Who is Maribel Vilaplana?
Maribel Vilaplana is a familiar face to many in the Valencian Community, with a career that has spanned from journalism to corporate communications. Her name has recently come to light for being the person who had lunch with Carlos Mazón on the day the DANA struck the Valencian Community. But who is Maribel Vilaplana?
Vilaplana was born in 1975 in Muro de Alcoy, Alicante. She studied Information Sciences at the CEU Cardenal Herrera University in Valencia, graduating in 1998. Her first big break came at the RTVE Territorial Center in Valencia, and she soon joined the newly launched Valencian public television channel, Canal 9. During her years at Canal 9, Vilaplana distinguished herself as a news anchor, being the face of Notícies 9, and later, hosting the morning show Matí, matí.
However, in 2013, the closure of Canal 9 marked the end of an era for Vilaplana and for many Valencian journalists who had to seek new professional paths. This closure was a major blow that forced her to reinvent herself.
After the closure of Canal 9, Vilaplana focused on teaching and communication, sharing her experience with students and professionals, as well as being the public face for certain professional projects for public and private companies.
In 2023, Vilaplana took on a new challenge in the sports world by joining the Board of Directors of Levante UD. Her role as team spokesperson has allowed her to work in the club's institutional communications, being responsible for conveying its image and values to the public.
In recent weeks, Vilaplana's name has appeared in the news due to a meeting she had with the President of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón, who was criticized for his alleged delay in activating civil protection alerts during the DANA (Dana).
According to some reports, Mazón was having lunch with Vilaplana as the emergency began, and there is speculation that at that meeting they discussed a possible offer for her to take over as director of À Punt, the Valencian public television channel. The situation has caused a stir, and citizens have questioned whether this meeting was appropriate in the midst of the emergency, especially considering that the position to lead this public television channel is accessed through a public competition.
It should be noted that, according to published information, Maribel Vilaplana rejected the proposal immediately upon hearing it.