She is the gateway to IDIAPJGol—the first voice you hear when you call the Institute’s headquarters and the person who greets you when you step into its offices. She always has a kind word and a smile at the ready. She even smiles when speaking on the phone, and you can hear it—it makes you feel good. We’re talking about Montse Domingo, the executive assistant of IDIAPJGol, the place where she hopes to work until she retires.

Montse completed a higher-level vocational training cycle in Secretariat and has worked for various private companies in consulting, marketing, and healthcare before joining IDIAPJGol, where she has felt most at home. “I really like the work environment, the quality of the people, and the tasks I do, which are very varied,” she says. She assures us that “you can never get bored here.” She also values the flexibility her job offers and highlights that “IDIAPJGol is an institution with empathy that cares about its staff.”

Putting out fires

Beyond the workplace atmosphere, Montse appreciates that IDIAPJGol ultimately exists to help people. Since she started, she’s seen the number of employees and the volume of activity grow, and she hopes “it continues to expand in the coming years and secures more funding to keep researching.”

Her daily routine involves answering calls, managing the director’s calendar, organizing events, preparing meetings, drafting minutes of gatherings, composing institutional emails, and “putting out fires”… Montse is always ready to help. “When someone asks me for something, I stand up and do it,” she says, admitting that she finds it hard to say no, which sometimes causes a bit of stress—though over time she’s learned to manage it better.

Mental valve

She’s always been good at crafts. Until a year ago she enjoyed making jewellery—bracelets, earrings, necklaces—and handbags, which she would sell at fairs on some weekends. She did this for 14 years, but that chapter is now closed.

“Now I focus on running; it’s one of my outlets.” She’s participated in two marathons and laces up her running shoes almost every day. “I’m hooked on running; my body doesn’t always ask for it, but my mind does.” She acknowledges that this hobby helps her disconnect and builds mental resilience: “If I could handle a marathon, I can handle anything,” she says with a smile.