Board of Trustees

Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Elcano Royal Institute under the presidency of His Majesty the King. June 2022. © Casa de S.M. el Rey
Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Elcano Royal Institute under the presidency of His Majesty the King. June 2022. © Casa de S.M. el Rey

The Board of Trustees is the Elcano Royal Institute’s highest governing body: its task is to ensure the fulfilment of the institution’s mission and goals and it operates either in plenary sessions or through a delegated Executive Committee. H.M. the King is its Honorary President.

The Board of Trustees meets in ordinary session twice a year and discharges the major functions of representing, governing, and administering the Foundation. Among other duties it is responsible for approving the Annual Action Plan, the budget, the accounts, and the Annual Report of activities. In addition, it nominates the President, the Vice-President, the Director and the Secretary of the Board of Trustees and appoints the members of the Executive Committee. It also determines the admission of new members and the appointment, at the suggestion of the Executive Committee, of the members of the Scientific Council. It is represented on the Transparency Committee.

It comprises the chairs of the Elcano Royal Institute’s trustee companies and organisations, as well as Spain’s former Prime Ministers (Felipe González, José María Aznar, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and Mariano Rajoy), Ministers of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation; Defence; Culture and Sport; Economy and Business; and a trustee nominated by the main opposition party.

Representatives of Spain’s academic, cultural, and social sectors also take part, in an elective capacity, as do former Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence.

The Board of Trustees of the Elcano Royal Institute remembers with gratitude and affection its former members Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo, Jesús de Polanco, Juan José Linz, Emilio Botín, Rafael Naranjo, Carme Chacón, Gil Carlos Rodríguez Iglesias and José Folgado, who with their generosity and experience contributed to the creation and strengthening from our institution.


Presidente de Honor: S.M. el Rey

Former Prime Minister
Former Prime Minister
Former Prime Minister
Former Prime Minister
Former Secretary-General of the Ibero-American Secretariat
José Manuel Albares, Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation
Minister. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation
Minister. Ministry of Defence
Nadia Calviño, First Deputy Prime Minister of Spain and Minister for Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister. Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation
Minister. Ministry of Culture and Sport
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs. Former Minister of Education and Former Minister of Culture
Representative of the Popular Party (PP)
Former Chairman of Elcano Royal Institute
Former Chairman of Elcano Royal Institute
Former Chairman of Elcano Royal Institute
Professor of Public International Law and International Relations. Complutense University of Madrid
Carlos Ortega Arias-Paz, Chairman, Acerinox. Board of Trustees of the Elcano Royal Institute
Chairman. Acerinox
Head of Military Aircraft Airbus Defence and Space and Head of Airbus Spain
Mayor. Ayuntamiento de Madrid (Madrid City Council)
Pablo Hernández de Cos. Governor. Banco de España. Board of Trustees, Elcano Royal Institute
Governor. Banco de España
Group Executive Chairman. BBVA
José Ignacio Goirigolzarri
Chair. CaixaBank
Maarten Wetselaar
Director and Chief Executive Officer. CEPSA
Chair. Enagás
Chief Executive Officer. Endesa
Angel Escribano
Chair. Escribano Mechanical & Engineering
Ignacio Galan Patronato del Real Instituto Elcano
Chair & CEO. Iberdrola
President. IBM Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Israel
Oscar García Maceiras. Inditex. Patronato del Real Instituto Elcano
Chief Executive Officer. Inditex
Deputy Chairman. Mutua Madrileña
Chairman, Naturgy Foundation
Luis Furnells
Executive Chairman. Grupo OESÍA
Chair. Prosegur
Chair. Renfe-Operadora
Chair & CEO. Repsol
Chair. Santander
Arturo Diaz Tejeiro
Chief Executive Officer. Solaria
Chairman of Petronor. Tecnalia
Executive Chairman. Telefónica
Former Deputy Chairman of the Elcano Royal Institute
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Spanish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation logo
Madrid's City Council Logo
CaixaBank logo
Endesa logo
IBM logo
Mutua Madrileña logo
Prosegur logo
Santander Group logo
Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sport log
Acerinox logo
Banco de España logo
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Inditex logo
Naturgy Foundation logo
Renfe logo
Solaria logo
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Iberdrola logo
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