Former president of the Paris Peace Forum, Angel Gurría is best known for his 15-year tenure as secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). There he transformed the institution into a more inclusive and globally engaged platform for economic coordination.
Gurría’s career began in his native Mexico, where he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs during a period marked by complex trade negotiations and diplomatic realignments. He championed dialogue and consensus-building at a time when Mexico was repositioning itself as an emerging player on the world stage. As Minister of Finance and Public Credit from 1998 to 2000, he oversaw a rare moment of economic continuity during a presidential transition — an achievement that defied the country’s historical pattern of financial instability during political changeovers.
When Angel Gurría took the helm of the OECD in 2006, he inherited an organisation that was influential but limited in its global reach. Under his leadership, the OECD admitted Chile, Estonia, Israel, Latvia, and Slovenia, and opened pathways for closer cooperation with major emerging economies such as China, India, Brazil, and South Africa. His tenure also saw the OECD become a fixture at G7 and G20 summits and a leading voice in debates on international taxation, anti-corruption, education, green growth, and inclusive development.
Gurría launched the “New Approaches to Economic Challenges” initiative to critically examine the assumptions underpinning mainstream economic thinking in the wake of the global financial crisis. He also expanded the OECD’s agenda to include policies that support gender equity, skills development, and people’s well-being.
Beyond his institutional roles, Angel Gurría has remained an active contributor to international policy forums, from water security to global development finance. He has served on advisory boards for the UN, World Economic Forum, and numerous research institutes across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
