Joan Clos i Matheu, GCIH (; born 29 June 1949) is a Spanish politician who was mayor of Barcelona, Spain from September 1997 to September 2006. He took over from Pasqual Maragall in 1997. In 1999 he was elected to a four-year term, and was then re-elected in the municipal elections of 25 May 2003. In September 2006, he left Barcelona Town Hall, after nine years of office, as he was appointed Minister of Industry, Tourism and Trade by Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. After a stint as the Spanish Ambassador in Turkey and Azerbaijan, in 2010 he was appointed as executive director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, (UN-HABITAT), and Under Secretary General of the United Nations. Joan Clos is also president of the Spanish Chapter of The International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI). Beginnings He graduated from the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB) with a degree in medicine and pursued his studies in the Sant Pau Hospital of Barcelona. During the political transition he took part in anti-Franco movements for the profession and the modernization of the healthcare services. He worked in the Analysis and Healthcare Programs Centre (CAPS) with a group of doctors who defended the political transformation of the country as a means for recovering professional dignity. Once he graduated in medicine and after having worked for some time as an anaesthetist, he decided to change his professional career and moved into epidemiology, community medicine and healthcare resources management. He studied his specialty at the University of Barcelona, in the United States and in Edinburgh (Scotland). Between 1981 and 1991 he was the chairman of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology and Healthcare Administration. Political career Continuing this process of involvement and dedication to healthcare management, he joined the Barcelona municipal government as director of healthcare services. In 1993 he was elected councillor on the Barcelona Council for the PSC (Catalonia Socialist Party). Achieving efficient municipal management and “city making” have been two constant features that have marked his municipal career. He thus directed the regeneration project for the neighbourhood of Ciutat Vella, following a comprehensive plan that combined planning intervention, financial and social investment and facilities strengthening in order to open up this district to the city and to improve the quality of life for its residents. In 1999, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) awarded the City of Barcelona the Royal Gold