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Economist and Former Chair of the Spanish Banking Association and former Minister of the Economy, Leal was a civil servant at the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and Chair of the Social Council of Alcalá de Henares University. Born in Granada in 1939, he has a degree in Law and Political Science from Madrid’s Complutense University and the University of Geneva. He also has a diploma in Statistics and a PhD in Economics from the University of Paris and was a lecturer at Paris X Nanterre University. He then worked for five years at the OECD and was Chair of the Social Council of Alcalá de Henares University.

Between 1977 and 1980 Leal had several different political positions in the Spanish government’s Economics area. He was Economic Adviser to the Banco de Vizcaya, Advisor to the Chairman of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya and Chairman of the European Banking Federation until 1998.

Leal was Chair of the Spanish Banking Association from 1990 to 2006, combining his position with that of Chair of the Amistad Hispano "Diálogo" Association, Action Against Hunger-Spain and Vice-Chair of the Fernando Abril Martorell Foundation. He is also the Honorary Chair of Saint-Gobain Cristalería, member of the Board of the Prado Museum, member of the Board of the Duques de Soria Foundation, member of the Royal Order of Charles III and Commander of the French Legion of Honour.

At the end of 2005, he travelled to the Southern Caucasus to observe our activities in this region. “Our work is very interesting – we are trying to reunite families in order to help them organise cooperatives or set up some kind of production that will guarantee the stability of their income and safeguard their future,” he told us.