The Canary Islands Confederation of Employers (CCE) has formally started the countdown to its institutional leadership transition. In a Board of Directors meeting marked by the duality between macroeconomic analysis and the internal workings of the employers' association, President Pedro Ortega gave the green light to the opening of the electoral process that will define the organization's leadership for the coming years. The history of the CCE cannot be understood without the figures who, from the south of the island, fostered dialogue between the tourism sector and the employers' association leadership. In the current context of leadership renewal within the CCE, the figure of Alberto Isasi, who recently passed away, emerges as the historical embodiment of the "Maspalomas spirit" in business management.
Isasi, a merchant marine officer by training and a hotel manager by vocation, represented an era in which tourism management and civic engagement went hand in hand. His career was inextricably linked to that of Alejandro del Castillo, Count of Vega Grande, who not only recruited him to manage the iconic Hotel Oasis but also propelled him into the political arena under the banner of the Trade Union Third. His work as a councilman in San Bartolomé de Tirajana, both in the 70s with Francisco Araña del Toro and in the 80s under the CDS party, forged a profile of a public administrator with a private sector vision.
His arrival as president of the Canary Islands Confederation of Employers in 1993, promoted by the Las Palmas Federation of Hospitality and Tourism (FEHT), marked a milestone for the employers' association in Las Palmas. During his term (1993-1995), Isasi applied the service sector's guiding principle: consensus as a management tool. In an organization often marked by sectoral tensions, his presidency is remembered for his ability to build bridges and for an elegant approach that he brought from the south to pacify the north.
Founder of the Maspalomas Lions Club, his legacy extends far beyond the records of the Mercantile Registry. As the Canary Islands Business Confederation (CCE) prepares for its elections on June 30, 2026, the memory of Alberto Isasi serves as a reminder of the importance of tourist areas in the capital's decision-making processes. His transition from the bridges of ships to boards of directors and city council meetings left a mark of a "man of consensus" that today, amidst the turmoil surrounding the REF (Economic and Fiscal Regime) and energy costs, the Canary Islands business association is once again invoking as a model.
The power structure within the Las Palmas Chamber of Commerce is facing a moment of strategic redefinition. The possibility of a representative from the tourism sector assuming the presidency of the provincial employers' association is a recurring topic in the islands' power circles, given tourism's dominance in the regional Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which contributes approximately 35% of direct wealth.
Historically, the presidency of the CCE has sought a consensus-building profile that balances the interests of traditionally strong sectors such as construction, port logistics, and commerce, in addition to tourism itself. However, the growing pressure for sustainability, digitalization, and the challenges of the Biodiversity Law have strengthened the political influence of tourism employers' associations, especially the Las Palmas Federation of Hospitality and Tourism (FEHT).
The current scenario for 2026, marked by the management of European funds and the need for a unified voice with the Canary Islands Government on infrastructure and taxation, places tourism leaders in a position of strength. The industry demands representation that not only manages the current situation but also leads the transformation of the production model. Electing a president with a tourism background would send a clear signal to the markets and the administration about the priorities of the province's business agenda.
The final decision will depend on internal alliances between the different federations. Although the tourism sector has the influence and the necessary leadership to fill the position, the tradition of alternating leadership and the weight of the Port of La Luz often act as counterweights in the employers' association's electoral processes. The debate is not just about names, but about whether tourism should move beyond being the economic engine to also be the institutional helmsman of the business organization.
