Carmen Caffarel has been named as successor to César Antonio Molina in Cervantes Institute

Carmen Caffarel has been named as the new Director of the Cervantes Institute, replacing César Antonio Molina, who has been made Minister for Culture.

She is the ex Director of the Spanish state broadcaster RTVE and is a doctor in Hispanic Language. She is also the ex assistant rector of the Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid.

The 54 year old becomes the first woman to direct the Cervantes Institute which is a public institution created in 1991 to promote the Spanish language and culture worldwide.

It now has more than 100 centres in 67 countries round the world