Lucas MartinezMarried and has three children. Born in Geneva, he has been living in Barcelona for two years. Lucas lived in Geneva, London and Montreal before moving to Barcelona two years ago. He is a Spanish, Swiss and Canadian citizen. He is the co-founder and CEO of Canadian recruitment platform Talent.com. Fifth largest recruitment platform according to likeb.com. Talent.com has 500 employees spread over several countries such as Canada, Switzerland, USA, Colombia, Great Britain, France, Spain, etc.
Why did you choose Barcelona?
I have Spanish parents, and since I was little, we’ve come to Barcelona every summer to be with family.
After ten years in North America, the thought of returning to Europe seduced me. My parents will be retiring at Vilanova i la Geltrú and we thought Barcelona would be an ideal place to host our family. Also from a young age, my father passed on the passion for culé to me.
What aspects of the city would you highlight as positive?
I was fortunate to travel a lot for work. I spent several weeks or months as a consultant in different cities including New York, Taipei, Dubai, Auckland, Brisbane, Dublin, St. Petersburg and more. It’s very simple, there is no city like Barcelona, culture, geography, sports, entrepreneurship, cosmopolitanism: it’s all in it.
What aspects of the city need improvement? how?
I come with a very Swiss and Canadian federal perspective and I also live in a post-referendum world in Quebec. I generally compare Barcelona and Catalonia to the time of the second referendum in Quebec. A society that wonders where it is going and is characterized by a certain negativity. But what happened next in Montreal was impressive. Little by little, the community has changed focus. From discourses of identity to discourses of culture and entrepreneurship. Today Quebec is the Canadian province with the lowest unemployment rate in Canada.
Thinking about Quebec, I think we have to focus on the city’s strengths and slide change, and that this place is very big and could be even bigger.
What challenges do you think the city faces once the health emergency is resolved?
Barcelona has faced the health emergency very well. The world of remote work will continue to grow in the coming years, and as the capital of the Mediterranean, Barcelona will continue to welcome a large number of international talents who decide to come to live and work here.
This will ensure economic growth in a natural way and that is why I think the biggest challenge will be to continue working for the population and to make Barcelona a city where the quality of life for its citizens is better.
What do you expect from Barcelona in the coming years?
Personally, I believe that if Barcelona wants to become the capital of the planet. We should encourage foreign investment to create more jobs in the city and be more efficient. This will allow us to raise workers’ salaries, which is what we need if we compare ourselves to other big cities in the world. I also hope to see how Barcelona promotes big business projects, infrastructure, culture, sports, etc. unite its inhabitants.
How do you feel is your city? What do you miss the most?
I am from Geneva because I was born there and lived and studied until I was twenty-three years old. I met my partner, we had our children and successful work in Montreal. Much of my mind and way of thinking is from Montreal, Quebec, and Canada. But my city was and always will be Barcelona.
