- The Spanish CEO, Diego Martínez, has been removed as Ericsson moves to absorb Spain under a larger regional cluster led from France.
- Up to 300 positions in Spain will be cut, part of a wider reorganisation that reduces Ericsson’s EMEA country clusters from seven to three.
What happened: Ericsson has dismissed the CEO of its Spanish unit
Ericsson has replaced its Spanish chief executive, Diego Martínez, as the telecoms equipment giant reorganises its operations in Western Europe. Martínez, who had held the role since November 2024, has been removed. All commercial activity in Spain will now be managed by Christian Leon, a French executive already in charge of Ericsson’s Western European Customer Unit.
Spain will no longer lead the former Iberian region with Portugal. The restructure dissolves that local pairing and merges Spain into a much larger cluster that includes by name France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Portugal.
Meanwhile, Ericsson is preparing to cut up to 300 jobs in Spain, roughly 13% of its local workforce of about 2,260 people. The reorganisation is part of a broader reshuffle in Ericsson’s EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) operations. The company is shrinking its country clusters from seven down to three.
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Why it’s important
This move signals a loss of local autonomy for Ericsson Spain. Spain will no longer run its own commercial strategy; decisions will come from a regional cluster. That may change how quickly the company responds to Spanish market conditions.
The job cuts are a substantial cost-saving measure. For a country unit of just over 2,200 staff, 300 laid off is a big hit. It reflects broader pressure on telco suppliers to reduce costs in face of global competitive and economic headwinds.
The restructuring of clusters shows Ericsson is aiming for scale and efficiency. Reducing clusters from seven to three means more centralised control. That may improve consistency across Western Europe—but could also create operational bottlenecks or disconnects from local issues.
Because Spain is now grouped with countries like France, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Portugal, there is potential for cross-border synergies. But also risk that Spain’s priorities might be deprioritised relative to larger markets.
