Federico Halpern, GCO director and Fundación Occident chairman, passes away

"GCO (Grupo Catalana Occidente) is deeply saddened by the death of Federico Halpern, a director of the Group since 1993 and chairman of Fundación Occident since 2006."

A graduate in Economics from the University of Barcelona, holder of a diploma in Industrial Insurance from the School of Industrial Organisation and a certificate from the Official School of Journalism in Madrid, Federico Halpern (1942 – 2024) had been a member of GCO's Board of Directors since November 1993. In 1995, he was appointed director of Grupo Compañía Española de Crédito y Caución S.L. and over the course of his extensive professional career he served as a director at various organisations.

Appointed chairman of the Fundación Jesús Serra in 2006, renamed the Fundación Occident in 2024, Federico Halpern stepped up the organisation's efforts to drive forward numerous projects in research, teaching, cultural actions, sports activities and charitable initiatives in keeping with the legacy of the Group's founder, Jesús Serra Santamans.

The most outstanding initiatives during his chairmanship include the creation of the Fundación Occident Jesús Serra Research Awards which recognise the work of young researchers in Spain in nutrition, food and health; setting up the Jesús Serra Poetry Competition to promote poetry in society; and the recent introduction of the Jesús Serra Degree Scholarships to help young people looking to be the first in their family to go to university.

José María Serra, GCO's chairman, said: “It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Federico Halpern, who contributed enormously to the Group and to the development and expansion of Fundación Occident's areas of activity by championing humanitarian values for the benefit of the community and reflecting GCO's commitment to society. We will always remember him and be extremely grateful to him."

At GCO and Fundación Occidente, we would like to extend our appreciation and affection together with our most sincere condolences to his family and all his loved ones.