The President of the Company, Víctor Grífols Roura, Honored with the Distinction Creu de Sant Jordi

Víctor Grífols Roura has been recognized for his work as the leader of a family firm that has undergone a rapid process of internationalization and growth to become a leader in the plasma-derived products sector with the Creu de Sant Jordi, one of the highest honors awarded by the Government of Catalonia.

Víctor Grífols Roura (Barcelona, 1950) is the current President of the Company, from which he was Chief Executive Officer from 1985 to 2016. He represents the third generation of the family to lead the business and he has been responsible for driving the internationalization of the company and its conquest of global markets. He studied Business Science at the University of Barcelona, and joined the firm in 1974.

With his strong business vision, Víctor Grífols was given responsibility for the company's commercial department in 1979. Afterwards, in 1985, he was made executive director. Two years after the appointment, he was responsible for the reorganization of the company that laid the foundation of the Grifols group holding.

Obtaining an FDA license in 1995 for the plasma-derived products manufacturing plant in Barcelona (Parets del Vallès) opened up new opportunities for the sale of these medicines in other markets. To support this, Grifols established subsidiaries in the main European countries and the company has continued to expand its presence on the international stage. Today, Grifols has a direct presence in 30 countries, and markets its products in more than 100.

With his extensive knowledge of the plasma-derived products sector, Víctor Grífols Roura was convinced that the company needed to have a secure supply of its principal raw material: plasma. For this reason, in 2002 the company acquired a network of 45 plasma donor centers in the United States. This network has continued to expand, and Grifols currently has more than 170 donations centers in this country.

In addition to driving the internationalization of the company, Víctor Grífols Roura was also the architect of Grifols' stock exchange launch in 2006, which was designed to enable the company to compete in the global marketplace with other manufacturers of plasma-derived products on equal terms. He also masterminded the purchase of Talecris, a unique strategic opportunity that enabled Grifols to consolidate its position as the world's third-largest manufacturer of plasma-derived products (and Europe's largest), and oversaw the purchase of the transfusion diagnostics unit of Novartis, making Grifols a global leader in transfusion medicine. In 2016, Grifols generated more than 94% of its sales outside Spain. Geographical expansion is therefore key to promoting the growth of the Company.

Through a combination of flair and hard work, Víctor Grífols Roura's commercial vision has perfectly complemented the commitment to innovation and scientific excellence that has characterized the company since the foundation of Laboratorios Grifols by Víctor's grandfather, José Antonio Grífols Roig, his father, Víctor Grífols i Lucas, and his uncle, José Antonio Grífols i Lucas, in 1940.