VIII Employment Congress

Mari José Aranguren

Until July 2025 she was Director General of Orkestra, the Basque competitiveness institute. She is an expert in economic development, regional strategies, clusters and collaboration and the transformational role of the university, areas in which she has published widely in books and national and international journals. She has led and taken part in different national and international research projects and has worked closely with different agents in the Basque Country and elsewhere on transformational research projects. At the beginning of 2025 Mari Jose won the ASPEGI 2025 prize for best woman manager in Gipuzkoa province, from the Gipuzkoa Association of Women Professionals, Entrepreneurs and Managers. This award highlights talent and leadership among women in the region, reinforcing the idea that gender equality is a key drive of economic and social development. At international level, in 2016 she earned recognition for her career and her contribution to regional competitiveness from Harvard University's Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness.