page_title: José María de Oriol y Urquijo
section_title: Other business and public engagements
hierarchical_section_title: José María de Oriol y Urquijo / Other business and public engagements
caption_attribution_description: Chicago Railroad Fair. Chicago Railroad Fair, 1948 - 1949. A Talgo locomotive which was produced in the United States by American Car Foundry. The locomotive was on display as part of Chicago's Railroad Fair which ran from 1948 to 1949.
context_page_description: José María de Oriol y Urquijo, 3rd Marquis of Casa Oriol was a Spanish entrepreneur and a Carlist and Francoist politician. During early Francoism a mayor of Bilbao, he is known mostly for his business activity, especially for his role in the Spanish energy industry, TALGO train development and the banking sector. He is counted among the most influential Spanish business managers of the 20th century.
context_section_description: As in mid-1940s TALGO transformed into the Oriol family business, José María was heavily engaged in technical work related to construction of the rolling stock. Since the company was incapable of addressing the problems domestically, production was developed in the United States, with Oriol spending months at American Car and Foundry in New York. In the early 1950s he was supervising development works until Talgo II entered commercial service. As his father and brother, primary managers of the company, stepped down in the mid-1950s, in 1955 José María assumed presidency of the board and in 1957 he became CEO of the company. His key projects were launching own rolling stock factories in Aravaca and Rivabellosa, constructing new generation bi-directional train Talgo III and negotiating co-operation details with Renfe. Talgo served also as a show-case, intended to prove modernizing capacity of the regime and its industrial prowess. Oriol remained at the helm of the company until his death.
  In 1941 Oriol entered Consejo de Administración of Banesto, which reflected financial engagement of the bank in Talgo. Though initially banking duties were very time consuming, Oriol has never considered them his prime activity. He saw his role as representative of the shareholders rather than a manager, supervising financial and operational soundness rather than setting the strategy and running the daily business. He remained in Banesto board until death, periodically entering executive bodies of its daughter banks. With other family members he also co-owned large agricultural estates in the South of Spain.
  In 1961 Oriol was elected president of Asociación Nacional de Ingenieros Industriales, the function held until the following year he became head of Instituto de Ingenieros Civiles de España, a supreme corporate organization grouping all engineering branches. At this job he was involved in discussions on professional certificates, technical education, internal organization of the engineer corps and some specific questions related to national economy, like future of the nuclear energy in Spain. Re-elected 2 times, he stepped down in 1971. Invited in 1959, he formally entered Real Academia de Ciencias Morales y Políticas as académico de número in 1961, in course of 24 years having taken part in 396 of its sessions. He also briefly directed Centro de Estudios Europeos and Comisión de Intercambio Cultural España-EE.UU. 
  Together with other members of Oriol, Ibarra and Urquijo families he formed part of one of the most powerful Spanish oligarchic groups. He is noted as exemplary case of Spanish entrepreneur who took advantage of his political profile, thriving in a peculiar business environment of Francoism. His management style is described as bold, decisive and even authoritarian, also towards other family members. Endurance, scope and complexity of Oriol-ran businesses, combined with his personal vision, energy and innovative knack, earned him place among the 100 most important Spanish entrepreneurs of the 20th century. He was awarded a number of Spanish and international honors, since 1959 officially acknowledged as 3rd marqués de Casa Oriol.
caption: ACF Talgo locomotive, 1948
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