Carles Grasas is CEO of Applus IDIADA and a member of the Executive Committee of the Applus group. Born in 1954 in Barcelona, he has a doctorate in Industrial Engineering from the Technical University of Catalonia and a diploma in Business Management and Administration from ESADE. In 1984, he was appointed Professor of Thermal Engines at the Barcelona School of Industrial Engineering. It was at this same school where IDIADA, the Institute for Applied Automobile Research, was created, of which he became director in 1987.
His vision for IDIADA was to create an automotive engineering centre to support local industry, but with an international vocation. The first step, in 1990, was the transformation of IDIADA into a private firm attached to the Department of Industry and Energy of the Catalan Government, and the construction of the test tracks and laboratories began in Alboronar (Baix Penedès). IDIADA is currently part of Applus, a multinational group specializing in testing, inspection and certification of motor vehicles, based in Bellaterra. IDIADA has 2,000 expert automotive engineers and technicians, has a presence in 24 countries, and is one of the world's most important engineering firms specializing in providing testing, product development and homologation services for automotive companies.