Mr. Fainé is Chairman and member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of Fundación Bancaria Caixa d’Estalvis i Pensions de Barcelona, “la Caixa”, and Chairman and member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of Criteria Caixa, S.A.U. He is also Honorary Chairman of Naturgy Energy Group, S.A., Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Telefónica, S.A., Special Advisor to the Board of The Bank of East Asia and Board Member of Suez, S.A.
He holds a Doctorate Degree in Economic Sciences from the University of Barcelona, an ISMP in Business Administration from Harvard University, and a post-graduate degree in Senior Management at IESE. He is an academic at the Royal Academy of Economic and Financial Sciences “Real Academia de Ciencias Económicas y Financieras” and at the Royal European Academy of Doctors “Real Academia Europea de Doctores”.
Mr Fainé began his professional banking career as Director of Investment at Banco Atlántico in 1964 and was appointed Managing Director of Banco de Asunción in Paraguay in 1969. On his return to Barcelona, he held various management positions in financial institutions: Staff Director at Banca Riva y García (1973), Board Member and Managing Director of Banca Jover (1974) and Managing Director of Banco Unión (1978). In 1982, he joined ”la Caixa” as Deputy-General Director, subsequently taking on various positions of responsibility. In April 1991, he was appointed Assistant Executive Managing Director and in 1999, Managing Director of the entity, and assumed the Chair in June 2007 until June 2014. Mr Fainé served as Chairman of CaixaBank, S.A. from 2011 until his resignation as a member of the Board of Directors in 2016.
He is currently the Chairman of the Spanish Confederation of Savings Banks (CECA) and of the World Savings Banks Institute (WSBI) and Vice-Chairman of the European Savings Banks Group (ESBG).
He is also Chairman of the Spanish Confederation of Directors and Executives (CEDE) and of the Spanish Chapter of the Club of Rome and Founder of Círculo Financiero. Mr Fainé is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Prado Museum, Trustee of the Carlos Slim Foundation and has been acknowledged with the 2018 Forbes Philanthropy Award.