The recent meeting in Miami between President Javier Milei and Mendoza businessman José Luis Manzano aroused great expectations in the political and economic scene: one a promoter of disruptive reforms, another a former official with powerful ties and a vast empire behind him.
Manzano (69), born in Tupungato, Mendoza, has a career that combines politics and business. A doctor trained at the National University of Cuyo, he entered politics at a young age, joining the Justicialist Party and participating in the “La Renovación Peronista” movement. He was elected national deputy for Mendoza in 1983, when he was just 27 years old.
In the government of Carlos Saúl Menem, Manzano held important positions. He was Minister of the Interior in the first years of the presidency, playing a key role in security, party structures and relations with the provinces.
After leaving the active political scene, he turned to the business world, forming together with Daniel Vila the group that is today Grupo América, one of the largest media conglomerates in the country.
In recent years, Manzano has expanded its investments in regulated and strategic sectors, such as hydrocarbons, public services and energy infrastructure. His hybrid profile—politics, business and media—positions him as a player with the capacity for dialogue on multiple fronts. In this context, its presence on President Milei’s agenda in the United States attracted attention both in official offices and in the business sector.
The president’s trip included meetings with investment funds and key figures in the financial world. That Manzano joined that scene suggests an open dialogue between the libertarian government and businessmen with a high-level political past and strong weight in central areas of the economic model.
In recent interventions, Manzano expressed support for the economic reforms promoted by Milei and stated that, if sustained, they could attract a significant volume of foreign capital, especially towards energy and mining, areas where it already has relevant investments. The correction of rates and the reduction of subsidies ordered by the Government also had a direct impact on the electricity business, with substantial increases in the value of the companies in the sector in which it participates.
