Miguel Carmelo holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Business Administration from Universidad Complutense de Madrid and a PhD from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.

After graduating, in 1982 he started his career at Unilever España, where he gained professional experience in several areas and held a number of positions of responsibility. In 1990 he became VP Marketing and was appointed to the company’s Board of Directors. Three years later, he was named Director of a European Division, where he oversaw operations for 17 countries working out of London. This experience would prove to be a turning point in Carmelo’s professional career. “By accepting this position I was given the opportunity to really get to know Europe. I was in charge of various countries each very different from each other, ranging from Norway to Turkey. Therefore, I was exposed to a wide variety of cultures, languages, and ways of thinking, working and sharing work and living space; all of which proved to be a tremendously enriching experience.” In 1997 he was appointed CEO and General Manager of Lever España.

In 2000, his career took a new turn when he accepted the position of CEO of Universidad Europea de Madrid (UEM). “My personal experience told me that the University was stuck in the past and needed to move forward in order to be useful to a society that had already plunged head first into the 21st century,” he explained. UEM was the first institution of what is today the largest worldwide organization of private universities, Laureate International Universities, which currently has 50 institutions in 24 different countries and more than 600,000 students enrolled in its undergraduate and graduate programs.

In addition to being CEO of Universidad Europea de Madrid, Carmelo is also President of Laureate International Universities for the Mediterranean Region with responsibilities over Spain, Turkey, Cyprus and Morocco.

His passion for education and training has linked him throughout his career to the world of universities, having taught for more than15 years at universities in Madrid, as well as at Kingston University. He is also an honorary professor at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and recently published his first book, “Branding Universitario: Marcando la Diferencia, [University Branding: Making the Difference]”.

Miguel Carmelo has his own blog, a space for dialogue and reflection on the role of the University as an institution open to debate.