Sebastian Pinera Biography

Sebastian Pinera was born on December 1, 1949 in Santiago, Chile, to parents Jose Pinera Carvallo and Magdalena Echenique Rozas, as the third of six children.

His immediate family includes brothers Jose Manuel, Juan Pablo and Jose Miguel as well as sisters Maria Magdalena and Maria Teresa.

When he was one year old his family moved to New York City where his father served in the office of the Chilean Economic Development Agency.

After his family returned to Chile in 1955, he enrolled at the Colegio del Verbo Divino ("Divine Word College"), and graduated from the same in 1967.

He returned to his undergraduate alma mater in 1976 as an economics professor. Concurrently, he taught economics at the University of Chile, Adolfo Ibanez University and Valparaiso Business School.

From 1974 to 1978 he was a consultant for the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank.

In 1976 he worked on a project for the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean which outlined areas of extreme financial hardship in Latin America and what could be done to remedy the problem.

Year 1979 saw Pinera's creation of Bancard, a credit card company, which introduced Chileans to a new form of payment for goods and services.

Contemporaneously, he was Apple computers' official representative in Chile and contributed to the creation of Las Americas Real Estate Company, Aconcagua Construction Company and the Los Andes Publishing House.

He occupied a senatorial seat for the 8th Voting District of the Eastern Metropolitan Region from 1990 to 1998.

Sebastian Pinera was elected as president of Chile in the 2010 election against opposing Concert of Parties for Democracy candidate Eduardo Frei.

Though not mandated by law, he voluntarily liquidated all commercial assets that may have caused a conflict of interest in his role as president.

From 2010 to 2014, Pinera's administration made significant strides in improving the quality of life for Chilean citizens. His leadership allowed the country to create 1 million new jobs, increase domestic productivity, open new hospitals and schools and decrease Chile's crime rate.

He left office in March 2022. He is said to have maintained good relations with his successor Gabriel Boric.

As a joint effort with his wife, Cecilia Morel, Pinera created the Fundacion Mujer Emprende in 1989, dedicated to providing occupational training and education to impoverished women.

In 1993, Piñera created the foundation Fundación Futuro. Its mission is to help in Chile’s development of freedom, justice and democracy. The foundation was renamed to Fundación Cultura y Sociedad following his presidential election victory.

They became parents of four successful children, Magdalena, a professor of history, Cecilia, a pediatrician, Sebastian, who works in business administration and Christopher, a psychologist.

He was involved in a political scandal called Pineragate which consisted of attempting to have his competitor ambushed by a journalist during the 1992 Chilean Presidential nominations.

He passed away on February 6, 2024, in a helicopter crash.

Sebastian Pinera was an accomplished entrepreneur, having founded one of Chile's largest airlines, LAN Airlines, which later merged with TAM Airlines to form LATAM Airlines Group.

Pinera was known for his passion for outdoor activities, particularly mountain climbing. He had successfully reached the summit of several of the world's highest peaks, including Mount Aconcagua in Argentina.

In addition to his political career, Pinera was a successful author who wrote several books on economics and entrepreneurship. He is also a well-respected academic, having taught economics at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

Pinera was a dedicated philanthropist and has donated significant portions of his wealth to various charitable causes in Chile, particularly in the areas of education and healthcare.

Despite his busy schedule, Pinera was a talented pianist and often relaxes by playing classical music on his grand piano.