About me

Lawyer specialising in Corporate Labour Law.

Practising lawyer -1986- before the Labour Jurisdiction in the various Labour Courts in Spain.

Co-founder of FES CONSULTING EMPRESARIAL, S.L. Legal Business Advisory, dedicated to corporate legal advisory and project management consultancy and training in Corporate Gender Equality, aimed at Companies, business organisations and public and private institutions at regional, national and international level, headquartered in Barcelona -March 1991.

CEO and Partner of SOFECO FOOS SL, a company dedicated to the production and marketing of soft drinks-January 2026.

Senior Advisor at ARMANEXT,SL Registered Advisor (www.armanext.com)- January 2022.

Associate of ADADE Barcelona, founded in 1988, a business advisory firm for small and medium-sized enterprises providing a comprehensive response to companies in the Labour Law, Tax, Accounting, Commercial and Auditing fields.

Conciliator-Mediator Member of the Labour Court of Catalonia – (TLC)- March 2011.- (www.tribulab.cat)

Member of the Economic and Social Council of Catalonia (CTESC) -May 2014- (www.ctesc.cat).

Member of the Advisory Council of the Barcelona Arbitration Tribunal (TAB) -October 2019

REPRESENTACIONES INSTITUCIONALES

In 2002 she founded AFAEMME (Association of Mediterranean Chambers and Federations of Businesswomen), serving as President of this Organisation, whose members comprise 67 Businesswomen’s Associations from 22 Mediterranean countries (Albania, Algeria, Bosnia, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Slovenia, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Morocco, Montenegro, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey) (www.afaemme.org/boardofdirectors.php).

Member of the Board of Directors of FOMENT DEL TREBALL (Catalan Employers’ Federation)-July 2006 and Chair of the Equality Commission – May 2026 – (www.foment.com).
Member of the Advisory Council of ASCAME -October 2014- and Co-Chair of the Women’s Commission (Association of Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce)-November 2019-(www.ascame.org).
Member of the Advisory Council of EMEA (Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association)-May 2020-(www.euromed.economists.org).
Member of the Advisory Council of GISMA UNIVERSITY of Applied Sciences. Potsdam, Germany, since 2025.

PREVIOUS INSTITUTIONAL REPRESENTATIONS

Since the beginning of her professional and institutional career, she has represented the following Business Organisations and Companies:

President of FEPIME–Catalonia (Catalan Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises) July 2014-2020 (www.fepime.cat).

Vice-President of FOMENT DEL TREBALL (Catalan Business Federation) 2014 -2026 and Chair of the Equality, European Affairs and Foreign Affairs Commissions – June 2014-2026 (www.foment.com).

Vice-President of CEPYME (Spanish Confederation of Small and Medium Enterprises) September 2014-2025. (www.cepyme.es).

Vice-President of SMEunited (European Confederation of Small and Medium Enterprises). Chair of the Legal and Social Affairs Committee of SMEunited – June 2015- 2025. (www.smeunited.com).

Member of the EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE (EESC) Vice-President of External Relations, Spokesperson of the SME Group, Vice-President of the Equality Group, Vice-President of the Fundamental Rights Group and Chair of the Euro-Mediterranean Follow-up Committee, October 2015-2025. (www.eesc.europa.eu).

Member of the Board of Directors of CEOE (Spanish Confederation of Employers’ Organisations) September 2014-2025.

Member of the Board of Directors of MC Mutual (Mutual Midat Cyclps Occupational Accident and Disease Insurance Fund)-October 2019-2021.

Treasurer of ANIMA (Euro-Mediterranean Network of Investment Promotion Agencies) headquartered in Marseille -June 2010-2012 (www.animaweb.org/en/activite_apropos_ugp.php).

For 8 years she chaired A.C.E.E. Catalan Association of Businesswomen and Executives June 2010-2018, and Co-Chair of the Steering Committee 2020-2024 (www.acee.com.es).

Founding President of F.A.E.C, the Catalan Federation of Businesswomen’s Associations- June 2004-2006.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

Awarded by ASCAME (Association of Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce) in November 2016, for her contribution to the social and economic development of the Mediterranean region through the empowerment of women. (http://www.economiadehoy.es/mvc/amp/noticia/11898/).

As an expert on gender and business issues, she was the first to present the conclusions of a corporate gender project to the European Parliament in 2006.

Active participant in the drafting of the 2010 publication «More Women in Decision-Making Positions, a Key Factor in Economic Stability and Growth» under the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities of the European Commission. (http://ec.europa.eu/social).

She has been one of the women selected to represent female entrepreneurship in the exhibition «Women, the Paths to Freedom» at the History Museum of Catalonia.

Chosen as one of the 100 European Mirrors Women, a European Commission project (June 2013) (http://www.100mirrors.eu/portal/100-women/by-country/espana/item/56-maria-elena-de-felipe-lehtonen.html?format=html&lang=es#mi-historia)

Organiser of several International Conferences on gender and business issues, most recently the 17th Meda Women Entrepreneurs Forum in Izmir, Turkey (December 2025), as well as numerous Networking events, and has taken part in multiple International Congresses and Seminars at UNESCO, the OECD, Algiers, Amman, Brussels, Beirut, Lille, Turin, Thessaloniki, Istanbul, Tangier, Marrakech, Alexandria, and Cairo.

She has led several support projects for International Cooperation with Morocco, Guatemala and Nicaragua. (www.acee.com.es)

And several International and National Projects (www.afaemme.org)

«Labour market & Entrepreneurship Overcoming Gender Stereotypes»
«Women Mobility Information Campaign«
«Women and job mobility: obstacles and solution for women in Information and Communication Technologies».
«Break gender Stereotypes, give talent a chance»
«Increasing productivity through the implementation of Gender Policies in economic decision-making positions».
«Promoting female entrepreneurship from Universities»
«Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Businesswomen»
«Young Women as Job creators»
«Corresponsabiliza y Comparte» (Share the Responsibility)
» She decides, you Succeed»
«Dream«
«WomenTechEU» (partner)