D. Álvaro de la Riva Guzmán de Frutos
Born in 1960 in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, he holds a degree in Political Science from the Complutense University of Madrid and in Economics and International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
He began his professional career in the private sector, working for international companies in the media and journalism industry, before joining the Spanish Diplomatic Service in 1990.
He has extensive experience in economic diplomacy, having served as Head of the Economic and Commercial Offices of Spain in Algeria and Colombia, and as Counsellor in charge of economic affairs at the Embassy of Spain in Mexico.
His knowledge of Asia has been acquired through diplomatic postings such as Minister-Counsellor in Vietnam, as well as through journalistic work in Brunei, Singapore, Macau and Pakistan.
He has served as Minister-Counsellor at the Embassy of Spain in Athens, Ambassador of Spain to Estonia, Cultural Counsellor at the Embassy of Spain in Moscow, and Consul General of Spain in Istanbul.
He has also been a member of the Editorial Board of the political journal Política Exterior.