Teresa Garcia-Milà: leadership with rigor, long-term vision and a sense of country

In a dialogue with journalist Jofre Llombart, Garcia-Milà offered a dynamic yet reflective, firm yet nuanced conversation about leadership, university, public policy, immigration, and economic future.

The session began with a personal reflection. If she had to choose a key moment in her career, she said without hesitation, it would be her doctorate at the University of Minnesota. Not only for the academic excellence —with three Nobel laureates in the macroeconomics department, including her thesis advisor— but for the daring step of moving to the United States at a time when it was not so common. "I was lucky enough to land in a place where modern macroeconomics was being created," she recalled, claiming that step as foundational, both professionally and personally.

Minnesota also served to address current American affairs. Faced with recent episodes of tension surrounding migratory policies, Garcia-Milà confessed to feeling "sadness and pride": sadness for the events, but pride for the civic response of a state she has always considered open and progressive.

For Garcia-Milà, a leader is "a person who knows how to bring out the best in the entire team"

Creating from scratch: UPF and the value of equality

Another key moment in her career was her participation in the creation of Universitat Pompeu Fabra. "It's hard to imagine that you can participate in the project of creating a university from scratch," she explained. That stage —in which she progressively served as dean, vice-rector, and department director— she defines as one of the great opportunities of her life.

Regarding university leadership, she highlighted an essential difference compared to other environments: hierarchy is less rigid and authority is not taken for granted. "You have to earn the complicity of your colleagues," she said, advocating a model based on conviction and mutual respect.

This collaborative spirit also explains, according to her, the success of the Barcelona School of Economics. The key was to bring together centers and universities that were already powerful, but which separately had less international projection. Today, the BSE ranks among the top in Europe and the world in economic research, an "unusual" achievement that she attributes to the sum of excellences.

Leadership: bringing out the best in others

But going to the root of the event (True Leaders), for Garcia-Milà a leader is "a person who knows how to bring out the best in the whole team", that is, reinforce strengths, help overcome weaknesses and build a shared goal. She rejected essentialist readings on female leadership, although she acknowledged that, on average, women may tend more to listen. After all, "leadership is personal", she summarized.

Precisely as a leadership reference, Garcia-Milà chose another compound surname, Andreu Mas-Colell, of whom she highlighted the combination of academic excellence and commitment to the country. A model of intellectual generosity that, according to her, has been decisive in the transformation of the Catalan research system.

"Europe has to find the balance between regulation and competitiveness"

Europe, infrastructure and taxation: diagnoses without fanfare

In the geopolitical arena, Garcia-Milà was emphatic: Europe lacks leadership. The diagnosis is made, the reports exist, but there are no figures capable of driving changes with decision. Without renouncing democratic values and the welfare state, "Europe must find the balance between regulation and competitiveness" if it wants to maintain global weight.

In a Catalan context, she addressed the infrastructure crisis with a long-term perspective. Rodalies and highways are, in her opinion, the result of years of lack of investment and maintenance. The solution is not immediate, but it requires sustained planning and resources. She also advocated for a calm review of the tax model: rather than asking if too many taxes are paid, it is necessary to analyze if the tax structure is the most appropriate to generate prosperity.

She especially insisted on the imbalance of the autonomous financing model and, without literally quoting them, alluded to the fiscal balances, that is, the extra that Catalans pay in taxes and that does not return to Catalonia, as also happens, she enumerated, to the Valencian Country or Murcia. However, regarding the new model currently proposed by the Spanish government, "although it is not perfect, it is better than the current one", she pointed out.

Growth without enrichment

One of the most relevant moments came when analyzing the current paradox: GDP growth, but increasing social unrest. The explanation is clear: total GDP increases, but so does the population. GDP per capita, on the other hand, barely grows. "We have extensive growth, not intensive," she warned. Without a leap in productivity and added value, there will be no higher wages or real capacity to access housing.

"For Garcia-Milà, a structured, not reactive, migratory policy is needed"

Here she connected with the document on immigration that the Cercle published just hours before the event. The thesis of both the entity and Garcia-Milà herself is that a structured, not reactive, migratory policy is needed. Regularization was necessary, but it should have been accompanied by a clear model for the future. The Cercle calls for a state pact that depoliticizes the debate and moves it away from extremes.

Politics, prestige and influence

In the Q&A session, a shared concern emerged: the discredit of politics and the difficulty of attracting talent. Garcia-Milà admitted that it is a serious problem and that "it is not good for anyone." From the Cercle, their commitment is to influence with rigor and evidence, maintaining dialogue with governments and oppositions. The recent request for a meeting from a ministry as a result of the document on immigration is, as she admitted, a small indicator that this path can bear fruit.

The challenge of making the economy more understandable and the impact of artificial intelligence were also addressed. Without dramatizing, she defended that technological revolutions always generate fear, but also progress. The key will be to train critical citizens capable of using tools, not being used by them.

Rigor, moderation and long-term vision

Throughout the conversation, Teresa Garcia-Milà maintained a tone consistent with her career: moderation, analytical depth, and a willingness to build bridges. Far from easy headlines, she defended thoughtful reflection in an accelerated and polarized time.

In a moment of political noise and economic uncertainty, the message that hovered over the event was clear: true leadership is not about who shouts the loudest, but about who thinks best and works to ensure that collective decisions are based on knowledge, responsibility, and a sense of country.