Rafael Mateu de Ros
Experience
One of the founding partners of Ramón y Cajal Abogados, Rafael Mateu de Ros specialises in corporate and commercial law, corporate governance, Spanish and international tax law and litigation and arbitration.
As a Government Lawyer (Abogado del Estado), currently on leave, Rafael worked for several years for the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Finance, where he served as Director of the Central Resource Service, Head of the Technical Cabinet of the Sub-secretariat and Deputy Director General.
Rafael subsequently focused his career on the private sector, acting as secretary to the board of directors and general counsel for numerous and diverse companies, including Endiasa, Eniepsa and Hispanoil. He then served as secretary general and secretary to the board of directors of Bankinter from 1986 to 2009, where he currently serves as Independent Director of Bankinter and Chairman of the Corporate Governance Committee of Bankinter.
Rafael also acts as director and trustee in other companies and foundations as well as legal counsel to the board of directors of Iberdrola.
Permanent arbitrator of the Madrid Civil and Mercantile Arbitration Court (CIMA), the Madrid Arbitration Court (CAM) and member of the Banking and Finance Arbitration Committee of the Europrean Association for Arbitration (AEADE), he has also participated as an ad hoc arbitrator in various Spanish and international arbitration proceedings.
Rafael currently leads the Centre for Corporate Governance, comprised of the Instituto de Empresa, the PWC Foundation, Iberdrola and Bankinter.
Education
- Law Degree, awarded with special distinction as the highest academically ranked graduate of his class (premio extraordinario), Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
- Doctor of Law, Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
- Graduate of the Program for Management Development (PMD), Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts (USA).
- Government Lawyer (Abogado del Estado), currently on leave.
- Degree in European Union Law, General Directorate for Contentious Matters, Spanish Government.
Teaching
Visiting Professor of Corporate Law at the Instituto de Empresa (MBA programme and IE Law School), ICADE, Fundación Ortega y Marañón and Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo.
Publications
Rafael has authored numerous monographs and articles in legal journals, including Revista de Derecho Bancario y Bursátil, Hacienda Pública Española, Crónica Tributaria, Impuestos-la Ley, Gaceta Fiscal, Revista de Derecho Administrativo, Revista de Derecho del Mercado de Valores, etc.
He frequently contributes opinion pieces on current legal issues in Spanish national newspapers (both in financially oriented and general periodicals), such as El País, Cinco Días and Expansión.
Affiliations
- Numerary Doctor of the Royal Academy of Doctors of Cataluña.
- Spanish Arbitration Club (CEA).
- Practising member of the Madrid, Barcelona and Vizcaya Bar Associations (Ilustres Colegios de Abogados).
- Corresponding member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Jurisprudence and Legislation.
Other activities:
- Member of the Academic Committee of FIDE (Fundación para la Investigación sobre el Derecho y la Empresa)
- Honorary Member of the Museo del Prado's Asociación de Amigos.
- Member of the The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Museo Reina Sofía (Madrid) and the Museo Thyssen-Bornemizsa (Madrid).
- Member of the board of directors of the Spanish Chapter of the Hispanic Society of America (New York).
- Member of the Real Club de Puerta de Hierro (Madrid).