RAFAEL PUYOL, University Professor of Human Geography in the Madrid Complutense University’s School of Geography and History, and Chancellor of that University between December 1995 and 2003. He pursued post-graduate studies at universities in France (Paris) and England (Nottingham).

Former President of the Population Group within the Association of Spanish Geographers (AGE). Vice-President of the Real Sociedad Geográfica. Member of the Board of the Spanish Chapter of the Club of Rome. Former President and Vice-President of Fundación Universidad-Empresa. Former Vice-President of Madrid Complutense University’s Fundación General. Patron of Fundación Cánovas del Castillo, Fundación Independiente, Fundación Santander Central Hispano and Fundación Atapuerca. Trustee of Fundación Entorno, Empresa y Medio Ambiente. Former Director and member of the Executive Committee of Portal Universia. Director of Grupo EP. Former Chairman of the Board of Directors of College des Hautes Études Européennes "Miguel Servet" in Paris. Former President of Instituto de Ciencias Musicales. Member of the jury for the Príncipe de Asturias Award of Scientific and Technical Research since 1996. Former Vice-President of the Conferencia de Rectores de Universidades Españolas (CRUE). Member of the Editorial Board of Gaceta de los Negocios and Dinero magazine. Member of the Editorial Board of Nueva Revista de Política, Cultura y Arte. Honorary citizen of the town of Roquetas de Mar. Winner of the Silver Chickpea award from the Club de Prensa and the Golden Apple award from the Centro Asturiano in Madrid. He holds the Grand Cross of Aeronautical Merit and the Grand Cross of Naval Merit, both with white ribbon, and the Gold Medals of Complutense University and the Universities of Prague, Bratislava, Anáhuac (Mexico), Havana and Helsinki. Commemorative Medal of UNICEF’s 50th anniversary, and Honorary Member of UNICEF’s Spanish Committee. Gold Master of Forum de Alta Dirección. Honorary member of ADC Dir-Com. Honorary doctorates from the Universities of Anáhuac, Norte (Asunción, Paraguay), Ricardo Palma (Lima, Peru), San Antonio Abad (Cuzco, Peru), Panama National University, Interamerican University (Puerto Rico) and Pedro Henríquez Ureña National University (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic). He has been awarded the keys of Panama City. Order of Núñez de Balboa, in the degree of Gran Oficial, from the Republic of Panama. Silver Antenna award by the Asociación de Profesionales de Radio y Televisión in Madrid. Full member of the Real Academia de Doctores. Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas.

A specialist in demographics, he has authored numerous publications and papers in his field. Overall, he has published 16 books and over 100 articles.

He is currently Executive Vice-President of Fundación Instituto de Empresa, one of the world’s most prestigious business schools.
He is married and has four children.