Meet our Team: Elba Becerra Mallo

In this month's edition of CMAC's Meet Our Team series, we are delighted to celebrate Elba Becerra Mallo, who joined CMAC in November 2022.

As CMAC's Skills Coordinator, Elba plays a pivotal role in shaping the development and growth of CMAC's PhD students.

Elba is from the coastal town of Galicia, located in the Northwest of Spain. She later moved to the South of Spain to pursue her honours degree in Libraries and Information Science at the University of Granada. Following this, she returned to Galicia, where she worked in various capacities, including as a librarian and archivist. It was in her role as a librarian at a Business School that Elba discovered her passion for helping students develop their skills and thrive towards their professional career.

However, in 2012, Elba made the life-changing decision to study English in Glasgow, where she successfully completed her MSc in Information Management at the University of Strathclyde. After graduating, Elba worked at IBioIC, initially as a Training and Placement Coordinator, and later as a Skills Operations Officer, before joining CMAC in 2022.

Elba’s primary responsibilities at CMAC include coordinating and delivering various training and skills development activities, such as training events, mentor groups, financial reporting, and industrial placements. She said:

“No two days in my role at CMAC are the same, as it is dependent on whether I am organising a training activity, delivering a mentor group, or planning upcoming events. Some of this planning involves communicating with several stakeholders such as CMAC staff, students, industry partners, external deliverers and venues.”

Earlier this year, Elba took on the role of organising and coordinating CMAC’s annual summer school event. This is a week-long programme filled with workshops, seminars, and valuable networking opportunities.

Elba considers living abroad her greatest professional achievement, as it has allowed her to demonstrate bravery and adaptability in the face of change and different work environments. She describes seeing students thriving as one of her favourite parts of working at CMAC, along with learning new things from different colleagues.

In her spare time, Elba enjoys walking, discovering new places, visiting museums and exhibitions, meeting friends for coffee and spending quality time with her cat, Cholita. She also likes experimenting with new recipes and is currently learning Hindi every weekend. 

Elba and her cat, Cholita.

Elba and Molly receiving flowers at CMAC Summer School 2023.

Elba visiting Razo, Carballo, Galicia.