca has long been the birthplace of a global tourism model, setting standards for the industry. However, it now faces emerging challenges, including housing and real estate pressures, the shift toward regenerative tourism, sustainability concerns, and the transition to a circular economy. Mallorca is now re-evaluating its economic trajectory and refining its tourism expertise to ensure its own economic prosperity while remaining a model for destinations that have drawn inspiration from its success.
This event brought together industry leaders to explore how Mallorca can redefine its role, not just as a premier destination, but as a hub for innovation in tourism, design, and technology. Through insightful discussions, we examined how key sectors are evolving to balance growth with sustainability and social cohesion, ensuring Mallorca remains a model for the future.
The event also saw the launch of the Special Report: Mallorca 2025, a comprehensive publication featuring dozens of interviews with top leaders from every major sector of the Mallorcan economy. The report will later be available on leading business information platforms including Bloomberg Terminal, LSEG Eikon, Dow Jones Factiva, and FactSet, as well as on Google Books and PressReader and at thebusinessyear.com.
Speakers
Carmen Planas Palou
President, Confederation of Business Associations of the Balearic Islands (CAEB)
Carmen Planas Palou
President, Confederation of Business Associations of the Balearic Islands (CAEB)
Carmen Planas holds a degree in pharmacy from the University of Navarra, a degree as a specialist pharmacist in clinical analysis from the Ministry of Education, a master’s degree in hospital management and administration from ESADE, and an executive master’s degree in hospital and healthcare company management from EADA, among others.
Antoni Riera Font
Technical Director, Fundació Impulsa Balears
Antoni Riera Font
Technical Director, Fundació Impulsa Balears
Antoni Riera Font currently serves as technical director of the Fundación Impulsa Balears and professor of applied economics at the University of the Balearic Islands. Much of his academic career has been linked to the Research Group on Economic Analysis of the Impacts of Tourism (AEIT) and the Centre de Recerca Econòmica (CRE), from where he has directed several publications and developed contracts and research projects financed with European, state, or regional funds in the field of environmental economics and regional economics. He is the author of more than 50 articles published in internationally renowned journals. He has also received several awards and is currently a member of multiple entities and editorial boards.
Gloria RodrÃguez MartÃn
President, Mallorca Design District (MADD)
Gloria RodrÃguez MartÃn
President, Mallorca Design District (MADD)
Gloria RodrÃguez (MBA) holds both a bachelor's and a master's degree from the prestigious business school ESADE. She began her professional career in marketing at Danone, followed by several years working with multinational firms such as Deloitte. She later served as director of her family business, Romar Consulting, where she advised SMEs in Barcelona on tax matters and strategic consulting. In 2004, she launched her own project in Mallorca alongside her husband. Leveraging their extensive network on the island in the construction, architecture, and interior design sectors—as well as their shared passion for Mallorca—they founded MallorcaSite.com, a boutique real estate agency serving the entire island. With nearly 20 years of experience in the boutique real estate sector in Mallorca, RodrÃguez also serves as the current President of Mallorca Design District (MADD).
MarÃa José Aguiló
Executive Vice President Hotel Business Federation of Mallorca (FEHM)
MarÃa José Aguiló
Executive Vice President Hotel Business Federation of Mallorca (FEHM)
MarÃa José Aguiló holds a degree in communication and public relations from the University of
Girona. She began her career as executive assistant in communication and events at
Bertelsmann Stiftung in Spain before assuming the role of manager of both the Hotel Business
Association of Alcúdia and the Hotel Association of Can Picafort, positions she held for over two
decades. In 2004, she played a key role in the creation of the Alcúdia External Promotion Consortium, where she served as technical director from its foundation until 2017. That same year, she joined FEHM, where she currently serves as Executive Vice President.
Corinna Graf
CEO, Puerto Portals
Corinna Graf
CEO, Puerto Portals
Corinna Graf holds a degree in economics from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. Her family founded Puerto Portals in the 1980s. She has been the CEO of Puerto Portals since 2012, after having been director and vice president of a company in the household appliance sector for eight years. Graf combines the management of Puerto Portals with other positions in sectors as diverse as industry, hospitality, and wine. She is President of the Association of Marinas of the Balearic Islands (PDBA) and a member of the board of directors of the Association for the Progress of Management (APD) Balears, the territorial advisory board of Caixabank in the Balearic Islands, and the eastern regional advisory board of BBVA.
Francisco Vila
CEO, Arabella Hospitality España
Francisco Vila
CEO, Arabella Hospitality España
Francisco Vila was born in 1967 in Palma de Mallorca. After studying business administration and various postgraduate courses in public finance and administration, he began his professional career in various construction, tourism, and banking companies, until 1993, when he started his relationship with the Schörghuber Group. He has held various roles within the Group and is currently CEO of the Mallorcan subsidiary, Arabella Hoteles e Inversiones de España, where he is responsible for real estate, hotels and golf. He is also a member of several organizations, such as Fomento del Turismo, APD and Fundación Impulsa.
