José Antonio Meade

José Antonio Meade Kuribreña (Spanish pronunciation: [xoˌse anˈtonjo ˈmið kuɾiˈβɾeɲa]; born 27 February 1969)[1] is a Mexican politician, economist, lawyer, and diplomat. He served as a cabinet minister under Presidents Felipe Calderón and Enrique Peña Nieto in a variety of portfolios, becoming the first Mexican official appointed to cabinet five times. He was the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) candidate in the 2018 presidential election, where he placed third.

José Antonio Meade
Secretary of Finance and Public Credit of Mexico
In office 7 September, 2016 – 27 November, 2017
President	Enrique Peña Nieto
Preceded by	Luis Videgaray Caso
Succeeded by	José Antonio González Anaya
In office 9 September, 2011 – 30 November, 2012
President	Felipe Calderón
Preceded by	Ernesto Cordero Arroyo
Succeeded by	Luis Videgaray Caso
Secretary of Social Development of Mexico
In office 27 August, 2015 – 6 September, 2016
President	Enrique Peña Nieto
Preceded by	Rosario Robles
Succeeded by	Luis Enrique Miranda Nava
Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico
In office 1 December, 2012 – 26 August, 2015
President	Enrique Peña Nieto
Preceded by	Patricia Espinosa
Succeeded by	Claudia Ruiz Massieu
Secretary of Energy of Mexico
In office 7 January, 2011 – 9 September, 2011
President	Felipe Calderón
Preceded by	Georgina Kessel
Succeeded by	Jordy Herrera Flores
Deputy Secretary of Finance and Public Credit of Mexico
In office 20 August, 2010 – 6 January, 2011
President	Felipe Calderón
Preceded by	Alejandro Werner Wainfeld
Succeeded by	Gerardo Rodriguez Regordosa
Personal details
Born	José Antonio Meade Kuribreña 27 February 1969 Mexico City, Mexico
Political party	Independent
Other political affiliations	Institutional Revolutionary Party
Spouse(s)	Juana Cuevas ​ (m. 1994)​
Alma mater	Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology National Autonomous University of Mexico Yale University

Biography

Meade is the son of Dionisio Meade[2][3] and his wife Lucía, daughter of the lawyer and sculptor José Kuribreña.[4] The Meade Kuribreña family is a Mexican family of Irish[5] and Lebanese[6] descent. He is married to painter Juana Cuevas and they have 3 children.

Education

Meade has a B.S. in Economics from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), a B.S. in Law from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and a Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University.[7]

Career

From 1997 to 1999, Meade was the General Director of Financial Planning at the National Commission for the Retirement Savings System. In 1999, he was named Deputy Secretary of Bank Savings Protection at Mexico's Institute for the Protection of Bank Savings. The following year, he became General Director of Banking and Savings at the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit. As Chief Executive Officer of the National Bank for Rural Credit (2002 to 2003), he led the financial restructuring and transition to the new institution that would substitute Banrural: Financiera Rural, where he would serve as Chief Executive Office until 2006.

Felipe Calderón's Administration

During President Felipe Calderón's administration, Meade served as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Finance and Public Credit, Undersecretary of Finance and Public Credit, and later on he became a member of the Cabinet, serving as Secretary of Energy,[8] and Secretary of Finance and Public Credit.[9]

Secretary of Energy (2011)

As Secretary of Energy, Meade implemented the first bidding round for Integrated Exploration and Production Contracts and new ducts that allowed natural gas to reach multiple communities for the first time.[10] Furthermore, he brought electricity to all communities of over 100 inhabitants, promoted a more efficient use of energy and distributed around 50 million energy saving light bulbs.[11]

Secretary of Finance and Public Credit (2011[12] - 2012)

The first time Meade served as Secretary of Finance and Public Credit, he led the Ministry throughout Mexico's presidency of the G20, achieving agreements to strengthen the IMF, reduce protectionism and position financial inclusion as a priority. Moreover, he conducted a smooth transition between administrations from different parties with robust growth and stable inflation.

Secretary of Foreign Affairs (2012 - 2015)

José Antonio Meade as Secretary of Foreign Affairs before the Chatham House in 2014.

