The Basque's Intelligent Gem: A Conversation with Bilbao, Spain's New Director of Modernization

It has been an urban revitalization like few others in the world. Legendary in fact. Bilbao and its metropolitan district has a strategic location near the sea which confirmed its strength as a trading center and evolution into the great economic giant of the Basque Country in the days of iron and steel, shipyards mining. But in the 1970’s and 1980’s it hit the skids and went into a deep crisis. As its problems got deeper people left, it physically grew uglier while its environment became more polluted. As we learned during previous conversations in 2023 https://tinyurl.com/ydh3b7fn its recovery was a modern wonder and perfect example of what the Intelligent Community movement is all about. It was a systematic plan with a flourish, one that literally defines “the soul of a city.” In 2025 for the first time, Bilbao made the ICF’s list of Smart21 Intelligent Communities. We decided to go back and have another discussion with its new Director of Modernization to get more on this story of a truly great 21st Century community. Here it is. Just for ICF podcast listeners!

Ane Miren, a Law graduate from the University of Deusto, has an extensive professional career linked to people management and talent development, having specialized for the past six years in comprehensive technology leadership.

Her extensive professional experience in the private sector has allowed her firsthand experience with leading Basque industry companies such as ITP Group and Vicrila, the German multinational Rothenberger, as well as the hotel sector, where she led Human Resources and Health and Safety departments.

In the public sector, from 2015 to 2019, she became a member of the Board of Directors of BilbaoTIK, a municipal technology entity of the Bilbao City Council. In 2019, she acquired the position of General Manager of BilbaoTIK until her appointment as Director of the Modernization Department of the Bilbao City Council on August 1, 2023.