Irene Larraza, current director of the Promotion and Diffusion of Culture at the Etxepare Basque Institute will now take the reins of the institution in January. She will be filling the vacancy made by Miren Arzalluz, who will leave the position as director in order to take a job managing the Palais Galliera, fashion museum in Paris.
Donostia-San Sebastian. With a degree in Communication Science from the University of Navarre and with extensive experience in the area of culture, Larraza (Tolosa, 1970) has held various positions of responsibility in the areas of communication and cultural management.
She began her professional career as a broadcaster and writer for Herri Irratia where she worked for three years. She was later in charge of the promotion and dissemination of the cultural center, Koldo Mitxelena Kulturunea, in San Sebastian for another three years, and for eight years she was in charge of Promotion, communication and Publishing at the musician representation agency Syntorama.
From 2008 to 2012, she worked for the city hall of Tolosa as cultural coordinator. Since 2012 she has been a part of the Etxepare Basque Institute team where she was first in charge of communications, and then moved to the position of Promotion and Diffusion of Culture in November 2016.
With this appointment, the Department of Culture and Linguistic Policy wishes to give continuity to the stage that began a year ago with Miren Arzalluz naming a person with extensive knowledge of the institution, the cultural fabric of the country and its needs, as well as someone who perfectly knows the project that was begun by her predecessor.