ASB alumni and parent, Mireia Sureda Gallardo '95, grew up internationally following her father's career with a multinational company. Completing her elementary education in the United States, the Spanish national moved to Athens during her middle school years and finally returned to Barcelona to finish high school at ASB. 

"I studied business at ESADE, where I completed my Bachelor's degree and MBA, graduating within the top 5 of my year. Finishing my MBA at NYU Stern School of Business in New York allowed me to launch my career there where I worked for two years in digital marketing and communications before returning to Barcelona."

Today, Mireia is the General Manager of a family business, Eric Vökel Boutique Apartments, a company her father co-founded in Barcelona ten years ago. Starting with responsibilities in e-commerce, marketing, and online distribution, Mireia became General Manager five years ago and now leads a multicultural team across Europe. Her previous work experience includes ten years in marketing at large multinational groups like Lindt & Sprüngli and Groupe SEB.

Offering designer hotel apartments for short-term stays in top European cities, Eric Vökel Boutique Apartments are personally designed by the Danish architect and interior designer, Eric Vökel. They offer a new hospitality concept, fully equipped functionality with Nordic design's beauty and Mediterranean style. 

In addition to hotel apartments in Barcelona, Madrid, Amsterdam, and Hamburg, Mireia recently opened their newest development of twenty-one apartments in Copenhagen's Meatpacking District, one of the world's trendiest neighborhoods today.

"We host many families at our apartments, and many friends from ASB have stayed with us. The last ten years have been intense with travel and innovation. We would love to welcome you!"

Growing up in different countries and attending international schools influenced Mireia's life. "As a child, I constantly had to adapt to new environments, which I think made me more flexible and open to change. At ASB, I remember a very caring community with teachers committed to our wellbeing and education. Rosa Ruiz, Mark Smith, Montse Perez, Javier Iranzo, Margarita Vila, and Isabel Puyuelo were all teachers that positively influenced my life. These teachers knew how to make the best out of us and made us feel confident and happy as teenagers. I feel fortunate to have completed my high school years at ASB."

After fifteen years of living in Gràcia raising their young family, Mireia and her husband decided to send Aleix (G5), Marc (G3), and Lea (PK3) to ASB to provide them an international education with an open-minded perspective of the world. "ASB is larger and more international than when I was a student there, but it still maintains the same caring community I remember. The facilities have improved, and the after-school and sports programs have expanded. Academically, the biggest improvement has been the introduction of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program."

"At ASB, they can meet friends and teachers from different nationalities and backgrounds. We speak Catalan and Spanish at home, and we knew it would be difficult and require a lot of effort for them to learn English in a local school."

Mireia has many good memories from her time at ASB. "Some of my favorite memories are, by far, the ski trips. We had a lot of fun and skied a lot."

"I also remember Mr. DeJohn, our English teacher. We would read Shakespeare with him, and he was a bit wild, so we had loads of fun in his English class. He was really engaging. Today I still like to visit the school and speak with Mr. Smith, Ms. Linda, and Ms. Marta."

Mireia is still connected with some of her best friends from ASB days who meet annually for a class dinner. "It's always great to see them and I really enjoy these gatherings."

When asked to share one word to describe ASB, Mireia replies, "Community."

Once a Lynx, Always a Lynx!
#Lynx4Life #ASBtogether

Contributed: February 2021