| Birth Place: | Barcelona, Spain |
| Other Names: | Mari Àngels Vallvé |
| Occupation: | stockbroker and notary |
| Known For: | first woman stockbroker in Spain |
| Spouse: | Joan Hortalà Arau |
| Children: | 5 |
Maria Àngels Vallvé Ribera is a former Spanish stockbroker and Catalan notary. She is known for being the first ever woman stockbroker in Spain, in 1971, and founder of the stock exchange company GVC in 1986.[1]
Born in Barcelona in 1942, she holds a degree in Economics and Law from the University of Barcelona. She is the daughter of the industrial engineer, entrepreneur and cultural promoter Joan Vallvé i Creus and Mercè Ribera Rovira.
She became the first event woman stockbroker agent in Spain, getting her license in 1971.[2] After her degree in Economics and Law, she specialized as an insurance actuary and financial analyst.
Once the Stock Market Reform Law was approved in 1989, she worked as a trading broker and, from 2000 until 2012, as a notary in Barcelona. In 1986 she was a founding partner of GVC, an investment services company dedicated to stock and asset management. In 2007 GVC bought the company Gaesco.[3] [4]
She was one of the first ten women who, in 2001, applied to join the Cercle del Liceu in Barcelona, then a male-only organization.[5] She finally became part of its governing board.[6] In 2009, she became part of the board of directors of the Orfeó Català, together with Leopoldo Rodés and Ignasi García Nieto.[7] [8] She retired as notary in 2012.[9]
She is married to economic theory professor, economist and politician Joan Hortalà Arau, and is mother of five children: Joan, Carme, Mercè, Rafael and Joaquim.