Esteve Camps named Barcelona Man of the Year by El Periódico de Catalunya

Executive Chairman of the Junta Constructora del Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Foundation Esteve Camps has been named Barcelona Man of the Year by El Periódico de Catalunya. The awards ceremony took place this evening in the Palau Robert gardens in Barcelona, in an event that brought together representatives from civil, institutional and political spheres in the Catalan capital.

Camps shares this award with Dean of the Architects’ Association of Catalonia Sandra Bestraten, named Barcelona Woman of the Year. This is the third edition of these awards, which El Periódico presents for the La Mercè festivities in recognition of the winners’ careers and contributions to promoting, transforming and enriching the city of Barcelona in 2026.

This recognition of Esteve Camps comes at a historic moment for the Sagrada Família. As Executive Chairman of the Junta Constructora, he has led a decisive period in the culmination of Gaudí’s project, including the tower of Jesus Christ reaching its peak of 172.5 metres, which has made the Temple the tallest church in the world and the tallest building in Barcelona. This achievement, coinciding with the hundredth anniversary of Antoni Gaudí’s death and culminated with a visit from Pope Leo XIV on 10 June to bless and inaugurate the tower of Jesus Christ, has drawn global attention to the Basilica and reinforced Barcelona’s projection around the world.

In his acceptance speech, Esteve Camps thanked not only El Periódico for the award but also his parents, “who from a young age taught me unconditional love for my home town, Barcelona.” “I’ve always believed that serving society is the best way to give back to the community where you were born, grew up, lived and enjoyed life,” he added.

He finished off encouraging the audience to “Keep serving our city passionately with a vocation for service, taking to heart the words of Tagore, ‘I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.’”

Other noteworthy figures at the event included Mayor of Barcelona Jaume Collboni, Albert Batllé, Deputy Mayor of Barcelona and Councillor for Security, Catalan Minister of the Interior and Public Security Núria Parlon, Auxiliary Bishop of Barcelona Javier Vilanova, as well as several members of the Sagrada Família Board of Trustees and other authorities and figures from the institutional, social and cultural arenas in Catalonia. Esteve Camps was accompanied by his family, who did not want to miss this special occasion to honour his career.

A career associated with Barcelona and the Sagrada Família

Born in Barcelona in 1947, Esteve Camps’ professional career has been tied to La Caixa, where he held various positions of responsibility in addition to his intense dedication to the cultural movement and associations of the Gràcia neighbourhood. His involvement in local associations dates back to his youth and he was given the Ateneu award in 2008 for his personal work.

He has also been involved with the Sagrada Família since his childhood, helping raise funds to build the Temple. Years later, he became Executive Chairman of the Junta Constructora del Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família Foundation, a role he has held for the past fifteen years and which has put him at the helm for some of the most significant milestones in the completion of the Temple.