The STEM4her initiative has held the second session of the “Inspiring Conversations” cycle with an exceptional guest: Montse Muñoz Abellana, IQS alumna, chemical engineer, and executive with a career spanning more than three decades in industries such as mass consumption, luxury, and healthcare. Currently, Muñoz sits on various boards of directors — both listed and family-owned companies — and serves as an independent board member, bringing strategic vision and a focus on value creation. She is also a member of the STEM4her Advisory Board and an active mentor for the project.
STEM4her celebrates the second session of "Inspiring Conversations" with Montse Muñoz, a leader with over 30 years of experience in the global industry
The session, led by Dr. Magda Faijes, maintained the warm and candid spirit that defines the cycle. It created a space where students not only listened to professional stories, but also engaged in dialogue with a figure who has held positions of the highest responsibility in global organizations such as Procter & Gamble, Loewe, and Danone.
From Lleida to IQS and the World: a vocation discovered along the way
Muñoz opened the conversation by describing her beginnings: “I wanted to study archaeology,” she confessed with a laugh, explaining how a school period in England and her discovery of the pure sciences ultimately led her to IQS. During her studies, she had her first contact with industry through an internship at Procter & Gamble — an experience that captivated her and prompted her to launch her career there.
She spent 11 years at Procter, moving from process engineering to leading international operational excellence projects, including training in Japan in the Toyota Production System. “I have always been more interested in people than in machines,” she said, summing up a defining thread that explains her evolution toward management, leadership, and transformation roles.
Her move to Danone was a turning point. Muñoz took on growing responsibilities, leading operations at European and global scale, driving complex reorganizations, international integrations, and high-impact projects. She also highlighted her experience in clinical nutrition, a sector positioned between the food and pharmaceutical industries. She acknowledged that some of the hardest moments came when the company decided to sell entire divisions or merge others — corporate decisions that directly affected thousands of people and that she was responsible for executing.
In 2022, she chose to close her executive chapter to dedicate herself fully to corporate governance, an environment she describes as “a second career with impact, future vision, and more personal space.”
Leading means creating the conditions for success
One of the most memorable moments was her reflection on leadership. Muñoz stated that her role has always been “to create the best possible conditions for her team to succeed.” She gave concrete examples of how rebuilding a broken organization in Madrid required transforming processes, dynamics, structures, and even physical spaces. In her view, leadership is incompatible with ego and only works when there is trust, transparency, and shared accountability.
She offered very tangible examples: from redesigning communication routines and processes to transforming office environments to foster a healthier atmosphere. She described how, during a challenging period in Madrid, she had to rebuild an organization that was “completely broken,” making difficult but necessary decisions: “When you remove the blockages, the atmosphere just clicks.”
Real work-life balance: conscious choices, support, and discipline
On the topic of work-life balance, Muñoz spoke with a candor that resonated deeply with the students. She described how, over the years, she and her partner established the rule that one of them would always be at home. She explained that she has never experienced her career as a sacrifice, but rather as a series of decisions made with full awareness. She also shared what has helped her manage stress: discipline, sport, and learning to keep emotional distance. “It took me 20 years to achieve positive detachment, but once you do, everything improves — your perspective, your decisions, your health.”
Guidance for students: less pressure, more curiosity
Questions from the students sparked a rich dialogue about professional doubts, vocation, and first career decisions. Muñoz emphasized that university is not a place to “get it right,” but to shape the way you think. She encouraged the students to try things, explore sectors, seek out opportunities rather than waiting for them to arrive. She stressed that professional careers are trajectories built step by step, with no linear path.
The session ended in a warm atmosphere full of gratitude. Several students expressed how much they identified with Muñoz’s experiences, especially in moments of doubt or change. She responded, visibly moved, that hearing this had been “an unexpected gift.”
Muñoz closed with a powerful reflection: “When you look back, ask yourself: what remains of what I have done? Sustainable building is what truly leaves a mark.”