Diego Hidalgo Schnur, President, FRIDE

Born in Madrid on November 5, 1942. Diego Hidalgo studied Law at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (1959-1964) and received a MBA from Harvard University (1966-1968). He completed his PhD in Political Science at the City University of New York (1996-2001).

Mr Hidalgo worked at the World Bank from 1968 to 1977, where he was promoted in 1974 to Head of Division, assuming the responsibility for the Bank's projects in the 45 sub-Saharan countries of Africa, becoming the Banks youngest Head of Division and the first Spaniard to hold this office.

Founder of FRIDA (Foundation for Research and Investment for the Development of Africa), and President of DFC (Development Finance Corporation) since 1977. Co-founder and member of the board of directors of the PRISA - El País publishing group since 1980 and of the Cadena Ser radio station since 1984, he was Managing Director and President of Alianza Editorial, Editorial Revista de Occidente and Editorial Labor until 1989.

President of the Board of the Universidad de Extremadura (1986-1999), he is member of the board of directors and member of the Executive Board of the Corporación Empresarial de Extremadura and member of the board of directors of the Fundación Santillana and SOGECABLE.

In 1994, he entered the Fellows Program of the Center for International Affairs of Harvard University, where between 1996 and 1999, he was Senior Associate of the Center for European Studies.

President of FRIDE (Fundación para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exterior). Founding Member and Senior Fellow of the Gorbachev Foundation of North America (GFNA), of the board of directors of the Confederación Española de Fundaciones, as well as an active member of the Club of Rome and its board of governors.

Invested Doctor Honoris Causa by the Northeastern University in Boston in June 2001. As well as publishing numerous articles throughout his professional career, he has also written the following books: "El futuro de España" (1996), which was on the list of the top ten selling books in Spain for 23 weeks, and "Europa, Globalización y Unión Monetaria" (1998).