Pedro Schwartz, economist, political scientist, company consultant and opinion leader, has a long career behind him as a defender of individual freedom, political democracy and economic free competition.

He had always combined his university activities with those in the political and  managerial world. Born to a family of diplomats, he was very active as a law student in the defence of freedom, for which reason Franco's regime blocked his entry into the Diplomatic career although he had passed the corresponding examinations.

He went to London and studied political science at the London School of Economics until he obtained his doctorate with a thesis on the great liberal thinker John Stuart Mill:  his most noteworthy professors included Lionel Robbins and Karl Popper, whose philosophy he contributed to introduce in Spain.

On returning to Madrid, and after passing the competitive examination required, he entered the Research Department of the Bank of Spain. He also started to teach the History of Economic Doctrines at the Complutensian University of Madrid, where he would remain for a quarter of a century. After being confined by the Government in the village of Lezuza, Albacete, he obtained the corresponding chair in 1969. Another stay in London allowed him to obtain a Master in Economic at, once again, the London School.

With the arrival of democracy, and with the help of Joaquín Garrigues, he created the Institute of Market Economy. He was a deputy for the Liberal Union during the legislature of 1982-86 and contributed to form the Popular Coalition, from which the Partido Popular later emerged.

On returning to academic life, he combined this with his activity in the Stock Market, and as a consultant in the area of economics and commercial distribution, the presidency of research centres such as Telefónica’s FUNDESCO, or the presidency of such foundations as the DMR Foundation.

Dr. Pedro Schwartz is Chairman of the Competition Tribunal of the Madrid Autonomous Community. He also is Professor Extraordinary in the Department of Economics of the University San Pablo CEU in Madrid, where he teaches the History of Economic Thought, and directs the Centre for Political Economy and Regulation. He also directs the political economy studies in the Faculty of Political Science of that University. He is secretary of the Think Tank Civismo and member of its Foundation Pro Libertate.

Other activities include bein a member of the Board of CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies, Brussels), a member of the Mont Pèlering Society and an Adjunct Scholar of the Cato Institute, Washington DC.

In September 1990, H.M.Queen Elisabeth II made him an Honorary Officer of the British Empire. In February 2003, he was elected to the Royal Academy of Moral and Political Sciences of Spain, and in the same year was awarded the Rey Jaime I Prize for contibutions to economics in Spain. In February 2005 he became a member of the Royal Acadey of Moral and Political Sciences of Spain. 

 He writes a weekly column in Expansión of Madrid and a monthly article in ABC of Madrid. He often speaks on the Spanish financial and corporate scene for the BBC and has contributed to the Financial Times. He is a frequent lecturer on economics and company strategy.

He has just published the second edition of his book En busca de Montesquieu: la democracia en peligro (Ediciones Encuentro, Madrid) which is soon to be published in English. The City of Madrid has awarded him the 2008 Jose Ortega y Gasset Prize for this book.

He is a native Spanish speaker, is fluent in English, French and Italian and speaks Portuguese.