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
Bayer 04 Leverkusen will partner closely with parent-company Bayer during its preseason tour to Brazil from July 14 to 24 this month. The backing from Bayer of the “Bayer 04 Brasil Tour” has been crucial in organizing the groundbreaking training camp for ten days, plus a host of local activities and community events capped by the match against Flamengo's U20 team on July 18 at Estádio da Gávea.
Show moreThe team departs for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Monday for the Bayer 04 Brazil Tour 2025 from July 14-24. The preseason journey marks a change from recent training camps in the Austrian Alps and Black Forest and we caught up with CEO Fernando Carro to ask him about this summer's visit to Brazil.
Show moreAt the Laureus World Sports Awards 2025, also known as the 'Oscars of Sports', the Bayer 04 managing directors Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes were guests at the impressive Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid. The Werkself did not win the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year award on Monday night after the the impressive double winning season but Carro said at the event: "It's an honour to be here – a sign that we achieved something special last year by winning the league title without defeat and the DFB Pokal. That milestone will remain forever."
Show moreFernando Carro, Bayer 04 CEO, was a guest speaker at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit in London on Thursday, 27 February. Carro was joined at the high-level event by several club presidents and other decision-makers in football including CEOs and presidents from the top European leagues.
Show moreOne day after the 3-2 win in the DFB Pokal quarter-final against FC Köln, Bayer 04 CEO Fernando Carro is a speaker at the SPOBIS Conference 2025 today Thursday, 6 February. At the biggest sports business event in Europe, where the most important decision-makers in the sector traditionally meet up, Carro will talk about the development of Bayer 04 and football in a global context.
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