Former Ulma chief Iñaki Gabilondo dies at 62

Former Ulma chief Iñaki Gabilondo dies at 62

Iñaki Gabilondo Mugarza, former managing director of the Ulma cooperative group, died suddenly on Sunday at the age of 62. The news, released by sources at the Oñati-based cooperative, has sent shockwaves through the business community of Gipuzkoa. But confusion took over the conversation: on reading the name, many thought of the 83-year-old journalist Iñaki Gabilondo, and reactions ranged from relief to disappointment.

Gabilondo Mugarza had retired just four months earlier, in April, when Aitor Ayastuy took over. His career at the helm of one of the region's best-known cooperatives had made him a leading figure in the cooperative movement. Funeral services are scheduled for Tuesday.

The confusion with the journalist and the popped champagne

The reaction was immediate and revealing. Several people admitted they had come in with the "champagne bottle in hand" before reading the full story. The shared name played a cruel trick: the executive's death took a back seat while attention focused on whether the well-known broadcaster was still alive. There was no shortage of jokes about a "sudden-death syndrome" said to strike the recently retired.

Behind the humor lies a serious debate. The deceased's age — two years short of the standard retirement age — peine the discussion about longer working lives and pension sustainability. Some read it as a bad omen for those who manage to retire and die soon afterwards. Others took it with irony, suggesting the system already has formulas in place to adjust for life expectancy.

The executive's quiet legacy

While the anecdote dominated the noise, the figure of Gabilondo Mugarza was overshadowed. He led Ulma, a cooperative group at the forefront of the Basque business model, and his death at 62 leaves a gap that will be hard to fill. The Oñati cooperative lost a reference point; the cooperative movement, one of its most distinguished names.

Some took the opportunity to attack the journalist of the same name, who has become a target of political animosity. At the opposite end, others recalled that the deceased was "a Basque who made his surroundings better" and that a name does not define a legacy. The underlying tension between these two readings reflects the polarization of the moment.

The confusion with the journalist, better known to the general public, is an uncomfortable reminder: some careers deserve a headline of their own. And they don't always get one.