With a solid international career in brand and product development, digital transformation, customer experience, and corporate strategy in different sectors like FMCG, industrial, petfood, and funerals, Lourdes is also a passionate open-water swimmer. Her dedication and determination are reflected in both her career and her athletic achievements, and in this interview she tells us how both facets feed off each other.
- Where did you get your passion for open-water swimming, and what are your biggest accomplishments to date?
I really don’t recall how I got my start, since water, and specifically the sea, have always been a part of my life. The sea calms me down and inspires trust. I began with small routes in Cadaqués, and I gradually delved into this world encouraged by peers and friends, and especially by Marnaton, the first club that made open-water swimming popular. I’ve been swimming for more than 17 years now. My biggest accomplishments have been:
-The 19-km Gibraltar Strait, a women’s record in Spain I held for four years.
-The Battle of Vigo Bay, 30 km from the Cíes Islands to Vigo.
-The 42-km swim from Mallorca to Menorca.
-The 22-km swim from Port de la Selva to Cadaqués.
-The 22-km swim from Cadaqués to Rosas, several times.
-Different swim over 12 km, as the best woman swimmer in the category.
-The Doha World Aquatics Master’s Championship, where I ranked 9th in the world in my category in open-water swimming in 2024.
- How did your education at Esade influence your career and the way you deal with athletic challenges?
My Esade education gave me methodology, adaptability, flexibility, and a results-orientation. At Esade, we’re trained to pursue and achieve our goals, to go further, to question everything, and to never give up. I have incorporated all of this into my training and goals, and it has allowed me to get as far as I have.
- What has your experience in open-water long-distance swimming competitions given you personally and professionally?
Long-distance swims requires preparation, discipline, and lots of self-awareness. Seeing that you’re capable of much more than you think, thinking ahead, facing a variety of challenges and situations, because the sea is ever-changing, leads you to adapt to each situation and give it your all. Swimming is about resilience, teamwork, sacrifice, and not giving up, and all these elements have helped me in both my family and my profession.
- How do you think the skills you’ve developed in the sport, like resilience and managing uncertainty, can be applied to the business world?
The sea is constantly changing. No swim is the same, even during it. This uncertainty forces you to be alert, to never slack off, to push yourself and to look ahead. You have to be mentally and physically prepared to manage uncertainty. The simile of the sea can be taken to the business environment with projects and the company dynamic. The challenges I have experienced and overcome at sea enable me to face the business environment with another perspective. The same is true of resilience. Swimming in ever-changing environments gives you self-assurance because you learn how to accept and handle changes and adapt to them… You learn how to manage adversity.
- Open-water swimming is mainly a men’s world. How have you overcome the obstacles and what have you learned from this experience?
It’s true that at first it was mainly a men’s world, but we are seeing more and more women, even though there are still very few of us in the long-distance swims. Over the years, my experience has varied a lot, from having found amazing swimming companions with whom you learn and value groupwork, support, and effort in the quest for a common good to highly competitive races. But in general it’s always an environment of support and respect.
- How do you manage physical and mental fatigue when you’re swimming for hours?
You have to be well-prepared for long-distance swims, and to be prepared you have to train in the pool and the sea before any major challenge. I step up my days of training and especially the number of meters I swim, always seeking situations outside my comfort zone like going out on days when the sea is choppy or the wind is strong so I gain endurance and mental strength. The more you swim in adverse situations, the better you prepare your body and mind. It’s also important to eat well in order to be strong. Being fully aware of your body and your limits helps you cope with physical fatigue. Regarding mental strength, you have to get your mind used to this situation. I personally count snack stops and empty my mind so I only feel the sea and my breathing.
- After your experience as the Global Marketing & Digital Director at Mémora, how do you imagine your career will evolve?
Throughout my entire career I have shown that I have no fear about facing difficult challenges, like working in very diverse sectors always with spirit and a results orientation. With all the experience I have gained and the experience with my swimming, I have no doubt that I’ll find a new professional challenge that fits me, with the professional results I’ve always reached.
- At a time of professional transition, how are you applying the lessons you have learned?
Just like with a new swimming challenge: I analyze, assess, prepare thoroughly, and give it my best.
- Do you have any tips for alumni who are seeking a balance between their career and their personal passions?
Experiencing your passion is the most enriching, satisfying thing there is. You’ll learn to know yourself better, to stretch your limits, to deal with any situation, to better understand your environment… because it humanizes you and especially gives you a really different perspective.
- What are your upcoming challenges?
I’d like to swim the Strait of Bonifacio between Corsica and Sardinia, which is not at all easy because of its harshness, and then there’s a swim in El Hierro Island, El Mar de Las Calmas, which I’ve been told is beautiful. And new challenges will always arise.
