Fernando Carro has been CEO at Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH since 1 July 2018. The Spaniard completed his Abitur exams at the German School in Barcelona. That was followed by training as an industrial management assistance at BASF in Spain and a Master of Business and Engineering course at the University of Karlsruhe. During that time he was involved in the student organisation AIESEC in Venezuela and Germany. From 1990 to 1991 he was chairman of the board in Germany and then for two years president of AIESEC International.
After completing his studies, Carro joined Bertelsmann AG in Gütersloh. He proved to be successful at the international company in different positions over many years. He was in senior management in both the media and educational sections at Bertelsmann. Most recently, Carro was CEO at Bertelsmann subsidiary Arvato, a service company with some 70,000 employees, and he also represented Arvato as a member of the Bertelsmann SE board.
Carro has been interested in sport, and football in particular, since early childhood. For many years, the passionate tennis fan was a member at FC Barcelona but his season ticket for the legendary Camp Nou stadium will not be used as often now he has taken up his leading position at Bayer 04. 'Bayer instead of Barca' - that is now the maxim for Carro, who also worked as a freelance sports journalist for different newspapers in Spain, Austria and Germany at the start of the 1980s. Combining enthusiasm for football with economic expertise and establishing Bayer 04 at the top of German football is the target for Carro, who sees a professional dream come true in taking up his post at the Werkself.
Date of birth: 27 July 1964
Place of birth: Barcelona
Family: Married, three children
Double winners Bayer 04 Leverkusen are going on a trophy tour in North America this month. As champions of Germany, DFB Pokal and 2024 Supercup winners, Fernando Carro, Bayer 04 CEO, and honorary captain Jens Nowotny will be in New York City from 11 to 14 September with the three trophies.
Show moreAfter Fernando Carro celebrated his 60th birthday at the weekend, the Bayer 04 CEO arrived at the Werkself training camp in Donaueschingen at the start of the week. On Tuesday afternoon, he received belated birthday greetings from Simon Rolfes, the team, the coaches and the staff.
Show moreFernando Carro was welcomed to Berlin on Tuesday 28 May by the president of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, Juan José de Vicente Caballero, and Spain's ambassador to Germany, Pascual Ignacio Navarro Ríos. At a ceremony in the embassy at Tiergarten, the Bayer 04 CEO received a roll of honour for his work in Spanish-German economic relations. Rudi Völler, sporting director at the German Football Association, paid tribute to the CEO for his six years under the Cross. The award, which was announced in November 2023, has only been presented now due to previous scheduling demands.
Show moreIn a big double interview with bayer04.de, CEO Fernando Carro and managing director for sport Simon Rolfes review the past months and look ahead to 2024 with great confidence.
Show moreFollowing today's judgement on the Super League from the European Court of Justice (ECJ), Fernando Carro, Bayer 04 CEO and board member of the European Club Association (ECA), said:
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