Martina Bartolucci grew up watching Argentina’s golden generation of field hockey players. At 18, Martina moved to Buenos Aires, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations and found solace as a captain on the school field hockey team. “Hockey gave me values that will be with me my entire life,” Martina says. “It taught me the importance of teamwork. It’s one of my strongest qualities as a leader – wanting the team to grow together and not to run ahead of them for my own success.” 

After graduation, Martina worked within the Ministry of Education. In 2014, she earned diplomas in politics and sports management. She then became an advisor for Carlos Mac Allister, a former professional soccer player who was serving as an Argentinian congressman. When Mac Allister was named secretary of sport, he brought Martina along as his chief of staff. For five years, Martina was one of the only female leaders in government and felt responsible for changing expectations of women. In 2018, with her guidance, Argentina’s secretary of sport created the “Gender Equality Group” with the goal of designing public policies for gender equity in sports and providing opportunities for women’s leadership in government.