Women Forbes Spain has presented this Monday the list of the 50 most influential women in the Balearic Islands 2025, which includes the president of the Government, Marga Prohens; the president of the Congress of Deputies, Francina Armengol; the footballer Cata Coll or the chef Maca de Castro.
The list highlights the leadership and contribution of outstanding women in various sectors such as business, politics, culture, sports and innovation, and has been prepared by a committee of experts.
Among the recognized personalities, as highlighted by Forbes Women Spain in a press release, are leaders in fields such as art, banking, distribution, engineering, energy, the wine sector, construction and tourism.
It also reflects the family and entrepreneurial nature of the Balearic business fabric, where 94.4 percent of private companies are family companies.
The recognition seeks to “make visible the fundamental role of women in the economic and social development of the region and serve as an inspiration for new generations”.
The publication of the list coincides with the Forbes Women of Influence Summit 2025 in Palma, an event that brings together many of the honorees.
Women of Ibiza
Six women from Ibiza appear on the Forbes Women list:
Carmen Matutes Prats, CEO of Palladium Hotel Group, in which she highlights that she is one of the key figures in the evolution of the company and has promoted new business lines over the last three decades, such as Palladium Travel Club, Ushuaïa Store and Hï Store, as well as participating in the creation of brands such as Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel, BLESS Collection Hotels and Only YOU Hotels. His daughter María, partner of MotoGP rider Jorge Martín, is an influencer.
Estella Matutes Juan. Researcher. Born in Ibiza, she graduated in Medicine at the Central University of Barcelona in 1975, obtaining the Extraordinary End of Career Award. Her vocation for hematology began at the Hospital Clínic in Barcelona, where contact with children with leukemia marked her deeply. In 1979, a grant from the March Foundation took her to London, where she developed a brilliant career at Imperial College and Hammersmith Hospital. Later, at the Royal Marsden Hospital, she combined research with clinical practice for 25 years. Matutes has published more than 500 papers and is the creator of the ‘Matutes score’, a key system for the diagnosis of leukemias and lymphomas used worldwide. Although retired, she remains associated with the WHO and Hospital Clínic.
Montse Monsalve de Sebastiánfounding partner and CEO of Imam Comunicación. This journalist by vocation founded in 2004 together with Marta Jiménez her own creative agency: Imam Comunicación, based in Ibiza, Madrid and Barcelona. She has a monthly opinion piece in Forbes Woman and her voice is often heard in radio spots, videos or in spaces such as the Ibicine Film Festival. Monsalve (Aranda de Duero, Burgos, 1978) has a degree in Journalism and Social Communication, has training in protocol, personal image, public speaking, marketing and events and has taught courses in these subjects in several national centers and universities.
Elisa Pomarfounder of Elisa Pomar. Elisa Pomar is the fourth generation of a century-old lineage of jewelry artisans. Her great-grandfather was known as ‘the king’s jeweler’ since Alfonso XIII relied on his pieces to surprise his conquests. In 2008, Elisa founded her eponymous brand to reinterpret and reclaim the ancient Ibizan jewelry. The result, contemporary pieces, with their own character and the essence of the island. Awarded the Gold Medal of the Consell d’Eivissa, she has collaborated with Dolce & Gabbana for fashion shows, and is also present in advertising campaigns and magazine covers of international scope.
Charo Ruizfounder and creative director of Charo Ruiz. She was born in 1948, in Marchena, a town in Seville, into a family of dressmakers. Since she was a child she grew up surrounded by fabrics, patterns and sewing, and it was in the workshop of her grandmother Rosario where she learned to place her first pin. In the late 60’s she started in fashion as a couturier for Manuel Pertegaz and Paco Rabanne, among other brands. In 1977, he settled in Ibiza where he made clothes to sell to tourists. In the 80s she founded her first atelier and in 1989 she baptized the brand as Charo Ruiz Ibiza. Since then, the success is exponential nationally and internationally, with its own stores in Ibiza, Madrid, Barcelona and Marbella and more than 200 points of sale around the world.
