Àngels Chacón

Chacón was born in 1968 in Igualada, Catalonia.^[1][2] She has a degree in law from the University of Barcelona and is a specialist in international trade.^[1][3]

Chacón has worked as export director for several companies in the paper sector.^[1][3] She was commercial director for Juan Romaní Esteve and was in charge of export for Manipulados del Noya.^[1] She was general-secretary of the Anoia Business Union, an organisation that represents 850 partners and 2,400 companies, from 2008 to 2011.^[1][3]

Chacón was co-ordination of the Urbact 3D Cities (economic growth and innovation in health) and Urbact Retailink (economic growth and commercial strategy innovation in medium-sized cities) projects and has been co-director of the 4D Health Patient Safety Simulation Innovation Center since 2009.^[4][5][6] In June 2017 she was appointed director-general of industry in the Generalitat de Catalunya's Department of Business and Knowledge.^[1][3]

Chacón contested the 2011 local elections as an independent Convergence and Union (CiU) electoral alliance candidate in Igualada and was elected.^[7][8] After the election she was appointed second deputy mayor in charge of economy, trade and tourism.^[3][4] She was re-elected at the 2015 local elections.^[9][10] After the election she was appointed first deputy mayor in charge of economy, knowledge, internationalisation and interior.^[3][11] She joined the Catalan European Democratic Party (PDeCAT) after it was formed.^[5]

On 19 May 2018 newly elected President of Catalonia Quim Torra nominated a new government in which Elsa Artadi was to be Minister of Enterprise and Knowledge.^[12][13][14] However, the Spanish government condemned the inclusion of jailed/exiled politicians in the government as provocative and refused to approve Torra's appointments or to revoke direct rule.^[15][16][17] Faced with this opposition Torra announced a new government on 29 May 2018 without the jailed/exiled politicians.^[18][19] Chacón was to be Minister of Enterprise and Knowledge in the new government.^[20][21][22] She was sworn in on 2 June 2018 at the Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya.^[23][24][25]