Jordi Baiget is the new general manager of the Balmes University Foundation

Jordi Baiget i Cantons has been the new general manager of the Balmes University Foundation since last Wednesday. His appointment took effect after approval by the institution's Board of Trustees, which met this afternoon, of the proposal of its president, Anna Erra. As of today, Baiget is the head of the Balmes University Foundation, the institution that owns the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), a federated structure that also includes the Bages University Foundation, the Foundation for Advanced Health Sciences and the Elisava Private Foundation University Studies. The new general manager has taken over from Joan Turró, who announced his retirement after eleven years last March.

After the plenary meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Balmes University Foundation, a press conference was held at the institution's headquarters, the Casa de Convalescència on the Vic Campus, at which the board of trustees' approval of the proposal for the renewal of the rector of UVic-UCC Josep Eladi Baños for a second term of four years was also announced.

The rector gave an assessment of his first term of office which began in December 2018, saying that "it was a period with a great deal of work, involving difficulties that arose such as the pandemic, in which I received unwavering support." That is why he is grateful for the second term, which will enable him to "finish projects that have already started and launch new ones" and achieve goals such as "making UVic-UCC become a Catalan and European benchmark in teaching quality." There remain two further procedures before his final renewal at the end of June: an extraordinary meeting of the Senate of the university community, and a second meeting of the board of trustees.

A great expert in the university field

Anna Erra congratulated Baiget on his appointment, and welcomed him to the Balmes University Foundation and UVic-UCC. The president and mayor of Vic said she is "absolutely convinced that Jordi Baiget will do a great job leading the university project in central Catalonia," and explained her reasons: "he has an extensive background in the economic field, in which he has worked for more than thirty years, in private business, university teaching and research, and in government," said Erra.

In her speech, the president of the Balmes University Foundation placed particular emphasis on the fact that Baiget served as Minister of Business and Knowledge in the Government of Catalonia between 2016 and 2017. This position, she said, "makes him a great expert in the university field, since his responsibilities included universities, the quality of the university system, and the promotion of research and innovation." Erra also recalled that his term of office coincided with a key period for UVic-UCC, when the Faculty of Medicine was established, and she said: "he knows our University's project very well, in terms of our teaching and research challenges and our unique model of governance, our federated structure and our involvement with the territory, which are our distinguishing features."

 At the same time, she explained that Baiget's links with the university world go back a long way, and include teaching at various stages of his professional life and doing research, which he has also carried out in other areas, such as politics and public administration, and always in areas linked to the world of economics and business. This "guarantees that he is the right person to take over the general management of an expanding and complex project such like UVic -UCC."

Responsibility, enthusiasm and personal commitment

In his speech, Jordi Baiget expressed his thanks to the Balmes University Foundation board of trustees, and Anna Erra and Josep Arimany in particular, and the rector: "his experience and continuity will guide me at the beginning of this new period." He said that this period will be defined by responsibility, enthusiasm and commitment: "the responsibility involved in replacing someone, Joan Turró, who has done a great job and who has been loved; enthusiasm to participate in a unique project, with great potential, with its roots outside the metropolitan area, a different type of governance and with an obvious commitment and service to the public;" and a "personal commitment to do the best I can and to devote all my efforts to it." "The first thing we have to do with a project that works, and which works well, is to make sure it doesn't come off the rails," he said.

Meanwhile, the rector of UVic-UCC, Josep Eladi Baños, welcomed Jordi Baiget and said he was pleased to be able to work in the future with "someone who has extensive knowledge of the university sphere, and a significant background and expertise in economics and business." Baños said he was convinced that the General Management "is in good hands in terms of addressing the future challenges that the institution has to face" and that "the Balmes University Foundation and academia will work side by side and on a coordinated basis to overcome them."

The councillor for the University and City of Knowledge of Vic City Council, Josep Arimany, explained that the new general manager "fully meets all the requirements to hold the position: experience in management, knowledge of the worlds of business, universities and public administration, and a background in research."

An extensive background in the economic and business sector

Jordi Baiget holds a degree in Economic Sciences and postgraduate studies in Economic Analysis from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He is the recipient of an FPI grant for training of research staff from the CSIC (Spanish National Research Council), and he has published various works, studies and articles related to the Catalan economy and the labour market. At various times in his life, he has been a university lecturer in the field of economics at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and he has been a lecturer on several postgraduate courses, the most recent of which is Promotion and Management of Local Assets, organised jointly by the Rovira i Virgili University and the Catalan Association of Municipalities.

Since 2017, he has been general manager of Sermetra, a company specialising in the operation, maintenance and information management of the operation support systems and the sales and validation systems installed on public transport buses.

In addition, he is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya railway network, and the president of the Àrea8 business association, a group of companies located mostly in the industrial estates of La Pedrosa (Hospitalet de Llobregat) and the Zona Franca, organising joint projects in the areas of energy efficiency, sustainable mobility and corporate social responsibility. He is also the coordinator of the Fundació de la Santa Creu, a charity with centres that works with people without resources and at risk of exclusion, and organises educational workshops for people with disabilities in Barcelona and Vigo. He was a member of the Board of Governors of the Catalan Institute of Finance (ICF) from 2010 to 2016, and he has been a member of the Advisory Council of the LEITAT Technology Centre since 2018.

Prior to being Minister for Business and Knowledge of the Government of Catalonia (2016-2017), he was secretary to the Government of the Government of Catalonia (2012-2016), director general of Interdepartmental Coordination of the Ministry of Presidency of the Government of Catalonia (2011-2012), technical manager of the CiU parliamentary groups in the Parliament of Catalonia and in the Spanish Cortes Generales legislative chamber (2003-2010), secretary of the Catalan Parliamentary Group (CiU) in the Cortes Generales (2001-2003), and adviser to the CDC's Research Service on economic, sectoral and social affairs (1991-2001).

Thanks to Joan Turró

In both the board of trustees meeting and in the press conference, thanks were extended to Joan Turró, who is leaving the position of general manager, for the work he has done over eleven years. Erra emphasised "his commitment to the institution, daily efforts and his defence and love for the project" and thanked him "for contributing to consolidating UVic-UCC by making the federation agreements possible." Josep Arimany stressed "the major transformation of the University's administrative and services staff, which he led as manager" and the work he did at the head of Creacció as the CEO - "a project that the Osona will benefit from for many years to come." Josep Eladi Baños said that with Turró as general manager, "we have experienced the years of most movement and growth at out University."