The issue of workplace equality isn’t one that will be solved overnight, or by any one institution. But what’s certain is that female leadership can be a powerful force for change. Building that leadership often begins with nurturing talent in the right way, and ensuring that lifelong education is accessible and engaging.
Here, we speak to a professor, alumna and current student at Esade, who share their thoughts on how we can build a better, freer and more egalitarian future.
The professor: ‘Women must be included from beginning to end’
Irene Unceta is an associate professor in the Department of Operations, Innovation and Data Science at Esade. She’s also the academic director of the bachelor’s degrees in business management and artificial intelligence for business.
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At the start of any new term, Unceta, 34, thinks back to the words of the American theoretical physicist Richard Feynman: ‘If you can’t explain something to a first-year student, then you haven’t really understood it.’
This is all the more relevant considering Unceta’s field of expertise. She completed her PhD in mathematics and computer science, and is now at the forefront of teaching on AI. These are fields where women are severely underrepresented – the first step to resolving this, Unceta says, is through education.
There are few women experts in STEM disciplines, and even fewer in artificial intelligence. How can we change that?
It comes down to two things: education and, later, opportunities for career development. The first is crucial. Women are certainly capable of succeeding in these disciplines – the problem is that they can’t see themselves there. Women’s contributions in these fields are often undervalued or made completely invisible.
To get more women and girls interested in studying these disciplines, they need role models. But we also need to make these subjects more engaging. The key is to better explain what they entail. Women often seek professions with a sense of purpose – to make technical disciplines seem more attractive, we need to better show the link between knowledge and its impact. In other words, we should focus not only on the ‘what’ but also the ‘why’.
For example?
Take Esade’s AI and business bachelor’s degree course. If we focused solely on the ‘what’, we would talk about software, hardware, advanced calculus, algebra, statistics, probability and programming. But if we build a narrative around the ‘why’, we would highlight how artificial intelligence increasingly impacts people’s lives. It influences how they interact with others, how they access products and services, and the environments around them. Choosing to engage in artificial intelligence, therefore, means choosing to make an impact in all these areas.
Beyond education, there’s another obvious inequality: the number of women in leadership positions is still significantly lower than that of men.
I think there are three elements at play here: the status quo, the disruption of the status quo caused by the entry of women, and the resulting resistance. Leadership positions have traditionally been occupied by men, so management committees, boards of directors and other executive bodies are predominantly male.
Women ascending to these positions disrupts this status quo, destabilising established norms and practices. The men they disrupt are naturally resistant to change. That’s why I believe in quota systems – not as an end goal, but as a tool to overcome this resistance. Quotas can help women enter traditionally male-dominated spaces, allowing those spaces to adapt to the new reality.
This also requires technology to be more inclusive and diverse.
These things rarely happen by chance; they require explicit intention and will. For something to be diverse and inclusive, it must be so from its very conception.
Technology often arises from the desire to solve a problem, so it’s crucial to consider who defines these problems. Many issues go unsolved simply because they aren’t recognised by those who should identify them. For the needs of women and other underrepresented groups to be identified as problems, these groups must be included from the beginning to the end.
Is continuous learning a prerequisite today?
I believe it is. The world changes rapidly, and knowledge becomes obsolete very quickly, making continuous learning essential. It’s crucial to learn how to learn, but also to learn how to enjoy learning – to value it in and of itself. While learning something can be practical, above all, it should be a pleasure.
The graduate: ‘We need more women managing capital’
Ariadna Masó is the founder and CEO of health platform SANNO. She completed the bachelor’s and master’s programme in business administration and management at Esade.
A few years ago, Masó, 35, left a long and successful financial career in London to start her own business in the health sector. She now leads a technology platform that offers, among other things, better patient monitoring and data analysis for improved treatment and research.
What does entrepreneurship entail?
It is a learning process, of continuous trial and error. Learning entrepreneurship involves constantly testing ways to sell your solution by seeing what works and what doesn’t. Out of a hundred trials, there will be one that works and allows you to scale exponentially.
Studies indicate that investment in startups led by women barely exceeds 2%. What can we do about this?
Indeed, there is much to be done, and it’s a shame because female talent is incredibly powerful. To improve the situation, we need more women in charge. According to recent studies, only 15% of women in investment firms have decision-making power. Additionally, the process of raising capital is tough – you face rejection most of the time, and it can be frustrating, but persistence is key. I feel that women often underestimate ourselves, and we need to learn to ‘sell’ ourselves better and project confidence to investors. We need to have more self-confidence.
How would you encourage other women to become entrepreneurs?
