Ana Maria Bordas, the Spanish Head of Delegation, has officially taken over as the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group Chair.
Ana Maria Bordas (RTVE) has officially taken over from Bakel Walden (the former ESC Reference Group Chair. Bordas was unanimously elected for this post at the EBU’s TV Assembly last March, she will be serving in this position for a 2 year term
Ana Maria Bordas has great experience when it comes to the Eurovision Song Contest, as she has served as the Spanish Head of Delegation from 2017-2021 and from 2023-present. She has been the co-producer of the Spanish national selection Benidorm Fest since its inception.
Bordas was the Executive Producer of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2024 which was held in Madrid and produced by RTVE last November.
Ana Maria is also a member of the EBU’s TV Committee and an elected member of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest Sterering Group.
Bordas currently holds a prestigious position on the Spanish national broadcaster, RTVE, she is the Head of Entertainment, Factual, Kids & Young Audiences, and New Formats.
RTVE and Spain will be presiding this prestigious position at the Eurovision Song Contest for the very first time, thus the Spanish national broadcaster will be strenghtning its position at the ESC thanks with Ana Maria Bordas’ recent appointment as the ESC Reference Group Chair.
Ana Maria Bordas is honoured to take over as the ESC Reference Group Chair says:
I hope the new Reference Group will work as a united team in the interest of all participating members to strengthen and empower the Eurovision Song Contest.
RTVE’s Press release read:
RTVE strengthens its position in the Eurovision Song Contest with Ana María Borda’s appointment as Chair of EBU Reference Group. The executive, who was unanimously elected to the position in March, officially assumed her duties in June for a two-year term.
This committee is the highest supervisory and decision-making body of the song contest. It approves its development and financing and oversees the updating of the Eurovision brand. Another key role is the supervision of all preparations for the festival alongside the host country.
“I hope the new Reference Group will work as a united team in the interest of all participating members to strengthen and empower the Eurovision Song Contest," said Bordas. She assured that she assumes the role of President “with great enthusiasm and responsibility, especially in the year when Eurovision celebrates its 70th anniversary. I hope to work closely with the organizers of the next festival in Austria, to make the 2026 edition special, and with the EBU, to bring forward
new ideas.”With this appointment, RTVE occupies the most relevant position within the festival’s executive committee. In March 2023, the broadcaster returned to the Reference Group after years of absence, consolidating its role in organizing the event. Furthermore, in 2024, RTVE was the organizing broadcaster of the Junior Eurovision in Madrid, where Bordas acted as executive producer.
Martin Green, Director of the Eurovision Song Contest, welcomed Ana María as president of the Reference Group and positively valued the fact of having “a senior executive from such a respected broadcaster leading this important governing body”. Green added that the EBU is “delighted to have someone with such great experience of the Eurovision Song Contest, and the wider broadcasting landscape, to steer the Contest as we approach its 70th anniversary and beyond. We look forward to working closely with Ana and wish her well in her new role.”
In addition to Bordas’ Presidency, the committee comprises three Heads of Delegation and also includes Martin Österdahl, the EBU Eurovision Song Contest Executive Supervisor, as well as theexecutive producers of the previous and the following editions, and two invited members recognized for their competence and experience.+
RTVE’s press release concludes:
Ana María Bordas will combine her Presidency of the Reference Group with her role as Head of Content Production at RTVE. Furthermore, she is a member of the Junior Eurovision Executive Committee and was reelected in early June to the EBU’s Television Committee.
Bordas has headed the Spanish delegation to Eurovision since 2017 and has been a member of the Junior Eurovision executive group since 2021. She has played a key role in RTVE’s strategy at EBU festivals and has extensive experience within Spain’s public broadcasting service.
During her career, she has held seats on the EBU’s Television Committee for 3 consecutive terms and, for the last 4 years, she was its Vice President. Currently, she is Director of Content at RTVE, overseeing entertainment, children's and youth programming, and new formats.
Bordas graduated in Information Sciences from the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. She started her career at RTVE in 1984 after successfully sitting a competitive exam. She has been a news editor, chief of news, and RNE's Washington correspondent, and has held various executive positions at RNE and TVE for over 20 years. Among these roles, she was Director of RNE in Catalonia, Director of TVE’s Sant Cugat Production Center, La 2, and TVE's Programming department.
