A Law graduate from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (1987), her professional career combines extensive public-sector experience with distinguished leadership in corporate public affairs, specialising in international relations, corporate diplomacy, and public-private collaboration, with a particular focus on Latin America.
In the public sphere, she held senior positions including Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (2010–2011) and Minister of Health and Social Policy (2009–2010). She previously served as Secretary of State for Latin America (2006–2009), Secretary for International Relations of the PSOE (2000–2007), and Vice-President of the Party of European Socialists (2000–2004). From 1995 to 2000, she was Head of Latin America Relations at the PSOE’s International Relations Secretariat. Her political career also includes a term as a Member of the Congress of Deputies (2011–2016), where she served as Vice-Chair of the Equality Committee and Spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as her candidacy for Mayor of Madrid and subsequent service as a city councillor (2003–2006). She began her international career in Equatorial Guinea, Israel and Cameroon (1990–1995), where she worked as a teacher at the Spanish School in Bata and at UNED.
In the private sector, she currently serves as Senior Advisor at Telefónica, S.A. Prior to this, between 2016 and June 2026, she led the company’s Global Public Affairs Strategy, with responsibility for corporate diplomacy, institutional engagement, regional and international partnerships, and stakeholder relations. Since 2020, she has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Fundación Telefónica, the Social Council of the Universidad de La Rioja (UNIR), and the Council of the Universidad Tecnológica Atlántica Mediterránea. She currently chairs the Brazil-Spain Chamber of Commerce and the Ibero-American Business Foundation.
Her international career has taken her to professional conferences and roundtables across the globe, where she has led high-level delegations. She has received a number of distinguished international honours, including the Carlos III Medal (Spain), the Order of Rio Branco (Brazil), the Order of the Rising Sun (Japan), and the Order of San Carlos (Colombia).
