Alcalá de Henares, Ávila, Cáceres, Córdoba, Cuenca, Ibiza, Mérida, Salamanca, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Santiago de Compostela, Segovia, Tarragona and Toledo are the thirteen Spanish cities in the UNESCO World Heritage Cities Programme. Aware of the importance of the distinction and of the responsibility it entailed, in 1993 they created the Spanish Group of World Heritage Cities in order to act jointly to defend the cultural heritage of their historical centres.

At the end of 2012 the group agreed on a series of measures to adapt to the new times, which included the appointment of a previously non-existent figure, that of the managing director. In order to ensure a flexible, objective and egalitarian process, they decided to outsource the position. Our experience in the sectors of tourist management and town planning helped us sketch out the new profile and carry out the interviews that led to a shortlist of four candidates, from which the group would make its final decision.