Josep Usall
Dr. Josep Usall i Rodié, has been the Director General of IRTA since July 2018.
He obtained the title of Agricultural Engineer from the UPC in 1991 and joined IRTA as a researcher in 1992. In 1995 he received his doctorate from the UdL. He has been director of the IRTA Post-Harvest Technical Service since 2002 and head of the Post-Harvest program since 2012. The main field of his research has been the development of control strategies for the main post-harvest fruit diseases and of foodborne pathogens in fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables for consumption.
He has participated in 37 research projects, of which 14 as principal investigator and 5 belonging to the European Framework Program, which have resulted in the publication of more than 160 articles in impact journals indexed in the SCI, 18 book chapters and the coll · Collaboration in the edition of 9 books. He has presented more than 150 papers at conferences, including 12 guest presentations. He has conducted research stays at various centers in the USA, Portugal and New Zealand. His interaction with the private sector has led him to participate in more than 20 major contracts with companies and he is the author of 60 articles and three patents. He has been the director of 11 doctoral theses and is a professor of master’s degrees at the UdL. He has also been a member of the editorial board of the journal Postharvest Biology and Technology.
Member of the Permanent Table and Plenary of the National Pact for the Knowledge Society (PN @ SC). Representative of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food (DARP) of the Generalitat de Catalunya on the Boards of Trustees of the Institution of Research Centers of Catalonia (iCERCA) and BIOCAT. Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Private Foundation Center for Research in Agri-Food Economics and Development (CREDA), of the Board of Trustees of the UAB Research Park Foundation (PRUAB) and of the Board of Directors of the Agrigenomics Research Center (CRAG).
Josep Solé Rocaspana
Son of livestock farmers, he studied Agricultural Engineering. He has extensive experience in the agri-food sector, with more than 30 years at the Vall Companys Group, where he began in the pig sector. He has now been managing director of the group's poultry division for eighteen years. He is president of Avianza, the interprofessional organisation for the Spanish poultry sector, and president of the AECOC Meat and Processed Products Committee.
Ramon Alsina Cornellana
Ramón Alsina is the chief executive officer of the bonÀrea group, where he's been working for over 35 years. His responsibilities include managing and representing the company, as well as establishing and directing the general strategies that bonÀrea must follow for its operations.
Jorge Costa
Delegated Councilor of Grup Costa
Josep Viñas
A second-generation member of the Viñas Group, he grew up immersed in the family business, collaborating from a very young age in different areas of the company, from production to distribution. He's been at head of the group for over 30 years. His mandate as CEO has been characterised by a clear commitment to growth and modernisation, promoting the internationalisation of the group, implementing improvements in sustainability, expanding production capacity with new facilities and consolidating the company as a key player in the meat sector.
Natàlia Majó
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the UAB and European diploma in Veterinary Pathology and Poultry Science. She is a professor at the UAB Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and, since 2019, has been director of the IRTA Animal Health Programme (IRTA-CReSA, Animal Health Research Centre). Her main areas of teaching and research focus on avian pathology and avian viral diseases, specifically avian influenza, with more than 100 scientific publications and 14 doctoral theses supervised in this field.
