Arantxa Balson is Spanish and 50 years old. She has a degree in Educational Psychology from the Universidad 
de Comillas and an MBA from ICADE’s School of Management and Economic Sciences in Madrid. She also 
has a postgraduate diploma in Human Resources Management and Social Relations from Université Paris IX 
Dauphine.
Arantxa Balson started her career in 1994 at France Télécom where she was in charge of international training. 
In 1998, she joined Lucent Technologies (now Alcatel-Lucent) where she held various positions including 
HR Director for Corporate Business (BCS) in Western Europe, then in Spain and Portugal, and HR Director 
for Lucent Worldwide Services EMEA, a position she combined with another role as HR support for the 
transformation of the Supply Chain and Corporate Centers in the region. 
In 2004, she joined Endesa, the leading electricity utility in Spain and Latin America, as Director of 
Development and HR Innovation. 
Ever since 2010, she has been Director of Human Resources at Adeo, Europe’s leading DIY and home 
improvement retailer. In this capacity, she notably accompanied the digital transformation and equipped the 
group’s companies with learning and open innovation platforms.
 
Arantxa Balson joined the Executive Committee on May 4th 2015 as Chief HR Officer
In January 2016 the HR department became Talent and Culture department and Arantxa became Chief Talent 
& Culture Officer.