Toni Ballester Gornals
CEO, Estel Ingenieria y Obras
Toni Ballester Gornals
CEO, Estel Ingenieria y Obras
Antonio Ballester Gornals did his studies in telecommunications engineering at the Polytechnic University of Barcelona. He complemented his university studies with his first work experience in the hotel chain Melià . He completed an MBA at CEFEM in 1996. That same year, he co-founded Juniper Networks and later became a partner in Estel IngenierÃa y Obras in 1997. In 2000, he was nominated for the Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Currently, he is the CEO of Estel IngenierÃa y Obras, which has 15 offices around the world and five lines of business.
Mark Antipof
Chief Growth Officer, HBX Group
Mark Antipof
Chief Growth Officer, HBX Group
Mark Antipof, a board-level, internationally experienced senior executive with extensive experience in the payments and technology services industries, joined the company in February 2023 in the newly created role of business development director. He has a career spanning more than 30 years at some of the world’s leading financial companies, including four years at Ingenico, where he served as a member of the executive committee and Global Head of Sales & Marketing. Prior to this, he spent 14 years at Visa Europe, latterly as CCO with responsibility for all commercial, business, stakeholder and client-facing activities in 37 markets. He is a visionary, multilingual leader with extensive sales, marketing and customer service expertise. He is credited with driving consistent sales growth and accelerating efficiencies in his previous roles. Now, as Chief Growth Officer at HBX Group, he is responsible for developing new products, segments and business models to accelerate growth across all areas of the business.
Daniel Doppler
President, Quicktext
Daniel Doppler
President, Quicktext
Daniel Doppler is a serial entrepreneur pioneer of the commercial internet in France with Paris Tourisme in 1996 and Windward Islands in 1999, now a global leader in yacht charters. He has since founded companies in digital hospitality consulting, e-commerce, and IT services, and invests in start-ups across fashion, blockchain, and beyond. In 2017, he founded Quicktext, the world’s leading AI and big data platform for the hotel industry, with over 1,900 clients in 76 countries. He is a frequent speaker on AI in hospitality and a guest lecturer at Virginia Tech and the International University of Monaco.
José Mañas
CEO, WDNA
Jose Mañas is an engineer with ingenuity. One of his most remarkable traits is his desire to inspire people to believe and to create—to turn to inventiveness in order to find the best solutions for a common goal: improving the lives of those around us, in any way possible—by being more efficient, polluting less, giving back to society, making the most of resources, helping prevent natural disasters, and more.
MarÃa Obrador Planas
Director, Cap Rocat
MarÃa Obrador Planas
Director, Cap Rocat
With over 20 years of experience in the tourism and hospitality sector, MarÃa Obrador is a prominent entrepreneur from Palma de Mallorca, known for her strong commitment to culture and social causes. She is currently the General Director of the Cap Rocat Festival, an event that brings some of the greatest classical music stars to the island every summer. She also serves as spokesperson for the Madina Mayurqa Foundation, a non-profit organization established to preserve and promote the traditions and heritage of Mallorca. She is also the owner of Hotel Can Puig de Sóller, has led the Agrotourism Finca Es Cabás project, and is co-owner of Somnia, a company specializing in the development and management of tourism establishments. Since 2020, she has also held the position of Secretary General of the Young Entrepreneurs Association of the Balearic Islands.
Yoann Blanc
CEO & President, Todoesdata & AJE Baleares
Yoann Blanc
CEO & President, Todoesdata & AJE Baleares
Yoann Blanc is an entrepreneur and strategist specializing in data and AI. As the founder of Todoesdata, he leads data-driven strategies to enhance business profitability. He is also the co-owner of Somnia, a high-end hospitality management company. Currently, he serves as president of AJE Balears, supporting young entrepreneurs in the Balearic Islands, and is a board member of both the Cercle d’Economia de Mallorca and the Cambra de Comerç de Mallorca. With a background in Big Data and AI from Esade, he blends business expertise and technology to drive innovation and operational efficiency.
Ioana Krempanszky Popa
CCO, The Business Year
Ioana Krempanszky Popa
CCO, The Business Year
Ioana Krempanszky Popa is The Regional Director for Middle East for The Business Year, where she has been working for the past 6 years. She has successfully created partnerships with the worlds' largest entities in highly competitive markets, and lead teams to complete successful projects in several countries, such as the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Jamaica, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Nigeria. She graduated from the University of Vienna, Austria, with a Master's Degree in Cognitive Science, majoring in behavioral economics.
Silvia Lambiase
Senior Editor, The Business Year
Silvia Lambiase
Senior Editor, The Business Year
Silvia Lambiase is Senior Country Editor at The Business Year. She has wide-ranging experience working in economic analysis, media, business development, and marketing in various countries, including the UK, Nigeria, the UAE, Oman, and Kazakhstan. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international economic relations from La Sapienza University of Rome and an MSc in economics and finance from the University of Liverpool.
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