Maria Garaña will form part of the Nae Advisory Council

Maria is considered to be one of the most influential women in the tech field

Maria Garaña, Managing Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) of Google Professional Services, will form part of the Nae Advisory Council.

Before joining Google, Maria was the President and CEO of Microsoft Spain for seven years, and Vice President of Business Solutions for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Maria has received numerous professional recognitions, such as being included in the list of the “40 Most Influential Spanish Women in the Internet and New Technologies Sector” (MC) as well as being named the “2009 Businesswoman of the Year” (FEDEPE) and one of the “500 Most Powerful Women in Spain” (YoDona, El Mundo).

Luis Miguel Gilpérez, the former CEO of Telefónica España; Alejandro Martínez Peón, CEO of Prisa Noticias; and José Luis Díaz de Mera, the former Director of Northern Region Operations at Telefónica International, already form part of the Nae Advisory Council. The purpose of this body is to provide professionally renowned perspectives for the company’s decision making. 

Having Maria as a new member will contribute greatly towards helping us reach our strategic goals, particularly in the area of diversity, thanks to her experience in multiple sectors, business segments and regions.

Maria holds a bachelor’s degree in Business and Law from CEU San Pablo University (Madrid), a minor in International Trade from the University of California (Berkeley) and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

She began her career at Citi, a financial services company, and also worked for the consulting firms Merrill Lynch, Bain& Company and Accenture. She was the Inventory Director in charge of revenue management at Televisión Azteca in Mexico, and CEO of Zoom Media in the United States.

She joined Microsoft in 2003, first as the Director of Operations and Marketing for Microsoft Mexico, until she was promoted to CEO of the Southern Cone between 2006 and 2008.

In 2008, she was appointed President and CEO of Microsoft Spain, a position she held during seven years, and then Vice President of Business Solutions for EMEA until 2017.

She is currently the Managing Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) of Google Professional Services.