Team

The secret to our success

Our people are everything. We are a team of specialists with a wide variety of professional experiences in multiple areas and sectors, most of them hailing from some of the most prestigious business schools. We are ready to be part of your team. Together we will turn your opportunities into successes.

JOAN RIERA
PRESIDENT

“The secret is the team. To surround ourselves with the best, has proved to be the key to our success. Anyone who can surpass us in something is welcome to join”

Joan Riera is an Innovator, Advisor, Professor, Investor, Writer and Speaker, known for his unparalleled connection with people, his fierce passion, and his obsession to find entrepreneurial ways to drive positive change in the world. Joan has over 20 years of business success in the corporate world and then as an eight-time entrepreneur.

Joan has been honored to participate in more than 400 projects and help over 50.000 executives from more than 60 countries transform and energize their lives and their organizations. To accomplish this mission, he founded Active Development in 2010, a consulting firm that offers specialized advisory in growth management, innovation, corporate entrepreneurship and sales. He is currently leading the company and participating in different projects in the field.

He is a prolific thought leader and author, regularly expressing his views on business issues in public speeches, television appearances, and top publications. Joan is internationally recognized as a leading expert for Corporate Entrepreneurship. His latest book, Impulso, offers an accessible methodology to deploy intrapreneurship in the organizations.

As a supporter of socially conscious ventures, Joan is proud to have designed and executed different programs for governments, institutions, foundations and NGOs, such as entrepreneurship camps for young gifted entrepreneurs or an incubator / accelerator for disabled entrepreneurs.
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JORDI PLA
GENERAL MANAGER

"Customers demand excellence and great results. To do this, we have a good team, knowledge and motivation”

He has a degree and MBA from ESADE and IESE PDG. He has developed a long international career in the world of marketing, advertising and communications. He has had managerial responsibilities in Spain, United States and several European projects.
 
He is academic collaborator for ESADE. He is also active lecturer and independent director of several business initiatives, as well as an active participant in the commercial sector business forums and entrepreneurship. He has been an entrepreneur and private investor.
 
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NACHO GALLARDO
SENIOR MANAGER

“Perseverance will prevail where everything else fails! Passion for innovation and growth and the ability of a talented team makes working at Active Development a pleasure”

Lic&MBA by ESADE, specialized in Marketing, Sales and Business Strategy. Experience in an International Marketing Agency (5 years between Paris and London). Nacho is also a ESADE academic collaborator and associate professor in the MBA ESIC, where he coordinates the Investment Forum and advises the investors club.
 
Private investor in start-ups in different accelerators and incubators, as well as an active speaker. He has been an entrepreneur and Director in the consulting area.
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JORDI RIERA
MANAGER MIAMI OFFICE

“The worst execution is the one that is not done”

Jordi leads Active Development for USA. He has more than 10 years experience in Marketing and Sales in the USA and in international companies in diverse countries. Jordi has also experience in Business Development for Asia, New Zealand and Australia.
 
He has the BA Honours International Business by the University of Westminster ( London, UK ) and also has studied in programs from the London School of Economics and Instituto de Empresa.
 
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RICARD HUGUET
SENIOR MANAGER

“It is more fun being the pirate than joining the Navy”

Ricard has a degree in Pharmacy and MBA at MIT Sloan School of Management with emphasis on innovation. He is co-instructor with Henry Chesbrough and Ken Morse at ESADE. His specialties are in the area of turning technology into business and commercial development.
 
In 2003 Ricard was appointed Director of Innovation for the city of Barcelona. He is an entrepreneur, private investor and active speaker.
 
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CARLOS LÓPEZ
SENIOR MANAGER

“Great work is performed not by strength but by perseverance”

PADG at the Instituto de Empresa. he estudied Management and Business Administration at the UIB. Businessman and entrepreneur expert in the area of corporate finance.
 
He has been Director of Corporate Banking for financial institutions in the Balearic Islands. Founder of a company for outsourcing Financial Management services to SMEs.
 
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XIMENA MARTÍNEZ
Senior Consultant

"To be innovative is to break the limits that you impose on your mind, is to find the best version of yourself to open new possibilities in your environment"

Specialist in Talent Management, People Development, Selection and High Performance Teams. Degree in Psychology from the Universidad del Desarrollo in Santiago de Chile. Certified in international assessment tools, as well as in coaching by Rafael Echevarría's school.
 
