Iñaki Díaz Garmendia Appointed as New CEO of Ceit

The governing board of the technology center Ceit has appointed Iñaki Díaz Garmendia as the new CEO. He succeeds Juan Meléndez, who had held the position since September 2017. In addition, Igone Vélez Isasmendi joins the Management Committee as Chief Scientific Officer. Both appointments will take effect in January 2026.

Iñaki Díaz Garmendia (Donostia-San Sebastián, 1980) holds a degree (2004) and a PhD (2008) in Mechanical Engineering from Tecnun-School of Engineering at the University of Navarra. He also has a diploma in Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering (2004) and a degree in Business Administration and Management (2015). A Ceit researcher since 2004, he leads the Vision and Robotics Research Line and, since 2022, serves as Deputy Director of the Smart Systems for Industry 4.0 research group, part of Ceit’s Materials and Manufacturing and ICT divisions. Since 2009, he has been an adjunct professor at Tecnun in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials.

His professional excellence is demonstrated by his active participation and proven leadership in numerous research projects and technology transfer activities with industry. This work is further reflected in a long list of publications in JCR (Journal Citation Reports) journals and prestigious international conferences.

Igone Vélez, New Chief Scientific Officer

Meanwhile, Igone Vélez Isasmendi (Donostia-San Sebastián, 1977) will take over as Ceit’s Chief Scientific Officer, replacing Reyes Elizalde, who had held the position since 2017.

Vélez holds a degree (2000) and a PhD (2005) in Automation and Industrial Electronics Engineering from Tecnun-School of Engineering. She also completed an Executive Development Program at IESE Business School (2019). In May, Igone Vélez was awarded the BRTA Research Career Award.

She began her professional career at Ceit 25 years ago as a researcher, and since 2016, she has served as director of the ICT division, working on research projects focused on design methodologies, signal processing, and hardware development for telecommunications and positioning systems. She combines her research with teaching at Tecnun, where she is part of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Her scientific excellence is supported by numerous publications in JCR journals, international conferences, and co-authored scientific books. This professional trajectory has also fostered close collaboration with industry and significant involvement in the creation of technology-based startups.