«Barcelona has everything to become one of the Top 3 cities in the world», by Alexia Ramírez

31 years old and single, Alexa Ramirez has lived in Barcelona since April 2022. With more than 9 years’ experience in financial project management, she is now the Finance Global Projects Team Lead at Bayer, the leading multinational for medicine, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture. Based in various locations around the world, her team tackles global challenges for this leading life sciences company.

Why did you choose Barcelona?

I was looking to gain international experience within Bayer, so Barcelona was the obvious choice. With its great location and wealth of multicultural talent, Bayer GBS Barcelona is the ideal platform for delivering global services. The city’s cultural heritage also played a key role in my decision to move here.

What aspects of the city would you highlight as being positive?

Barcelona’s focus on biotech start-ups and digitalization is driving technological development across a wide range of different industries, earning the city a reputation as a leading innovation hub. Its welcoming atmosphere and the diversity of companies that have been set up here make it a magnet for global talent seeking professional and personal growth.

What aspects of the city must be improved? How?

The real estate bubble in Barcelona is causing many talented professionals to look for other cities to live and work in. Decision-makers need to focus on encouraging the most talented professionals to stay in Barcelona and use their skills to help grow the city’s industries. The creation of intersectoral forums to publicize job opportunities and enable professionals to diversify would be one way of achieving this.

What do you expect from Barcelona in the coming years?

If it continues to grow in a way that strikes a balance between the quality of life of those who live here and the profits of its businesses, Barcelona has everything it needs to become one of the Top 3 cities in the world. Since I come from Costa Rica, where sustainable development is extremely important, I would also like to see more clean energy initiatives in city transportation.

Which city do you feel as «your city»? What do you miss the most?

I have fallen in love with Barcelona’s charm and potential and I have met wonderful people who are now part of my life, so I am keen to continue to develop and learn more about Catalan culture. But Costa Rica is the country in which I was born and which I love; it is where my roots are. What I miss most is my family.