Pedro Morenés (photo: Remko de Waal, Getty Images)
Pedro de Morenés y Álvarez de Eulate, who has held many senior positions in Spain’s government, as well as working in the shipbuilding and defense industries, was named on March 24, 2017, to be his country’s ambassador to the United States.
Morenés was born September 17, 1948, in Las Arenas, Vizcaya, Spain. He is a member of Spanish nobility; the second son of Don José María de Morenés y Carvajal, 4th Viscount of Alesón (son of the Count and Countess of the Asalto, Grandees of Spain) and Doña Ana Sofía Álvarez de Eulate y Mac-Mahón. Morenés earned a degree in law from the University of Navarra in 1978, and was later awarded a degree in business administration from the University of Desuto in Bilbao and a master’s from the Bremen (Germany) Institute of Shipping Economics.
Morenés started his career as director of procurement at Morenés y Fernandez, S.A. in 1974. He then worked in the export division of customs firm Vigomesa in Bilbao.
He moved into law in 1979 and in 1984 began working at the Marítimos Amya (AMYA) maritime law firm in Madrid. He moved in 1988 to Empresa Astilleros Españoles, focusing on international contracting. In 1991, Morenés transferred to the National Institute of Industry, where he was head of legal service in its naval construction unit. He also taught vessel chartering and shipping freight at the Spanish Maritime Institute of Madrid and at the European Institute for Maritime Studies. He was put in charge of the National Institute of Industry’s shipbuilding division in 1994.
Morenés entered government in May 1996 as secretary of state for defense. He was also on the board of directors of Telefónica and Tabacalera from 1996 until 1998. In May 2000, he was named secretary of state for security and two years later, in August 2002, took a similar role in the Ministry of Science and Technology Policy.
When his party went out of power in 2004, Morenés reentered the private sector, first as secretary general of the Entrepreneurs Circle. In March 2005, he became chairman of the board of Construcciones Navales del Norte and in June 2010 Morenés was named general director for Spain of the MBDA missile company. He also served on the board of defense contractor Instalaza which made, among other things, cluster bombs. When Spain banned cluster bombs in 2008, Morenés and Instalza sought compensation from the Spanish government because the company could no longer manufacture the banned devices. In January 2011, he also joined the board of directors of Segur Iberica, a private security firm.
On December 21, 2011, Morenés took over as defense minister. He served there until being replaced in November 2016.
Morenés and his wife, Goretti Escauriaza Barreiro, have three adult children: Ramon, Isabela and Sofia. Morenés enjoys golf and was president of the Aulamar Foundation, which promotes disabled persons’ access to sailing. He has also served as president of the golf club Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro de Madrid.
-Steve Straehley
To Learn More:
Pedro Morenés, el Ministro que No Presume de Abolengo (Vanitatis)
Morenés, un Gestor Independiente Conocedor del Sector Industrial de Defensa y Su Problematica (Infodefensa)
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