Marta Colas Santamaría

Marta Colás leads the Spanish Cities Business for Arup Spain. She has more than 15 years of experience in city planning, and has specialized in strategic development consulting for urban infrastructure-city integration and coordination of multidisciplinary teams. Colás firmly believes in the impact of good urban planning in people’s lives, the economy, and the environment.

In her professional life, Colás plays a key role in achieving consensus between different stakeholders like investors, developers, public administrations, and communities. She has gained global experience working on a wide range of projects in several parts of the world including Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia, where she lived for almost a decade.

Colás’s expertise blends her vast technical background, global vision, and accurate analysis capacity. In her career, she draws on her work in various specialties and fields to create a safe environment where everyone brings their best to achieve what’s best.

Prior to her current role, Colás was Senior Consultant and Urban Designer at ARUP. She has also worked as a Planner with CPG Corporation, an Architect with WWCOT, and as a Structures Consultant with ANTA Architects and Bernúz-Fernández Architects. As a certified architect, Colás is an active member of a variety of institutions that deal with the future of our cities and citizens.

She earned degrees in Architecture and Building Engineering from the Superior Technical School of Architecture of Catalonia Polytechnic in 2008, and gained additional training at Boston University’s master’s module Navigating Urban Power and Influence. She also completed a course in Real Estate Investments Feasibility Studies at COAM. Colás has been an Adjunct Professor in IE University’s Master in Real Estate Development program since 2020.