Manuel Pizarro

Manuel Pizarro is a Spanish business mogul who is also a vocal critic of President Zapatero's economic policies. During Spain's 2008 general election, Mariano Rajoy appointed Pizarro as his candidate for Minister of Economy and Finance.¹ Because Rajoy's People's Party of Spain failed to win a parliamentary majority in the elections, Pizarro has not assumed an official governmental position.

Fast Facts

1. Born: September 29, 1951²
2. Well known business leader in Spain and Europe
3. Former chairman of energy firm Endesa
4. Currently on the board of Telefonica, Spain's largest telecommunications company
5. Member of the People's Party of Spain
6. Part of Mariano Rajoy's economic team¹
7. Campaigned against incumbent Finance Minister, Pedro Solbes

Pre-Political Career

Pizarro's career began in business finance. He started working as a stock broker in 1987. In 1991, he was appointed Chairman of the Sociedad Rectora de la Bolsa de Madrid (the governing board of the Madrid Stock Exchange). In 2002 he was appointed Deputy Chairman of Bolsas y Mercados Españoles (BME), a company that manages and regulates Spain's stock exchage. He resigned from his posts in 2008 to prepare for the election.³

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