The first position he held in President Enrique Peña Nieto's administration was as Secretary of Foreign Affairs, where he broadened the relation with the United States, by creating a framework beyond migration and security, which promoted research, innovation, entrepreneurship and higher education, through the US-Mexico Bilateral Forum on Higher Education, Innovation and Research, and the Mexico-US Entrepreneurship and Innovation Council. Moreover, he improved the access of undocumented migrants in the US to health and education, as well as to key documents such as driving licenses, birth certificates and identification cards. Finally, he normalized diplomatic relations with Cuba and France.[13][14] In 2013, Foreign Policy named him one of the world's most powerful people.[15]

Secretary of Social Development (2015 - 2016)

As Secretary of Social Development, Meade designed and implemented the National Inclusion Strategy to ensure access by Mexico's poorest to the social services they were legally entitled to have. During his tenure, 2 million people left the ranks of extreme poverty, through the involvement of local governments, businessmen, and civil society.[16] In February 2016, the League of United Latin American Citizens Council No. 12 in Laredo, Texas, U.S., announced that Meade and George P. Bush, the Texas land commissioner, would both receive the titles of "Señor Internacional," a designation used since 1976 to honor distinguished figures in the border region as part of the annual Washington's Birthday Celebration.[17]

Secretary of Finance and Public Credit (2016 - 2017)

The president Enrique Peña Nieto announced the resignation of Dr. José Antonio Meade, as Secretary of Finance and Public Credit.

During his second time as Secretary of Finance and Public Credit, two of the world's top rating agencies changed their rating perspective of Mexico from negative to stable, and in 2017 Mexico's economy grew 50% more than expected. Furthermore, he achieved the first primary surplus in 9 years and reduced the debt-to-GDP ratio, for the first time in 10 years. In 2017, he was named Latin America's Finance Minister of the Year by Capital Markets magazine.[18]

2018 Presidential Campaign

Foreign Minister José Antonio Meade at UK Foreign Office meeting, London, February 2015.

On 9 August 2017, the PRI revised its requirements for presidential candidates, eliminating the requirement that candidates must have 10 years of party membership, and allowing "illustrious" non-party figures to lead the party.[19] This move was seen as benefitting Meade, as he is not a member of the PRI.[19][20] On 27 November 2017, Meade resigned his post as Secretary of Finance and Public Credit and announced he would compete in the 2018 presidential election, representing the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Meade was seen as the safest bet for the party, as his formal non-affiliation and clean public record could distance him from the party's scandals.[21] Meade was formally selected as the PRI's candidate at their convention of delegates on 18 February 2018.

On Election Day, shortly after the polls closed, Meade conceded defeat and wished victor Andrés Manuel López Obrador "every success".[22][23]

Other activities

In October 2018, he was named member of the Global Commission on Adaptation.[24]

Honors

• Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (2015)[25]

References

1. "Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público Directorio". gob.mx. Retrieved 2017-11-22.
2. "SIL :: Sistema de Información Legislativa-PopUp Legislador". sil.gobernacion.gob.mx. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
3. "USC honors Mexico's Secretary of Foreign Affairs, José Antonio Meade Kuribreña - C. L. Max Nikias - USC". www.president.usc.edu. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
4. taquia67 (25 April 2009). "El mundo interior en la escultura de José Kuri Breña". Retrieved 26 June 2018 – via YouTube.
5. "Meade in Limerick: Mexican minister researching his Irish roots". Limerick Leader. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
6. Presencia de México en el mundo libanés Archived 2014-12-10 at the Wayback Machine
7. "¿Quién es José Antonio Meade Kuribreña?". El Economista.
8. SENER Archived 2018-08-18 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
9. "José Antonio Meade Kuribreña". Presidencia de la República. 15 January 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2013. (in Spanish)
10. "¿Quién es José Antonio Meade?". Imagen Radio. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
11. ""Luz Sustentable", un proyecto que beneficia a todos". Gobierno de México (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 June 2019.
12. https://lta.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idLTASIE7A7SCS20110909
13. "México-Cuba, una relación renovada y en marcha". La Jornada.
14. "México y Francia relanzan relación". Excelsior.
15. "The 500 most powerful people on the planet". Foreign Policy.
16. "CONEVAL INFORMA LA EVOLUCIÓN DE LA POBREZA 2010-2016" (PDF). CONEVAL.
17. "40th annual Senor Internacional announced". Laredo Morning Times. February 6, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
18. "Otorgan a Meade premio al Ministro de Finanzas del Año". Forbes.
19. Stargardter, Gabriel (10 August 2017). "Mexico ruling party's reform strengthens president ahead of 2018 vote". Retrieved 7 June 2018.
20. Webber, Jude (2 May 2018). "Mexico's embattled PRI replaces leader ahead of July election". Financial Times.
21. Villegas, Paulina (27 November 2017). "Mexico's Finance Minister Says He'll Run for President". New York Times.
22. "Jose Antonio Meade of Mexico's ruling party concedes defeat to Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in presidential vote". ABC News (USA). 1 July 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
23. "Le deseo el mayor de los éxitos a AMLO: Meade". Excélsior. 1 July 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
24. "Éste es el nuevo cargo de José Antonio Meade". El Financiero (in Spanish). 18 October 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
25. "Honorary British Awards to Foreign Nationals – 2015" (PDF).

External links

José Antonio Meade on Twitter

José Antonio Meade on Facebook

• Official Site