Maria Cortina Aurrecoechea

Global Head of Social Commitment and Senior Advisor for Corporate Affairs Spain at Siemens Gamesa

Maria is a senior executive in communication, institutional relations and sustainability, with 30 years of experience in regional and global roles. Currently serving as Global Head of Social Commitment at Siemens Gamesa and as senior advisor for Corporate Affairs for Spain, she has been Global Director of Communication, Public Affairs and Sustainability and member of the extended Management Committee from the company foundation until 2019.

Maria started off as an economic journalist at the Spanish newspaper Diario 16, where she worked for 8 years, after which she joined the Ministry of Economy of Spain, where she served as the Head of Press for the Tax Department. She then changed to the private sector and worked as Head of Communications for Telefonica first, and then for NH Hotels, before joining Burston-Marsteller as Head of Corporate Finance. In 2007, Maria was hired by Siemens to head the group’s Communications and Government Affairs Department in Spain, a position that she held for almost 10 years, achieving significant external and internal successes.

Certified coach since 2013, Maria has been a member of the Management Board of the Spanish Association of Communications Directors until January 2020 and currently serves as executive advisor for the Spanish Association Against Cancer. She is one of the founders of “Multinacionales Marca España”, the multinational corporations association in Spain, where she acted as vice president until 2017.

Maria studied law at the University of Deusto, Business Tax Advice at ICADE and Strategic Management and Social Leadership at IESE.