Abelardo Bethencourt

CEO, co-founder and partner of Ernest

With a degree in law, and with studies in intelligence analysis and national defence from the Centro Superior de Estudios de la Defensa Nacional, he began his professional career in the Communication department of the Partido Popular and soon made the leap to political consultancy in the cabinet of the party's president, Mariano Rajoy, until the 2011 general elections.

In 2012 he also joined President Rajoy's team in Moncloa, first as Chief of Staff to the Director of National Security and then as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of State – Head of the Prime Minister’s office in the Government – Secretary of the National Security Council.

He was deputy director of the Partido Popular’s general election campaigns in 2015 and 2016, as well as a member of the different Campaign Committees in the period 2014-2018.

In the private sphere, he co-founded the consultancy firm Public by Shackleton, heading up its management team, combining it with the management of the Communication division of the same group, Buzz and Press, for more than 4 years.

He currently teaches postgraduate courses at the Universidad Internacional de La Rioja and the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos de Madrid. He is a member of the Advisory Committee for the master’s degree in Political and Corporate Communication of the Universidad de Navarra, and author of several publications for different national media outlets.

Some of his projects have received national and international recognition.  He has two Napolitan Victory Awards from the Washington Academy of Political Arts & Sciences for his work on election campaigns. He has also directed projects that have received recognition from the CdeC, El Sol, D&AD and ECHO Awards, among others.

Washington COMPOL magazine included him in its list of "The 100 Most Influential Professionals in Political Communication"