Lucie Mazet: “Barcelona has a great international reputation”
Lucie Mazet: “Barcelona has a great international reputation”
Lucie Mazet, 30, who is French, moved to Barcelona 5 years ago following stays in Riga, Krakow, and London. She has worked in operations and support in a range of sectors, including finance, digital marketing, tourism, and the transport industry, but for the last 4 years, she has worked as an ad operations specialist at Criteo, a French ad tech company that has its mid-market office in Barcelona.
Why did you choose Barcelona?
When I came back from Poland in 2015, I made a list of everything that was important to me in a city: good links with France, excellent quality of life, accessibility, professional development opportunities, multiculturalism, and the opportunity to use other languages. I was fortunate to find an interesting operations job at the fintech Kantox in the Mapfre Tower in Barcelona and didn’t hesitate to move here; I didn’t consider any other alternatives.
What positive aspects of Barcelona would you highlight?
When compared with Paris or London, Barcelona had superb quality of life. It’s just great living here: it is a multicultural, diverse city, each neighbourhood has its own soul, and there are numerous opportunities for sports and culture. What’s more, Barcelona is blessed with a Mediterranean climate and an ideal location between the mountain and the sea. And it has a great international reputation: I have the feeling that most people who have traveled in Europe have passed through or will pass through Barcelona at some stage. It’s as if everyone carries a piece of Barcelona in themselves.
What aspects of the city should be improved? How?
I think mass tourism has had a negative effect on the city, especially by pushing up rental prices and causing insecurity in the center. In fact, what I found most difficult when I arrived was finding an apartment: the prices and quality of rental properties are not in line with salaries. I hope rent control will improve this.
What do you think will help Barcelona to get over the Covid-19 crisis?
Barcelona is a dynamic and enterprising city and has its own special kind of energy. What surprised me most is the ability of inhabitants to work together to support each other in a creative manner. I think this unity is the key to overcoming this crisis.
What challenges do you think the city will face once the health emergency has subsided?
All my favorite shoe stores have closed during the Covid crisis; my family has had a local business in France for years and I can imagine their dismay right now. It will be very important to encourage local businesses, which are an important part of the life of Barcelona and its neighbourhoods.
What do you hope to see in Barcelona in the years to come?
I hope the city generates opportunities to enable everyone to find their place in the city and play a role in its development. I would also like to see more green spaces and greater access to joint initiatives.
Which city do you feel most at home in? What do you miss most?
I feel most at home in Barcelona. When I walk down the Passatge del Clot where I live and say hello to all the local residents I bump into, I feel like I’m in a village within the city. I miss the enthusiasm and energy that one could sense in the city during the Mobile World Congress. I loved seeing the buzz, the innovation, and all the events around the congress. I always loved that week.
Read the interview in El Periódico.
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