Abertis, peace breaks out in Madrid between Benetton and Florentino Perez
The new corporate management was inaugurated last week in Madrid at the headquarters of Abertis, the international mobility infrastructure company with a turnover of 5.1 billion euros, reporting to Mundys, of which Alessandro Benetton is vice-president, and to Florentino Pérez’s Acs. This new governance was approved by the Abertis shareholders’ meeting, which formally launched the new phase, transforming the structure previously based on two mutual defense systems into a new strategic attack and development platform. This is what was reported by Economia del Corriere. This step will allow closer collaboration between the two main shareholders: Pérez’s Acs and Mundys, the Italian infrastructure hub 57% controlled by Edizione, the holding company chaired by Alessandro Benetton.
“In less than six months, the new path outlined for Abertis has become fully operational,” declared Alessandro Benetton and Florentino Pérez. The Spanish entrepreneur, in addition to the formality of the meeting, wanted to celebrate in a special way by opening the doors of his true passion to Alessandro Benetton: he invited him to the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, owned by Real Madrid, the team presided over by Pérez. But behind this gesture there is also an entrepreneurial vision. The plan is to transform the Bernabéu into an all-round entertainment centre, with the aim of tripling turnover by hosting events throughout the year, not just football matches. This ambitious development plan, already underway with investments of one billion euros, it also includes movable structures that allow the camp to host concerts.
During the meeting at the Bernabéu, Pérez and Benetton also discussed the next steps for Abertis, which recently acquired three concessions in Puerto Rico, the United States and Spain, and could expand to Australia, the United States, Europe and India. The objective is to bring forward the renewal of the concessions in the portfolio, some of which will be subject to renewal from 2030. This new governance framework allows Abertis to face this busy agenda with serenity. As a demonstration of joint support for Abertis, the assembly approved a shareholder contribution of 1.3 billion euros, which will be disbursed by the end of March in the form of an increase of capital of Abertis itself. This financing will be useful to finalize recent acquisitions.
“We have completed important acquisitions on the market,” Benetton and Pérez underlined, “confirming the desire of Abertis, its management and its shareholders to consolidate the company’s world leadership in the sector of transport infrastructure and sustainable mobility. This is just the beginning: through the new board of directors, made up of representatives of Acs and Mundys, as well as partners Edizione and Blackstone, we will work intensely to strengthen leadership and create value for Abertis.” The new board of the Iberian group is made up of 12 members, six appointed by Mundys and six by Acs, with equal representation. This new structure goes beyond the previous framework, born from a defense and conflict perspective, and will allow Abertis to move with greater agility and determination in the transport infrastructure market.