Jose Blanco AM – Sydney
Jose has over 30 years experience in a variety of professional and commercial roles, spanning the legal, banking, trade and commercial sectors. He possesses broad experience in business development, strategic planning, corporate governance, government and public relations, as well as excellent communication and negotiating skills in multi-cultural settings and diverse geographies.
Some of the key positions held by Jose include:
- Country Manager, Australia and New Zealand of Banco Santander, S.A., from 1990 to 2011.
- Chairman of the Australia-Latin America Business Council from 1991 to 2018.
- Vice Chairman of the Council on Australia Latin America Relations (COALAR) from 2001 to 2010
- President of the Spanish Official Chamber of Commerce in Australia from 2001 to 2008.
- Partner/Consultant in the law firms, Bodors and Cutler, Hughes & Harris
- Non-executive directorships in a variety of Spanish-controlled companies operating in Australia
The link between each of these roles has been the focus on the markets of Australia, Latin America and Spain, and the passion that Jose has shown for helping companies make the jump into one or more of these markets. All of which means that the services that Blanco Partners offers today have been developed and proven successful over a very long period.
Jose is widely acknowledged as being one of the leading players in building closer commercial ties between Australia and Latin America, and also Australia and Spain.
Jose's contribution to fostering these bilateral relationships has seen him receive several important honours, including being made a Member of the Order of Australia, being awarded the Orden de Mérito Civil by the King of Spain and the Orden de Bernardo O’Higgins by the President of the Republic of Chile. He was also awarded the Orden Olímpica by the Spanish National Olympic Committee for the services that he provided to the Spanish Olympic Team in relation to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Upon stepping down from the chairmanship of the Australia-Latin America Business Council in 2018, Jose was appointed Chairman Emeritus of the Council in recognition of his many years of service.