By Mònica Roca i Aparici, co-founder and CEO of isardSAT. View the original article, published on the website of the Department of Business and Labor of Generalitat de Catalunya

When I think about my career, from my training in engineering to leading business and institutional initiatives, two vital words come to mind: perseverance and passion.

For me, innovation has never been an abstract concept: it is a tool to transform the world around us, to make it more equitable, more sustainable and better prepared to face the challenges of the present and the future, of which there are many.

I started working in the aerospace sector first of all because I was passionate about it, as I still am. And also because I believed in the power of science, in this case that derived from space observation, to improve people’s lives. For more than 10 years I worked at the European Space Agency (ESA), a period that was fundamental to understanding the scope and responsibility of scientific and technological knowledge when it is put at the service of the planet and humanity. I went there with the hope of dedicating myself to space but without knowing its scope, and I experienced first-hand the potential of Earth observation to monitor relevant and current aspects as climate change, water resources management, natural disasters prediction, or help sectors such as agriculture, fishing, livestock, etc.

I want girls who are interested in mathematics, science, engineering or economic policy today to know that they have places to occupy, voices to raise and rights to defend. We need more role models, and that means we have to be visible and brave.

As a result of this experience, and of my deep bond with Catalonia, I founded isardSAT in 2006, a space company, intensive in research, and in the field of Earth observation. It was a clear commitment: to demonstrate that from a small country like mine we could carry out high-level research in the space sector and contribute to European Earth observation satellite programs, such as Copernicus. Today, isardSAT is an international benchmark company that collaborates closely with ESA itself, with research centers and institutions around the world, developing algorithms and space systems that allow us to better understand our planet. It is a project that I am deeply proud of, because it unites science, technology, territory and social impact, and because it is made up of a group of magnificent people!

My love for space has never been just scientific: it is also an emotional connection, a fascination with the universe and what it represents as a frontier of knowledge and as a metaphor for possibilities. This fascination became reality, in a very special way, last February, when I participated in the Hypatia II mission, a simulation of a Martian mission based in the Utah desert. For days, I shared with a team of female scientists, technologists and communicators an immersive experience that combined scientific rigor, coexistence and research. Hypatia was not only an extraordinary adventure, but also a symbolic act: to claim the place of women in the conquest of space and to make female talent visible in disciplines where we are still underrepresented today. The Hypatia Mars association aims to promote scientific vocations in young people with a very special focus on girls and young women. When I got involved in the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, I did so with the conviction that a courageous, committed business network aligned with the values of the 21st century is needed. We need to talk about the economy, yes, but also about sustainability, gender and generational equality and digitalization as central axes of progress. The goal should not be to grow but to progress with quality.

Being a woman in traditionally masculine fields is not usually easy. But it should never be an excuse not to advance either. On the contrary: it can be a driving force. I want girls who are interested in mathematics, science, engineering or economic policy today to know that they have places to occupy, voices to raise and rights to defend. We need more role models, and that means we have to be visible and brave.

I like to think that leadership is, in essence, opening paths. That is why I firmly believe in collective, empathetic and territorial leadership. Leadership that listens, that thinks in terms of the future and that is not afraid to question the rules of the game.

Finally, my experience confirms that there is no innovation without courage, nor transformation without people. We must take this into account in the face of exponential changes in some technologies such as we now have with artificial intelligence. If we want to build a more balanced, equitable and resilient society, we need to weave alliances between technology and humanism, between the economy and life. It is not just a question of progress. It is also a matter of collective responsibility to make a better world.

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