Mercè Sala, member of the Board of Trustees of Barcelona Media, dies

May 07, 2008 - BM news


Mercè Sala, al centre, en una de les darreres reunions del Patronat de BM

Mercè Sala, member of the Board of Trustees of Barcelona Media (BM), passed away on the morning of 7th May after a long illness. Mercè Sala was involved in, and gave her to support to BM from its inception.

Born in Barcelona in May 1943, she formed part of the BM Board of Trustees as the representative of Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), where she headed the Consell Social; she was also president of the Consell de Treball Econòmic i Social de Catalunya (CTESC), an advisory organ of the Generalitat of Catalonia in the areas of socioeconomics and labour. Mercè Sala’s funeral will be held at 15:30h on Friday, 9th May, at the Sant Gervasi Chapel of Rest in Barcelona.

Curriculum Vitae

A Doctor of Economics and Business Science, her career ranged from the public sector to private business and the university sphere. From 1991 to 1996, she was chairperson of Renfe, where she was responsible for establishing the first high-speed train line as well as the modernisation of the company. She began her career at the Banc Industrial de Catalunya, and also held the posts of chief executive of Termoinsa, director of Carrefour and was a member of the advisory council for Indra.

Politically active in the PSC party, she was elected councillor of Barcelona City Council at the first democratic municipal elections (1979). In 1987 she was elected chairperson of the Entitat Metropolitana del Transport, and in 1989 she was made chairperson of the companies Transports de Barcelona and Ferrocarril Metropolità de Barcelona. She was also a member of the executive committee of the Olympic Organising Committee for the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992.

On 21 April 2008, the Generalitat of Catalonia awarded her the Creu de Sant Jordi for her contribution to democratic life, social progress and the development of Catalonia and the Spanish State.

Mercè Sala was also a promoter of the Fundació per a la motivació dels Recursos Humans, and published the book El encanto de Hamelin (2006), in which she sets down her ideas and reflections on leadership.