Carlos Espinosa de los Monteros y Bernaldo de Quirós, IV marquis of Valtierra and one of the names with the greatest trajectory between large companies and the Spanish Administration in recent decades, passed away this Saturday, August 29, in Madrid at the age of 82.
According to El Confidencial, Espinosa de los Monteros died after a short illness. Born in Madrid on March 18, 1944, he developed a career that spanned more than half a century and crossed some of the main centers of economic decision-making in Spain: the National Institute of Industry, Iberia, Mercedes-Benz, Inditex, the Circle of Entrepreneurs, and, in his last public stage, Marca España.
He was also the father of five children, including Iván Espinosa de los Monteros, one of the founders of Vox and for years one of the most recognizable leaders of the party.
Who was Carlos Espinosa de los Monteros
Espinosa de los Monteros graduated in Law from the Complutense University of Madrid in 1965 and in Business Management from ICADE a year later.
Between 1966 and 1967, he took an MBA at Northwestern University in Chicago, and in 1969 he obtained a position as a commercial technician and economist of the State.
His career began precisely in the Administration. He worked in the Ministry of Commerce between 1969 and 1972 and later served as Spain's commercial counselor in Chicago.
Upon his return, he held responsibilities at the National Institute of Industry, first as commercial director and later as vice president of the public body that for decades concentrated a good part of the State's large business holdings.
From Iberia to Mercedes-Benz
One of the main chapters of his career was linked to Iberia.
Espinosa de los Monteros presided over Iberia and Aviaco between 1982 and 1985. During that time, he directed a restructuring plan with which, according to information provided by El Confidencial, the company went from losses close to 30 billion pesetas to balancing its accounts in three years.
His presidency coincided with a particularly complex period for the airline. Journalistic documentation from the time confirms that he was still in charge of Iberia during the Sondica plane crash in February 1985 and that he left the presidency weeks later. (El País)
After that stage, he fully returned to the private sector.
In 1988, he assumed the presidency and executive direction of Mercedes-Benz Spain, a responsibility he maintained for more than two decades, until 2009.
During that period he led the transformation of the factory in Vitoria, one of the large industrial automotive facilities in Spain.
A name also linked to Inditex
His business trajectory extended far beyond the automobile.
Carlos Espinosa de los Monteros entered the Board of Directors of Inditex in May 1997, four years before the group founded by Amancio Ortega went public.
He remained for years in the highest governing body of the company and came to serve as vice president and independent coordinating advisor.
The corporate records of Inditex also include his previous responsibilities in Iberia, Aviaco, Mercedes-Benz, the INI, the Círculo de Empresarios, ANFAC, and the International Organization of Automobile Manufacturers.
His presence in the company coincided with much of the international expansion that turned Inditex into one of the largest textile groups in the world.
He was also a director of Acciona and held responsible positions in Fraternidad-Muprespa, González Byass, and other business companies and institutions.
High Commissioner for Brand Spain
Espinosa de los Monteros returned to the institutional front line in July 2012.
The government of Mariano Rajoy appointed him high commissioner for Brand Spain, an initiative created to coordinate and strengthen the country's external projection at a particularly delicate moment for Spain's international image after the financial crisis.
He held the position with the rank of Secretary of State and without remuneration until October 2018.
His own conception of Brand Spain was based on the idea that the country's external image should be built as an umbrella capable of integrating Spanish companies, products, cities, and territories. (Circulo de Empresarios)
It was his last major public responsibility.
The father of Iván Espinosa de los Monteros
Carlos Espinosa de los Monteros was also the father of Iván Espinosa de los Monteros de Simón, one of the founding figures of Vox and for several years one of its leaders with the greatest national projection.
Iván Espinosa de los Monteros was born in Madrid in 1971, studied Economic and Business Sciences at ICADE, and, like his father, later pursued an MBA at Northwestern University. Before dedicating himself to politics, he worked at Arthur Andersen, Schroder Salomon Smith Barney, and McKinsey.
He was a co-founder of Vox, a deputy for Madrid in the XIII and XIV legislatures, and spokesperson for the parliamentary group in Congress. He left his seat in August 2023 and stepped back from the front line of the party.
Carlos Espinosa de los Monteros had been married since 1970 to María Eugenia de Simón y Vallarino. The couple had five children: Iván, Yago, Beltrán, Eugenia, and Silvia, and 19 grandchildren, according to information published by El Confidencial.
IV marqués de Valtierra
Espinosa de los Monteros was also the IV marqués de Valtierra.
Son of Francisco Javier Espinosa de los Monteros y Herreros de Tejada, III marqués de Valtierra, and Galinda Bernaldo de Quirós y Alcalá-Galiano, he succeeded his father in the title in 1985.
His family has historically been linked to the Spanish Administration, Army, and diplomacy.
Throughout his career, he received numerous distinctions. Among those mentioned by El Confidencial are the Cross of the Order of Civil Merit, the Band of the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle, and the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic.