Sebastián Piñera

Chilean politician and billionaire businessman who served as the President of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022. In November 2017, he was elected to become the president again in March 2018. Piñera became the first billionaire to be sworn into the Chilean Presidency. He built an estimated fortune of $US2.4 billion as of March 2011, according to Forbes magazine. His wealth was greatly due to his involvement in introducing credit cards to Chile in the late 1970s and his subsequent investments, mainly in LAN Airlines stock.

One year after his birth, Piñera's family moved abroad to Belgium and later to New York City where his father was the Chilean ambassador to the United Nations. Piñera returned to Chile in 1955.

After three years at Harvard, Piñera graduated with both an M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics. Once graduated, Piñera was an educator from 1971 until 1988. He was Professor of Economics at the University of Chile, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and Adolfo Ibáñez University.

Piñera was general manager of the Bank of Talca. He once owned 90% of Chilevisión (a terrestrial television channel broadcasting nationwide) prior to becoming president. He also owned 27% of LAN Airlines (LAN); held 13% of Colo-Colo, a football (soccer) club; and held other minor stock positions in companies such as Quiñenco, Enersis, and Soquimich.

To avoid a conflict of interest he sold Chilevisión for $160 million in 2010 to Time Warner. He also sold his shares of LAN in several rounds between February and March 2010, as well as his participation in Colo-Colo.

Piñera married Cecilia Morel in December 1973. They were neighbours in the Avenida Américo Vespucio, Santiago. They had four children, born in 1975, 1978, 1982 and 1984.

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