Meet the host ambassadors of Barcelona International Community Day 2024

It’s once again time for the Barcelona International Community Day, the major annual gathering of the city’s international talent ecosystem. This leading event for professionals from around the world who live and work in Barcelona will take place on Saturday 28 September at the Maritime Museum.

The event will again include an extensive programme of activities, workshops and talks to facilitate connections among members of the community and help them integrate into the city. It will also feature a trade fair where companies, organisations and associations can present their services, products and initiatives for the international community.

Every year, Barcelona International Community Day chooses its host ambassadors: six professionals from different backgrounds who have settled in Barcelona and will share their experiences with participants with the goal of helping and inspiring others.

The 2024 host ambassadors

First up, Deepika Bhoolabhai, who was born in South Africa and has Indian heritage. She fell in love with Barcelona 18 years ago thanks to its sea and mountains, people, language and lifestyle. Three months after arriving, she also fell in love with her husband, Xavi, and lives with him and their two children in Gràcia. In 2013, she opened an English school in the neighbourhood, and in 2020 she got into the field of coaching and interculturality and diversity. She also joined SIETAR and is currently the president of SIETAR Spain, in addition to leading SOAR, her own school for coaches focusing on personal and professional development.

Joe Woodward, from the United Kingdom, is the most experienced host ambassador: he’s been in the city for 27 years! He arrived in Barcelona in 1997 and started teaching English at language schools in addition to working at a multinational company in different positions, but his passion has always been food and cuisine. He eventually decided to turn this hobby into his profession, combining it with his background in business and education, and started Delicious English, which offers culinary workshops and classes. Joe is married to a Catalan woman from the Terres de l’Ebre and has a daughter.

Alexa Ramírez, on the other hand, is the most recent arrival, as she’s been in Barcelona for two years. She was drawn to the city’s welcoming atmosphere and innovative ecosystem, which is attracting international talent in increasing numbers. Born in Costa Rica, she has nearly ten years of experience in project management in the finance world. In 2019 she joined Bayer, a leading multinational company in the fields of medicine, pharmaceuticals and agriculture, where she’s played a key role in carrying out various strategic projects. She’s been in Barcelona since 2022, enjoying what she sees as the perfect balance between professional growth and quality of life.

Miroslav Stibůrek, also known as Miroslavo, has a very different background. Originally from the former Czechoslovakia, he studied in England and settled in Barcelona in 2016. He’s always been passionate about art, studying photography and digital illustration in university and working professionally as a painter. Moving to Barcelona contributed to his creative development, helping him fully tap into his artistic skills, participate in design and art exhibitions and win several international awards. He defines himself as a Renaissance man and feels Barcelona is the perfect city to keep growing and being inspired.

Amal Rahmeh also has an interesting story. She was born in southern Lebanon, where her childhood was deeply marked by war. After earning her undergraduate degree and then a master’s degree in biochemistry from the American University of Beirut, she went to the United States for her PhD and was appointed the assistant director of Harvard Medical School’s Center for Excellence in Translational Research in Virology. Her nostalgia for life by the Mediterranean brought her to Barcelona in 2020, accompanied by her husband and daughter. Here she’s continued her research work at Pompeu Fabra University in the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park. Her hobbies are wide-ranging: she’s an avid cook and lover of opera, indie-rock clubs and the works of Salvador Dalí.

Nats Sisma is from the city of Bacolod, in the Philippines. He moved to Manila to take advantage of the professional opportunities in the capital, and his love of languages (he speaks five) led to him receiving a scholarship from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) to pursue a master’s degree in Galicia. He also lived in Madrid before moving to Barcelona in 2009. Here he works as a journalist for The Expat Filipino Magazine, which shares the stories and professional accomplishments of Filipino expats in Europe. He’s highly active in Barcelona’s Filipino diaspora, as a volunteer Spanish teacher for newly arrived Filipinos and the director of the Kudyapi Choir in the Raval.

They’ll all be part of the upcoming Barcelona International Community Day, as you can see in the programme that will be available in a few weeks. Keep up with the latest news on our social media and subscribe to our monthly newsletter for the international community so you don’t miss anything.