I would encourage them to take the plunge, not to wait for the perfect moment, and not to be afraid to raise their hand and ask for help. I’ve learned to surround myself with supportive people who assist me at every step. Additionally, with free AI tools available today, you can create prototypes quickly and at low cost. It’s a great time for entrepreneurship.
For a long time, the word ‘ambition’, especially when applied to women, had a certain pejorative tone. Can we reclaim it?
The perception of female ambition is evolving. We’re seeing more female empowerment and women are reclaiming ambition – although there’s still a long way to go. In my case, I’ve often been told that I wasn’t good enough at my job, that I’d never be able to start a company, raise capital, or generate revenue. Listening to feedback is necessary, but filtering it is even more important. Don’t let anyone clip your wings. Keep going, no matter what others say.
Throughout your career in finance, you were often ‘the only woman’ in a predominantly male environment. What did you learn from this experience?
I learned to raise my profile in a male-dominated environment. Being the only woman isn’t necessarily a disadvantage, despite the challenges. My career in finance taught me to persevere, to keep going even when I wasn’t visible, and to be resilient, because recognition and success come eventually.
Financial education is the first step toward women’s empowerment. Why is it so hard for women to talk about money?
The lack of female representation in financial positions and the fact that few women have decision-making power affects our perceptions of women who do control money. Greater financial education and more female role models would help break these stereotypes.
Training is essential. What was your time at Esade like?
It taught me how to learn, how to identify and solve problems, and how to work in a team – because when you leave university, you have to learn new things from scratch, often with teams you didn’t choose. Esade provided me with a very solid foundation.
You are also part of the WE Esade Alumni and Esade Alumni Entrepreneurship Club. How has being part of this community helped you?
It’s helped me at every step. When I moved to London to work in the City, I didn’t know anyone. The first thing I did was contact the Esade chapter – they helped me get to know the city and meet other alumni, which made my transition much easier.
When I decided to create my startup, SANNO, I reached out to other alumni in the health field and they all took the time to call me, share their experiences in the sector, and help me with introductions. The value of this support is immeasurable. Esade Alumni is like a family in the professional world.
The student: ‘Attitude and purpose matter’
María Sánchez is a graduate of the double degree in law and global governance, economics, and legal order at Esade, who is now studying for the double master’s degree in legal practice and international business law.
María, 24, was born in Gallur, a village of about 2,500 inhabitants in the Ribera Alta del Ebro, in the province of Zaragoza (Spain). In recent years, she hasn’t stopped travelling. This, combined with her many facets and hobbies, ranging from football to drawing and philosophy, makes her a role model of natural talent and effort.
You have been able to study thanks to Esade's Scholarship Programme. Is it the academic record that matters most?
You first have to stand out on your own merits. The programme is designed to be a social elevator for talented students and, although academic record and financial need are key requirements, effort, commitment, excellence and social responsibility, among many other things, are also rewarded. You have to prove that you are more than just a good student.
In a similar sense, I don’t think that your academic CV solely determines your job prospects. Developing other skills is so important, and helped me from the moment I applied for the scholarship at Esade. At that time, I was doing 25 hours of extracurricular activities, as well as being in my final year of high school. It helped me to stand out.
You were also co-founder of the Esade Law Competition and president of the EsTalent Students for Talent alumni association, which is dedicated to raising funds for the Scholarship Programme. Did you see that as part of your social responsibility?
I think we need to recover the sense of institutional responsibility, which I believe is one of the great virtues that sometimes goes unnoticed in education. We have prioritised working on our CVs and developing our professional careers, and sometimes we lose sight of the fact that character training is also necessary in the professional world. My father always says that the one thing you can never lose is your word, and when you accept a scholarship at Esade, you are giving your word to act under the highest standards of academic excellence and personal commitment. You cannot do otherwise. Therefore, attitude and purpose matter.
How important was travelling to your journey?
In a profession like mine, which is more oriented toward international relations, travelling is a key factor. I’ve had the opportunity to travel to different places. I’ve lived in the United States, Israel, Colombia, and the Netherlands – all in less than two years.
When I go back to my hometown, all I hear is: ‘Where are you off to next?’ It’s a running joke. But there is so much to attend to, so much to learn and so much to discover. Every time I returned to Spain, it was as if I were coming back as a new person. I became more versatile, more agile, and more flexible – but at the same time, had clearer ideas.
Photography by Fernando Roi. Styled by Verónica Suárez and Jorge Gilarranz. Make-up and hair: José Luis Ruzafa. Styling assistant: Jimena Ureta.
