Jose Miguel Lazkanotegi, new chairman of Ikerlan

José Miguel Lazkanotegi has been appointed as the new chairman of IKERLAN by the Governing Board of the technology centre. Lazkanotegi replaces José Mari Balzategi, who announced his retirement at the general assembly on 18 June, where he received heartfelt recognition for his work as chairman.

Lazkanotegi, originally from Bera, has been involved with the MONDRAGON Corporation throughout his professional career. He studied Electronic Engineering at the Escuela Politécnica Superior de Mondragon Unibertsitatea (1984-1988), where he later taught for six years. In 1995, he began his professional career at ORONA, where he worked on various projects in a number of positions for both the national and international markets over a period of 25 years. For the last two years, he has been the corporate director of Technological Innovation at Orona. He was also a member of the ORONAa governing board for 12 years, 8 of which he served as chairman, specifically from 2007 to 2015.

IKERLAN's new Chairman said: “I take on the challenge of presiding over IKERLAN with a lot of enthusiasm and commitment to all that this major undertaking represents. IKERLAN is not only a unique technology centre and a benchmark for the companies in Spain but is also a symbol of MONDRAGON. I will try to do my best to ensure that IKERLAN continues to use technology to transform companies and, at the same time, to be a leading cooperative company in which people can receive excellent training and professional development. 

On behalf of IKERLAN, the Governing Board thanked José Mari Balzategi for his contribution to the Technology Centre during his time as Rector and Chairman, and welcomed José Miguel Lazkanotegi to his new post, which is effective from 1 July 2020.

About IKERLAN

IKERLAN, a member of BRTA, is a leading centre in technology transfer and in the contribution of competitive value to the company due, among other things, to the specialisation of its researchers. It offers comprehensive solutions that combine different technological fields into three large areas: Electronics, Information and Communication Technologies (EICT), Energy and Power Electronics and Advanced Manufacturing. In 2018, IKERLAN obtained certification, via AENOR, for the integrated management system (UNE-EN ISO 9001:2015 and UNE 166002:2014), which recognises the excellence of the centre in the field of R&D&I. It currently has a workforce of around 350 people.