Cristina Alonso Alija
Advisory Member | Newlink, The World Bank and IQS Barcelona, Spain
Biography
Cristina’s career has been guided by her passion to translate science into a benefit for society. She believes that transparency, innovation and science are essential for progress, and progress can only be achieved in collaboration.
She is a Chemical Engineer and holds a PhD at IQS in organic chemistry, followed by a postdoc in the United States.
An executive leader with more than 25 years of experience in the private sector, she has worked and lived in several countries in Europe and America. She was Global SVP for Sustainability, Safety, Health and Environment of the Bayer group and the first ever Human Rights Officer of the company. Today she is the director of the UNIJES (Jesuit Universities in Spain) Reference Research Center for Environment and Ecology, seeking to amplify the impact of the Universities in Sustainability.
She is a firm advocate of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as essential for long-term business success. Among other awards, she has been recognized in 2023 as a Top100 Woman in German Business. She loves sailing her catamaran at the Mediterranean sea and is a Board Member of the Sailing Club Maritim Torredembarra.