Biography

Cristina supports institutional relations at Ysios Capital, both in Spain and abroad, as well as investor relations and fundraising.

Cristina has extensive public policy and consulting experience. She served as Minister for Science and Innovation of Spain from 2008–2011. She led some of the most ground-breaking reforms ever made in this area, including the Spanish Innovation Strategy and the Law for Science, Technology and Innovation, and the restructuring of major government funding programs and agencies. During her tenure, Cristina also forged key international agreements, particularly during the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2010.

Cristina holds a Bachelor’s degree in Genetics from the University of Seville and a PhD in Molecular Biology from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. She holds an MBA from IESE at the University of Navarra.

Board positions

Cristina is Chairwoman of the COTEC Foundation, member of several advisory boards (including Unicef and AECC) and Board member of Caixabank, Logista Group and Mediaset.

In 2001, Cristina founded and developed the biotechnology holding Genetrix, with a successful private fundraising of €90 million. Previously, she was also Chairwoman of the Spanish–American company Satlantis, Executive Vice President and CFO of the Amasua Group, President of the Spanish Bioindustry Association (ASEBIO), and has been a member of the Board of Directors of CEOE.

She has been an advisor to the European Commission as part of the High-Level Group on maximizing the impact of EU Research & Innovation Programs, which has formulated the recommendations for the design of the 9th Framework Program (2021–2027) of Horizon Europe. Her work has been recognized with awards for research and business innovation.