Her teaching and research activity focuses on the evaluation of the person, new talent development techniques and Human Resources management. She is an active lecturer in corporate entrepreneurship and talent management forums.
 
She has developed her career in the field of clinical, organizational and business psychology. With more than 10 years of experience in HR Management and Management. The case of Vodafone stands out, where he assumed responsibility for Human Resources in the field of distribution, creating and developing high-performance commercial teams in highly competitive environments with complex sales processes.
 
 
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PEDRO ALEGRET
Associate & Millenials / Generation Z Advisor

“The only time success comes before work is in the dictionary”

Pedro is one of the youngest team members. He has been studying in the US for 3 years and is currently pursuing a career in business administration at George Washington University in DC. His contribution is decisive in the advice of millennials and generation z, plausible solutions must be in the future and from an international point of view.
 
 
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NATALIA JIMÉNEZ
OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE

“An objective without an operations plan is just a will or a wish”

CFGM graduate in Administration and Management, and currently studying for CFGS Administration and Financing at Puig Castellar Institute. She was in a ERASMUS program working as an Administrative in an Institute and collaborating with children’s volunteer projects in Venice, Italy. Natalia is currently working on skating projects for the future, as she was a professional athlete for 16 years. She will soon start marketing and advertising and expand her knowledge.
 
 
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Enrique Belda
Senior Associate

“In other times, literature was an art and finance a job; today it is the opposite”

Degree in Economics from the University of Barcelona (UB) and Master in Project Management from LaSalle BCN (U. Ramón Llull), with more than 20 years of experience in the areas of Innovation, Finance and Business Development, developed mainly in multinational companies and FMCG.

Enrique has a highly analytical and creative profile. He brings a strategic and business vision, betting on innovation oriented to achievement and results. He has a great capacity for planning, management and process development, which also involves people leadership and organization of cross-functional teams.

Enrique brings economic and financial vision to projects, combining the rigor of his high analytical skills, innovation and business vision.

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Marta Madeira
Senior Consultant

“When people go to work, they should not be leaving their hearts at home”

Degree in Psychology from the University of Coimbra (Portugal), with a Master's Degree in Psychoanalytic Clinic from the University of Barcelona. Her main activity is based on the development of large work teams and the continuous training of people as HR Senior Consultant and Certified Coach.

Marta is passionate about human management in organizations, team coordination, leadership and development to achieve high performance.

Experience as CEO in the Psychology Department of Trasesa (Lisbon), leading projects of psychological assessment, counseling and coaching. He has also designed programs to improve mental state and health at work.

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Jose Antonio Camuñez
Senior Manager

“Your dreams become real when you set goal and a calendar for them.”

More than 10 years of international experience working as Sales Director in multinational consumer goods companies. He stands out for his experience in sales, international growth and in the development of commercial teams. EMBA by ESADE.

Extensive experience in projects in the Gourmet and disruptive alcoholic beverages sector. Specialized in developments for companies focused on private label/co-manufacturing and A-Brands.

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Miguel Sainz
Manager Latam Branch (Santo Domingo)

“Think global, act local.”

Degree in Advertising and Graphic Design from the Universidad de Acción Pro Educación y Cultura in Santo Domingo. Founder of DiarioSalud.do and Comunimas, both aimed at consulting and digital transformation of health businesses.

Professional experience as General Project Manager leading projects in the field of new technologies, innovation and industrial services. She has experience in digital strategy, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Marketing Management, Negotiation and strategic marketing plan.

High capacity of Business Development with a Master in Business in the Digital Economy, focused on e-business, e-commerce and e-Marketing by the University of Barcelona.

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Daniela Gomes
Senior Consultant

“In every adventure you have to put the best of yourself”

Graduated in Psychology from ISCTE - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (Portugal), with a Master's degree in Forensic Psychology and Social Exclusion from the Universidade Lusófona de Lisboa.

Extensive experience in individual and group skills development projects.

Passionate about promoting healthy workplaces where the person plays a central role as an agent of change for well-being.

Experience as coordinator of wellness teams in content moderation projects.

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