Carmela Arias y Díaz de Rábago, (20 February 1920 - 27 October 2009), was a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

banker who, in 1971, became the first woman president of a bank in Spain, a post she held for 30 years. She also became known as Countess of Fenosa.

Biography

Arias was born in

A Coruña A Coruña (; es, La Coruña ; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. A Coruña is the most populated city in Galicia and the second most populated municipality in the autonomous community and s ...

, a city and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of Galicia,

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. Her parents were Carmela Díaz de Rábago y Aguiar and Vicente Arias de la Maza, who was the grandson of Don Pedro de Agar y Bustillo,

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of Spain in the Courts of

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

. She attended high school in Barcelona. After the end of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

(1936-1939), Arias enrolled in the Barcelona School of Architecture, but her studies there were abruptly halted when she contracted a serious lung-related disease that lasted for about 20 years, which was finally cured after surgery in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

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in 1953.

Arias married Pedro Barrié de la Maza y Pastor, Count of Fenosa and her father's first cousin, in December 1966. After her husband's death, in 1971, Arias inherited the title Countess of Fenosa and assumed the presidencies of the

Banco Pastor Banco Popular Pastor, S.A. was a Spanish bank. It was the second oldest banking institution in the country, after Banco Etcheverría. The bank's main business activity was commercial banking, corporate banking, Internet and telephone banking, an ...

(with headquarters in

) as well as the Pedro Barrié de la Maza Foundation, two organizations for which she was already serving as vice president. She remained president of both organizations for 30 years. Arias also served as honorary president of the energy company

Unión Fenosa ''Unión Fenosa, S.A.'' was, until its acquisition by ''Gas Natural'' in 2009, a large Spanish company dedicated to the production and distribution of gas and electricity. It installed capacity of 11,120 megawatts of power and 8.9 million custome ...

, and in January 1992 she was appointed vice president and member of the company's delegate committee. Just one month later, on 15 February, she witnessed the culmination of a collaboration agreement between the

Xunta de Galicia The Xunta de Galicia (; "Regional Government of Galicia") is the collective decision-making body of the government of the autonomous community of Galicia, composed of the President, the Vice-President(s) and the specialized ministers (''Consell ...

and her bank, resulting in creation of a development fund to promote large business projects in her home region of Galicia, Spain. Arias resigned as president of Banco Pastor in 2001, citing her advancing age. She was succeeded there by her nephew, but she remained a director of the bank and was named its honorary president. Arias died at her home on 27 October 2009 in A Coruña at the age of 89. She had no children. In her will, she designated almost all of her substantial personal fortune, with the exception of her family's houses, were to go to the Pedro Barrié de la Maza Foundation.

Selected other positions

* President, governing board of the Juana de Vega Board of Trustees * Honorary member of the World Organization for Preschool Education * Member, Royal Board of Education

Selected honors

Arias was named Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of La Coruña in 1991. * The

Castelao Medal The Castelao Medal (Galician: ''Medalla Castelao''), established in 1984, is one of the highest civil distinctions awarded in Galicia, surpassed only by the Medalla de Galicia. The award is presented by the Xunta de Galicia to honour the people a ...

of the

, 1989 * Gold Badge of the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

* Galician of the Year, 1996 * Gold Medal from the University of Galicia, 1982 * Gold Medal from the Royal Academy of Arts of San Fernando, 1989 * Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Charity * Gold Medal of the Spanish Association for the Fight against Cancer * Gold Medal of the Chamber of Commerce of La Coruña * Gold Badge of the Albéniz Musical Group * Cross '

Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice ''Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice'' ("For Church and Pope" in Latin) is a decoration of the Holy See. It is currently conferred for distinguished service to the Catholic Church by lay people and clergy. History The medal was established by Leo XIII o ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arias, Carmela 1920 births 2009 deaths Spanish bankers Women bankers 20th-century Spanish businesswomen 20th-century Spanish businesspeople Spanish countesses Castelao Medal recipients