Mauricio Macri

Biography

Mauricio Macri was born on February 8, 1959, in Tandil, Argentina, into a well-known business family. He studied civil engineering at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina and went on to attend Columbia Business School, The Wharton School, and the University of CEMA to expand his business knowledge. In 1991, his career took a dramatic turn when he was kidnapped, an event that pushed him towards public service. Macri became the president of the famed football club Boca Juniors from 1994 to 2007, where he turned around the club's finances and gained public attention through effective team management. His success there marked him as a capable leader and made him known to more Argentinians.

In 2003, he started the Commitment for Change movement, which later became the Republican Proposal (PRO) party in 2005, establishing himself as a center-right liberal conservative figure. Macri's political career took off when he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for Buenos Aires from 2005 to 2007. He then ran a successful campaign for Chief of Government of Buenos Aires in 2007 after an unsuccessful attempt in 2003. He was re-elected in 2011 and remained in the position until 2015. As mayor, he gained executive experience and set the stage for his presidential aspirations.

In 2015, Macri made history by winning Argentina's first presidential runoff election, defeating the Peronist candidate and signaling a major shift in Argentine politics. During his presidency from 2015 to 2019, he introduced major economic changes, moving from a fixed to a floating exchange rate, eliminating export taxes, cutting energy subsidies, and lifting currency controls to open Argentina to global markets. His government followed gradual neoliberal policies while upholding moderate social liberal stances at home.