Elsa Artadi i Vila (born 19 August 1976) is a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

economist, academic and politician from

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

. Artadi is a member of the

Parliament of Catalonia The Parliament of Catalonia (, ; ; ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Catalonia. The Parliament is currently made up of 135 members, known as Deputy (legislator), deput ...

and was previously Minister of the Presidency and Government Spokesperson of

. Born in 1976 in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, Artadi studied economics at

Pompeu Fabra University Pompeu Fabra University (, ; ) is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia in Spain. Established in 1990 by the Autonomous Government of Catalonia and named after Pompeu Fabra, it is known for its competitiveness in resea ...

and

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

before becoming an academic. She taught economics at

Bocconi University Bocconi University or Università Bocconi (formally known in Italian language, Italian as ''Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi'' – Luigi Bocconi Commercial University) is a private university in Milan, Italy. The university is consistently ...

and was

visiting professor In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting scientist, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic fo ...

at several other universities. Later she held various senior positions at the

Generalitat de Catalunya The Generalitat de Catalunya (; ; ), or the Government of Catalonia, is the institutional system by which Catalonia is self-governed as an autonomous community of Spain. It is made up of the Parliament of Catalonia, the President of the Govern ...

. Artadi was elected to the Parliament of Catalonia at the 2017 regional election as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

candidate for the pro-

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

Together for Catalonia

electoral alliance An electoral alliance (also known as a bipartisan electoral agreement, electoral pact, electoral agreement, electoral coalition or electoral bloc) is an association of political parties or individuals that exists solely to stand in elections. E ...

. She was Minister of the Presidency and Government Spokesman between June 2018 and March 2019.

Early life

Artadi was born on 19 August 1976 in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. Her mother Esther Artadi manages a small estate agent. Her parents separated when she was young and Elsa and her brother Patrick have chosen to use their mother's surname, Artadi, first rather than their father's surname, Vila. Artadi studied at an independent school in Barcelona. After school Artadi joined the

(UPF) in 1994, graduating in 1998 with a degree in

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

. She received a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

from UPF in 2000. She joined

in 2000 on a

scholarship A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...

from Fundació "la Caixa", receiving a master's degree (2002) and a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

(2006) in economics from the university.

Career

Artadi taught economics at the

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

between 2006 and 2010. During this period she was also a

Fudan University Fudan University (FDU) is a public university, national public university in Yangpu, Shanghai, Yangpu, Shanghai, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education (China), Ministry of Education and is co-funded with the Shanghai Municipal ...

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

(2007), UPF (2009–10) and

Barcelona Graduate School of Economics The Barcelona School of Economics (BSE) is an institute for research and graduate education in Economics, Finance, Data Science, and the social sciences located in Barcelona, Spain. BSE research has been ranked among the top Economics Department ...

(2009–11). She was also a member of the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

's scientific committee in

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

(2008), a consultant to the World Bank in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

(2009) and a member of the

European Economic Association The European Economic Association (EEA) is a learned society, professional academic body which links European economists. It was founded in the mid-1980s. Its first annual congress was in 1986 in Vienna and its first president was Jacques Drèze. ...

's scientific committee (2009–10). Artadi joined the

, Catalonia's regional government, in 2011 as an economic advisor to

Andreu Mas-Colell Andreu Mas-Colell (; born 29 June 1944) is an economist, an expert in microeconomics and a prominent mathematical economist. He is the founder of the Barcelona School of Economics and a professor in the department of economics at Pompeu Fabra ...

, the Minister of Economy and Finance. In 2013 she became managing director of the generalitat's Entitat Autònoma de Jocs i Apostes, serving until 2015. She was also Director General of Tax and Game during this time. She was promoted to Finance Secretary in 2015 and in early 2016 she became Director-General of Inter-departmental Coordination. Artadi became a member of the

Catalan nationalist Catalan nationalism promotes the idea that the Catalan people form a distinct nation and national identity. A related term is Catalanism (, ), which is more related to regionalism and tends to have a wider meaning, most people who define themsel ...

Catalan European Democratic Party The Catalan European Democratic Party (, PDeCAT, sometimes stylized as PDECat), initially branded as the Catalan Democratic Party (, PDC), was a liberal political party in Spain that supported Catalan independence. The party was founded in Bar ...

(PDeCAT) in the summer of 2016. She became a member of the PDeCAT's executive, taking responsibility for studies and programs, but later left the party due to differences. Govern de Catalunya foto oficial 2018

Artadi contested the 2017 regional election as an

Together for Catalonia (JuntsxCat)

candidate in the

Province of Barcelona Barcelona (; ) is a province of eastern Spain, in the center of the autonomous community of Catalonia. The province is bordered by the provinces of Tarragona, Lleida, and Girona, and by the Mediterranean Sea. Its area is .Parliament of Catalonia The Parliament of Catalonia (, ; ; ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Catalonia. The Parliament is currently made up of 135 members, known as Deputy (legislator), deput ...

. At the election Catalan secessionists retained a slim majority in the Catalan Parliament. Artadi was spokesperson for the JuntsxCat parliamentary group. On 19 May 2018 newly elected

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Quim Torra Joaquim Torra i Pla (; born 28 December 1962), known as Quim Torra, is a Catalans, Catalan lawyer and journalist from Spain. He served as President of the Government of Catalonia from 17 May 2018 to 28 September 2020, when the Supreme Court of S ...

nominated a new government in which Artadi was to be Minister of Enterprise and Knowledge and Government Spokesperson. However, the

Spanish government The government of Spain () is the central government which leads the executive branch and the General State Administration of the Kingdom of Spain. The Government consists of the Prime Minister and the Ministers; the prime minister has the o ...

condemned the inclusion of jailed/exiled politicians in the government as provocative and refused to approve Torra's appointments or to revoke

direct rule In political science, direct rule is when an imperial or central power takes direct control over the legislature, executive and civil administration of an otherwise largely self-governing territory. Examples Chechnya In 1991, Chechen separat ...

. Faced with this opposition Torra announced a new government on 29 May 2018 without the jailed/exiled politicians. Artadi was to be Minister of the Presidency and Government Spokesperson in the new government. She was sworn in on 2 June 2018 at the

Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya The Palace of the Generalitat of Catalonia ( Catalan: ''Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya'', ; Spanish: ''Palacio de la Generalidad de Cataluña'') is a historic palace in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It houses the offices of the Presidency ...

. She resigned in March 2019 to contest the 2019 local elections as the JuntsxCat's number two candidate in

. In July 2020 Artadi joined the newly formed Together for Catalonia political party.

Personal life

Artadi was married to architect Alberto Arraut. She is a

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

enthusiast and enjoys running and water colour painting.

Electoral history

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Artadi, Elsa 1976 births Barcelona municipal councillors (2019–2023) Academic staff of Bocconi University Academics from Catalonia Economists from Catalonia Academic staff of Fudan University Catalan government spokespeople Government ministers of Catalonia Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Independent politicians in Catalonia Living people Members of the 12th Parliament of Catalonia National Call for the Republic politicians Pompeu Fabra University alumni Academic staff of Pompeu Fabra University Spanish women economists Together for Catalonia (2017) politicians Together for Catalonia (2020) politicians Torra Government Women members of the Parliament of Catalonia Academic staff of the Barcelona School of Economics