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Career
Almost five decades across strategy consulting, investment banking, telecommunications and artificial intelligence.
Full-length portrait.
1953–1980
Education
He attended the Colegio Nuestra Señora del Pilar in Madrid. In 1970 he entered the University of Deusto, where he graduated in Law and Economics — the same university attended by his great-uncle, Ignacio Villalonga, who led Banco Central for three decades. He completed his education with an MBA from IESE.
He began his career in the financial markets, in New York, in credit analysis.
1980–1996
Consulting and investment banking
From 1980 to 1989 he was a partner at McKinsey & Company, working in the United States, Portugal, Brazil, Italy and Spain. In 1987 he opened the firm's office in Rome.
In 1993 and 1994 he led Credit Suisse First Boston, and in 1995 and 1996 he was managing director of Bankers Trust in Spain, responsible for the bank in Spain and Portugal and for private equity investments in Europe.
1996–2000
Chairman of Telefónica
On 7 June 1996 he was appointed chairman of Telefónica. For four years he led the international expansion and diversification of the newly privatised group: Operation Verónica in Latin America, the creation of Terra Networks and the move into content and media.
The Telefónica years in detail
2001–2010
An international career
In 2001 he joined the board of Univision, the Hispanic broadcasting group in the United States. From 2002 he developed his own telecommunications and internet ventures in Russia: he controlled the fixed-line operator Komet and in 2005 acquired 68% of RTKomm.ru, one of the country's largest internet access providers, to combine both into an operator present in every segment. He was also a board member of MegaFon.
He chaired Telnic, an internet registry company, and was a board member of the Portuguese bank Espírito Santo. He has lived and worked in Mexico, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Recognition
Among the best-performing CEOs in the world
Harvard Business Review included him in its list of the best-performing CEOs in the world, published in the January–February 2010 issue, which ranks executives by the results achieved over their entire tenure.
2026
Leadership and artificial intelligence
He backs Dopplemind, a company that designs, builds and operates digital replicas of leaders and experts. In May 2026, at the Madrid Stock Exchange, he gave the first institutional interview in Europe alongside his digital twin.
Meet the digital twin
Chronology
- 1953Born in Madrid on 8 April.
- 1970Enters the University of Deusto: Law and Economics.
- 1980–1989Partner at McKinsey & Company. Opens the Rome office in 1987.
- 1993–1994Managing director of Credit Suisse First Boston.
- 1995–1996Managing director of Bankers Trust in Spain.
- 1996–2000Chairman of Telefónica.
- 2001Board member of Univision.
- 2005Acquires 68% of RTKomm.ru and combines it with the Komet operator.
- 2010Harvard Business Review names him among the best-performing CEOs in the world.
- 2026First institutional interview in Europe alongside his digital twin.