Gema Igual Ortiz

Born on September 10, 1973. She studied Teaching. She worked in a private company and was manager of the Association of Young Entrepreneurs of Cantabria until her incorporation as councilor of the Santander City Council in the areas of Tourism and Celebrations in 2003.

She was Councilor of Tourism and Institutional Relations from 2007 until, in November 2016, she assumed the Mayor's Office of Santander, becoming the first woman to hold this position, revalidated after winning the municipal elections of May 2019.

Since December 2016 she has been a member of the Governing Board of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) and in September 2019 she was appointed deputy spokesperson for the Popular Group in this body.

Since November 2019, she has been part of the Plenary of the National Commission for Local Administration (CNAL) and has held the vice-presidency of the Spanish Network of Smart Cities (RECI) since February 2020.

As of January 2021, she represents the FEMP in the Local Forum for the Spanish Urban Agenda and in March of that same year, she joined the Chamber of Local Authorities of the Congress of Local and Regional Powers (CPLR) of the Council of Europe, as a member of the Spanish delegation.

She has been vice-president for Spain of the Conference of the Cities of the Atlantic Arc (CCAA) until September 2021.