PhD in Economic and Business Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid and Professor Emeritus of the Autonomous University of Madrid, expert in public services, specialised in health, pensions and social security.

He has held positions as Deputy General Director of Investments, Financing and Programming, General Director of the Treasury and Budgets, Deputy Secretary of Budgets and Public Expenditures and Secretary of State for Social Security and Director of the Budget Office of the Spanish Government, also holding relevant positions in public companies as a director in the Foreign Bank of Spain, CEO of Iberia and President of Banco de Crédito Agrícola.

He is a member of the Royal Academy of Economic and Financial Sciences of Barcelona, member of the European Institute of Social Security, numerary member of the Royal Academy of Moral and Political Sciences and President of the Senate of the Spanish Confederation of Executives and Directors.

He has received numerous awards: Research Prize (1966) of the Institute of Fiscal Studies; the CEOE Sciences Award (1994); the Círculo de Empresarios Award (1994); Rey Jaime I Award for Economics (1998); and the Award of Investment Magazine for the dissemination of Economic Culture in 2003. He holds six great crosses: Civil Merit, Naval Merit with white distinctive; of Military Merit, of San Raimundo de Peñafort; Agricultural Merit; and of the Order of Isabella the Catholic. He is Officier of the Legion d'Honneur since 1978 (France); and has a Gold Medal for Merit at Work.