WELCOME

This is the site of Jesus Salazar Bello. Here you will find his biography, his resume and some of the awards throughout his career.

Parents: Jesús Salazar del Río and Pilar Bello Neira

Wife: Patricia Esteban Martínez

BIOGRAPHY

Jesus Salazar is son of the marriage between the basque businessman Jesús Salazar del Rio and the mexican-galician Pilar Bello Neira, daughter of hotel owners in Mexico. Married with the industrial engineer Patricia Esteban Martinez.

Born in Spain, Jesus Salazar traveled with his parents to Mexico, where they had emigrated in the 30's, until 1966 when they moved permanently to Madrid.

Educated at the Augustinian Fathers, graduated in Economics at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Jesús Salazar simultaneously obtained a Diploma in Tourism at the School of Tourism in Madrid.

He began his career in the family hotel business, Corporación Hispano Hotelera, 5 hotels chain in Madrid (Gran Hotel Velazquez, Maria Elena Palace, Ada, Osuna and Hotel Asturias).

CURRICULUM VITAE

Jesus Salazar Bello combined his university studies with the job at the family hotels, as well as starting their own business, serving as General Director of  Gran Hotel Velazquez, where he finally got to play the role of President of the Corporación Hispano Hotelera.

In the 80's Jesus Salazar Bello migrate to Mexico to create the first industrial group in feeding dry food, Grupo Industrial Sabe (rice, crackers and pasta), where he served as President and CEO until 1989. The Industrial Group had a biscuit factory with the brand La Corona, an Italian pasta factory, a rice mill and various food manufacturing industries, transport and chemicals.

In 1987, prepared the output to the Mexican Stock Exchange, but he eventually decided not to venture, given the delicate situation of the markets. In Mexico, he won several awards as the best employer and development with an intense social and business activity.

On his return to Spain in 1989, Jesus Salazar founded Diversified Navarre Corporation  together with other food business partners, a company dedicated to cookies, canned vegetables, chips and snacks, taking it out on the Madrid Stock Exchange in 1990. That's when Jesus Salazar decided to start their own food group.

In 1990 he founded the company that became the food giant Grupo SOS, occupying the position of President and CEO from 1990 to 2009. SOS Group has been the Spanish  company with brand-leader in olive oil, rice and biscuits, wich sales reached 1,500 million euros and a market capitalization of nearly 2,000 million euros.Among other responsibilities, he has been President of Corporación Hispano Hotelera, as well as Director and investor at many companies such as Bodegas Bilbaínas, Martinsa Fadesa, Inversiones Ibersuizas, and a member of the Executive Committee of CEIM (Confederation of Business and Industry of Madrid ), he has been also a member of the Executive Committee of CEOE (Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations) and the Chamber of Commerce of Madrid.

He was a member of the Bilateral Commission Spain-USA, Spain-Italy and Spain-Mexico, and participated as a lecturer in the ICEX, IESE Business School, Instituto de Empresa, ICADE, ESADE, and so on.

1975-80: Corporación Hispano Hotelera. General Director

1980-1988: Grupo Industrial Sabe. Founder and President

1988-1990: Diversified Investors Corporation Navarre. Founder and CEO

1991-2009: Group SOS-Cueto. Founder, Chairman and CEO

JESUS SALAZAR AT GRUPO SOS 

In the period 1991 to 2009, Jesus Salazar Bello developed his career as Founder, President and CEO of SOS-Cuétara Group, now called Deoleo.

The beginning

The following text describes the major events that took place in that company during this period.

1990: purchase of the company Arana Maderas in the Bilbao Stock Exchange, constitution of Corporación Industrial Arana and beginning of an industrial project that would initiate the creation of the food Holding. It would become the largest Spanish food group brand-market capitalization. The company was quoted from its birth, receiving over 20 years many aknowledgements and numerous national and international awards due to the value or Sos share at Madrid Stock Exchange.

1990 to 1992: acquisition of brand food companies, such as the candy company Intervan (Café Dry and Pictolín), snacks Enalisa, dates in Alicante and the canned vegetables La Castiza.

1992: acquisition of 90% of the rice company Hijos de Sos Borrás, with the brand SOS  through a capital increase, culminating with a fusion between Grupo Industrial Arana and Arrocera Sos, giving birth to the SOS  ARANA GROUP.

The expansion

1992 to 2000: SOS Group's expansion through mergers and acquisitions, such as Bernabé Biosca Tunisie, Arrocera del Trópico México and Arroz SOS Sevilla. At that moment SOS Group was mainly rice, and Sipa Group in Portugal was also bought (Saludães brand, leader in portuguese market rice). Grupo SOS became the first Spanish company brand-rice.

The oil returns to Spain

2000: reorientation of the SOS Group strategy, introducing a new line of business: the cookies.

The negotiation and takeover of Cuétara S.A. took place in 2000. And later Bolachas Bogal in Portugal. In 2001, following the merger between Sos Arana Food and Cuétara, Sos Cuetara SA was borned.

2001: expansion of business lines, starting the path to acquiring the world's leading brands of oil So by a IPO (Public Offer), SOS Cuétara took 75.94% of the capital of Koipe (Carbonell and Koipe), the first Spanish oil group, a leader in olive and sunflower oils, which at that time belonged to the Italian group Montedison.

Spanish leadership

At that moment it was recovered for Spain the world´s leader in olive oil, in italian´s hands until then.

2003: continues the group's growth through the acquisition of Aceica Refinery in Las Palmas de Gran Canarias, (leading brand Happy Day), plus the acquisition of ACYCO Olives (Sevilla).

2004: after years of negotiation, American Rice Inc. (ARI) was bought in Texas (USA) through an IPO on the NYSE Nasdaq, one of the largest U.S. rice by 35 million €, with the largest  American rice mill, located in Houston, with a port that would give all the facilities of international distribution platform that would lead to benefit the SOS Group.

2005: acquisition of the Italian oil MINERVA OLI SpA, whose main brand is Sasso, Italy's leading pure olive oil. To achieve international expansion it was required to have the most important Italian brands of olive oil and therefore in 2006, it took place the acquisition of a leading Italian extra virgin olive oil, Carapelli Firenze and Minerva Oli.

SOS Group had 15 % of market share and was a world leader in olive oil market.

Within this strategy, it took place an agreement with Sara Lee Group for the purchase of LASSIE, leading rice brand in the Netherlands.

2006: Grupo SOS bought Friol wich belonged to Unilever, italian leader brand in the seed oil for frying. This acquisition reinforced the Group's leadership in Italy.

2007: design and launch of Proyecto Tierra, strategic for the production of olive oil,  specialized in intensirve olivetrees, which is a revolution in Spanish olive groves, through the acquisition of the company Todolivo.

2008: after years of negotiation, Grupo Sos bought Bertolli to Unilever, getting to be a world leader, and becoming a world leader in olive oil market with 22% global market share.

The acquisition of Bertolli reached 630 million euro, for which it was conducted a fund raising  of 1,000 million euros for SOS, in one of the most delicdate financial times in recent decades, coinciding with the collapse of Lehman Brothers last quarter of 2008.

This operation had such major international adknowledgment that deserved the prize for the largest foreign investment in Italy, presented in Milan in 2009.