En recuerdo de Carlos Espinosa de los Monteros

With profound sorrow, I pen these lines to remember Carlos Espinosa de los Monteros, who has recently passed away after a difficult illness. He was a prominent liberal whose professional life was filled with great successes in both public service and the private sector. Born in Madrid in 1944, he studied at the Marists and graduated with a Law degree from Complutense University and an Administration of Businesses degree from ICADE.

He later earned an MBA from Northwestern University and passed the State Commercial Technician examination, serving as a commercial advisor for Spain in Chicago. Subsequently, he held positions as Director Commercial, Vice President of the INI, and President of Iberia. His public service concluded with his work as a high commissioner for the Spanish Government for the Brand Spain, serving without remuneration and holding the rank of Secretary of State.

Espinosa's achievements in the business world were equally impressive. He served as both CEO and President of Mercedes-Benz Spain, holding the same position in Daimler Chrysler AG. He maintained a long-standing relationship with the Inditex group, serving as a member and vice president of the non-executive board. He also championed private enterprise in the market during the early 1990s, co-chairing a circle with Spanish Minister José Piérez to discuss a project for changing the Spain's pension system from a contributions-based system to a capitalization model.

He maintained friendships with both men for many years, promoting liberalism in various forums. He was tasked by the Circle, led later by Manuel Azpilcueta and Vicente Boceta, to write the history of their first 25 years, which he accomplished in his 2011 book, "Things I Learned about Life from Business" published by Deusto. Espinosa authored this insightful book, which he presented at the Rafael del Pino Foundation.

A passionate advocate of a market economy with values, he received the Diego de Covarrubias Award. Together, we advocated for the freedom of enterprise in media and public debates; he once called me for a roundtable discussion organized by former ICADE students, and I invited him to my Economics classes at the CEFAS Center of the San Pablo CEU University.

His impression on my students was so favorable that they elected him as the godfather of their graduating class. Rest in peace, Carlos Espinosa de los Monteros, dear liberal friend, and a warm embrace to his family.