Ana Turdj, producer and announcer of LOWLITA Records. Born in Ibiza, her career as a DJ began in 2011 and quickly began to stand out in countries like Germany and Romania. In recent years she has established herself as an essential of the best clubs and festivals in Spain. She moves between the house and techno sound that has opened the doors of the main international festivals and clubs: Creamfields, Street Parade, Kappa, Medusa Sunbeach Festival, WCD, Tomorrowland, Ultra Australia, Pacha Ibiza, Kit Kat Club Berlin, Amnesia, IMS Ibiza or Pyramid Ibiza. In her career as a producer she has created her own label: LOWLITA Records together with Gonçalo Miranda and Hosse. Currently, Anna is living her sweetest professional moment, having found both her sound and the recognition of the industry.
Angie L. Grijalbo, founder of Beso Beach, will also be present. Creator of experiences and generator of style, she has turned Beso Beach into a cult brand that transcends gastronomy. Her vision unites aesthetics, community, sustainability and a free and sensory lifestyle. With an instinct for trends and a passion for detail, she has managed to build a loyal tribe that finds in “Beso” an eternal summer universe. From Formentera to the world, Angie leads a concept that vibrates with music, design, authenticity and soul. A woman who does not follow fashions: she creates them.
The Forbes Women 2025 list
The list highlights, in alphabetical order, Carmina Shoemaker Retail Director Carmina Albaladejo; Coolook and Vidrios Gordiola owner Mar Aldeguer; MAC Hotels CEO Begoña Amengual; actress Llum Barrera; the director of Tourism, Culture and Sport CEOE, Inmaculada Benito; the Founder and director of the Paco de Lucía Mallorca Festival, Soledad Bescos; the singer and actress Pepa Charro; the singer Chenoa; the model Malena Costa, as well as the actress and model Rossy de Palma.
Likewise, the list continues with the external advisor of Meliá Hotels International, María Mercedes Escarrer; the CEO and Vice President of Grupo Iberostar, Sabina Fluxà; the president of Fundación Esment, Montserrat Fuster; the CEO Pueto Portals, Corinna Graf; the founder of Beso Beach, Angie L.Grijalbo; artist Elena Gual; CEO and creative director Isabel Guarch Joyas, Isabel Guarch; founder of the communication and PR agency Estudio Sentmenat, María Juan de Sentmenat; vice president Hipotels Hotels & Resorts, María Antonia Llull; actress Victoria Luengo; influencer Aida Martorell; president Grupo Mascaró, Lina Mascaró, and artist Úrsula Mascaró.
Also among the 50 most influential women are researcher Estella Matutes; founding partner and CEO Imam Comunicación, Montse Monsalve de Sebastián; CEO Subaida y Quesos Subaida, Pilar Montañés; CEO My Uniform, Carmen Monterrubio; CEO It Travel, Mar Muñoz; co-founder Fundación Alttra, Rosario Nadal; global CEO and co-owner Grupo Piñero, Encarna Piñero; CAEB president, Carmen Planas; Zafiro Hotels CEOs, María and Antonia Plomer; Elisa Pomar founder, Elisa Pomar; Barceló Hotel Group Customer, Marketing and Sustainability Director, Sara Ramis, and the head of Territorial Development of the United Nations Global Compact Spain, Isabel Roser.
Finally, the list is completed by the president of ABEF, Inés Rotger; the founder and creative director of Charo Ruiz, the CEO of Grupo Sampol, Carmen Sampol; the president of Grupo Serra, Carmen Serra; the professor of Theoretical Physics at the UIB, Alicia Magdalena Sintes; the DJ Anna Tur; the director of TEIS Talent Company, Yolanda Vallejo; the writer Antònia Vicens, and the Commercial, Marketing and Institutional Relations Director of Grupo Autovidal, Esther Vidal.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.