Oscar Iván Zuluaga Escobar was born on February 3, 1959, in the town of Pensilvania, in the Department (State) of Caldas, the Republic of Colombia.  He is the second of four children.  He graduated as an Economist, with Honorable Mention, from Javeriana University in Bogotá, and then he did a Masters in Public Finances at Exeter University in England.  His dedication as a student permitted him to win the prestigious National University Thesis Contest, convened by the National Association of Financial Institutions (Asociación Nacional de Instituciones Financieras, ANIF) in 1983.  He is passionate about education and teaching, which he has done throughout his career.

The privilege of having received an excellent academic and humanistic formation sowed in his conscious a commitment to serve the country.  He decided to do so from a position of popular election and, to begin from the same base, he chose to run as a candidate for City Council in Pensilvania, Caldas, his hometown, which elected him the first time he ran for office.  Proud of his roots and true to his motto that “public funds are sacred,” he was next chosen Mayor by the townspeople.  He brilliantly served in this position and was recognized by the World Bank.

His ironclad values, his behavior consistent with the highest ethical standards and his ability to relate to his fellow citizens left an indelible mark on all his work, backed by a revolutionary and successful alliance among the public sector, the private sector and the community, whose purpose was to reduce the levels of poverty.  This first stage as a public servant allowed him to highlight the characteristics that have always stood out in his career: consistency, honesty, conviction, transparency and commitment.

At the end of his term as mayor, he made the decision to enter Acerías de Colombia S.A. (ACESCO), one of the most representative companies of the real sector of the country.  Family tradition always made him aware that the ability of private enterprise to create jobs makes it an indispensable engine of progress of any country.  His results and initiatives led him to be company president and successfully lead an internationalization process. 

His vocation to public service moved him to run for the Senate in 2002, convinced of the need to make effective contributions to solve problems, instead of falling into the comfortable ease of constant criticism.  The electorate welcomed his ideas and supported him with determination, giving him one of the highest voting results in the country.  In his years as a Senator, he stood out for his initiatives, his sense of commitment and his technical formation with a social focus.  Among his most important accomplishments stand out the fact that he conceived and promoted the legislative act permitting Presidential reelection, as well as having been the founder and president of the National Unity Social Party (Partido Social de Unidad Nacional), known as the Unity Party (Partido de la U), which became the first political force in the 2006 Congressional elections.  He was also appointed by the Colombian Congress as one of its representatives to discuss the issues of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and the Free Trade Agreement with the United States (NAFTA), as well as leading the Mission to Reduce Poverty and Inequality.  He was also the proponent and enthusiastic promoter of Pension Reform and Labor laws, the law that regulates Civil Service, the law that leads to the Democratization of Credit through Family Compensation Funds, and the law that defines and punishes work harassment, among others.

His work in Congress consolidated his reputation for seriousness, responsibility and commitment to the country and led Álvaro Uribe Vélez, President of the Republic to name him Deputy Chief of the Office of the President, a post in which he stood out for his equilibrium and prudence.  Among his most outstanding accomplishments was the successful solution of the litigation initiated by the Colombo – Spanish consortium Concesionaria del Magdalena Medio S.A., COMMSA, one of the most costly and complex litigations that the Nation has faced in recent years.  As a result of the agreement reached, national public finances perceived an income of more than 100 million dollars.  The exercise of his primary role as Deputy Chief, which consists of coordinating the Council of Ministers, allowed him to become involved and know firsthand the most important topics of each one of these Ministries.

His excellent results in the position of Deputy Chief, coupled with his deep knowledge of economic and social topics, made President Álvaro Uribe Vélez appoint him Minister of the Treasury and Public Credit in March 2007.  Due to the successful management he has given the ministry, overcoming with solvency the worst world economic crisis since the Great Depression, he was chosen the Best Minister of the Year by two of the most important communication media in the country and the Best Latin American Minister by the magazine Emerging Markets of the Euromoney Group; this award was presented to him during the Annual Meeting of the IMF and the World Bank on October 4, 2009, in Istanbul.

These distinctions are just recognition of his performance at the helm of one of the most significant and complex Ministries of the Nation.  The two most outstanding results of 2009 were, first, the positive growth of the national economy, since Colombia was one of the few nations on the continent to achieve this, and, additionally, the considerable reduction of the rate of inflation, which was the lowest in the past 55 years, achieved in partnership with the Bank of the Republic.  These facts must be added to the consolidation of the relation with foreign investors, which has been one of the main objectives of both the National Government as well as the Ministry of the Treasury to generate greater the economic and social growth of the country.  Evidence of this commitment is that since 2007, the total investment rate has been above 25% of the GDP, one of the highest rates in Latin America.  It should be noted that these levels have not been seen since the mid – 90s.  His hallmark is the correct application of the principles of political economy, a factor that has enabled him to maintain a fair balance between technique and political viability, and this has been reflected in the successful passage of the Ministry of the Treasury projects in Congress.  Since taking office as Treasury Minister, one of his priorities has been to allow the average citizen to understand national economic issues; to do this, he has made a tremendous educational effort.

His respect for values and his strong conviction that family strength remains a fundamental principle of society are evident in his marriage of 23 years to Marta Ligia Martínez, and the formation given to their children David, Esteban and Juliana, of whom he is deeply proud.  An avid reader, he is fond of practicing swimming and dancing.  Characterized by his simplicity and people skills, he values and appreciates personal effort and zealously defends respect for the truth.  Serious, yet friendly, his subordinates define him as a respectful, prudent and easily approachable man.